KR102490755B1 - Moving robot system - Google Patents

Abstract

a plurality of mobile robots that drive and clean an area to be cleaned; and a controller that communicates with the plurality of mobile robots and transmits a control command for remote control to the plurality of mobile robots, wherein the plurality of mobile robots cooperate to clean the cleaning target area from the controller. When a control command for the collaborative driving mode is received, the mobile robot system determines whether the driving states of the plurality of mobile robots correspond to a preset reference condition, and performs motion for the collaborative driving mode according to the determination result. It relates to the embodiment of.

Description

Mobile robot system {MOVING ROBOT SYSTEM}

It relates to a mobile robot system, and more specifically, to a mobile robot system in which a plurality of mobile robots perform cooperative driving and a method for performing cooperative driving thereof.

A vacuum cleaner is a device that performs a cleaning function by sucking dust and foreign substances or by wiping. In general, a vacuum cleaner performs a floor cleaning function, and the cleaner includes wheels for movement. In general, the wheel is rolled by an external force applied to the cleaner body to move the cleaner body relative to the floor.

However, as robot cleaners that perform cleaning while traveling on their own without user manipulation have been developed, a need for development to clean a plurality of robot cleaners while cooperating with each other without user manipulation has emerged.

Prior document WO2017-036532 discloses a method in which a master robot cleaning device (hereinafter, a master robot) controls at least one slave robot cleaning device (hereinafter, a slave robot). The prior art document discloses a configuration in which the master robot detects surrounding obstacles using an obstacle detection device and determines the position of the master robot in relation to the slave robot using position data derived from the obstacle detection device. In addition, KR20170174493 discloses a general process in which two robot cleaners perform cleaning while communicating with each other.

However, in the above two prior art documents, motions corresponding to various events occurring during collaborative driving are not disclosed. When two robot cleaners drive in collaboration, control in response to various events is required rather than when one robot vacuum cleaner is driven. Motion control is required, and in addition to this, proper corresponding motions of each of the two robot cleaners are required in the preceding/later relationship when a trap or kid-nap occurs.

In addition, in a mode in which two vacuum cleaners are cooperatively driving, there is a limit in that appropriate collaborative driving is difficult to achieve due to different specifications and conditions of the two vacuum cleaners. For example, in order for two vacuum cleaners to smoothly complete cooperative driving, the battery state of charge of both vacuum cleaners is required to exceed a certain standard. If the state of charge of one vacuum cleaner is less than a certain standard, it becomes difficult to complete cooperative driving. .

As such, in a system in which a plurality of robot cleaners are cooperatively driven, various driving conditions, driving conditions, and event response cases are considered. However, conventionally, an appropriate method has not been proposed, so that the accuracy/stability/reliability of collaborative driving using a plurality of robot cleaners is difficult. had to be limited.

With the goal of improving the limitations of the prior art as described above, the present specification intends to provide an embodiment of a mobile robot system capable of solving the above problems.

That is, it is intended to provide an embodiment of a mobile robot system capable of performing cooperative driving while satisfying various conditions of cooperative driving and a method of performing cooperative driving thereof.

In addition, it is intended to provide an embodiment of a mobile robot system capable of performing cooperative driving that can appropriately respond to various events occurring during cooperative driving and a method of performing cooperative driving thereof.

Specifically, it is intended to provide an embodiment of a mobile robot system capable of appropriately responding to a trap situation occurring during cooperative driving and a method for performing cooperative driving thereof.

In addition, it is intended to provide an embodiment of a mobile robot system capable of appropriately responding to various error situations occurring during cooperative driving and a method for performing cooperative driving thereof.

In addition, it is intended to provide an embodiment of a mobile robot system capable of appropriately responding to obstacles detected during cooperative driving and a method for performing cooperative driving thereof.

In addition, an embodiment of a mobile robot system capable of appropriately responding to changes in battery charge levels of a plurality of mobile robots and various states of battery charge levels during collaborative driving and a method for performing collaborative driving thereof is provided.

A mobile robot system and a method for performing collaborative driving thereof to solve the above-described problems are to determine whether driving states of a plurality of mobile robots correspond to preset reference conditions, and to perform motions for collaborative driving according to the determination result. Do what you do as a solution.

Specifically, when a control command for collaborative driving is input, driving states of a plurality of mobile robots corresponding to the performance conditions of the collaborative driving are compared with a preset reference condition, and when the driving state corresponds to the reference condition By performing the motion for the collaborative driving on , the collaborative driving can be performed accurately and stably.

That is, an embodiment of a mobile robot system and a method for performing collaborative driving thereof determines whether driving states of a plurality of mobile robots correspond to a predetermined reference condition, and performs a motion for cooperative driving according to the determination result. As a result, the above problems are solved.

An embodiment of a mobile robot system using the above technical features as a means for solving problems includes a plurality of mobile robots that travel and perform cleaning in an area to be cleaned, communicate with the plurality of mobile robots, and remotely communicate with the plurality of mobile robots. and a controller that transmits a control command for control, wherein the plurality of mobile robots, when receiving a control command for a collaborative driving mode for collaboratively cleaning the cleaning target area from the controller, control of the plurality of mobile robots It is determined whether the driving state corresponds to a preset reference condition, and motion for the cooperative driving mode is performed according to the determination result.

In addition, an embodiment of a method for performing cooperative driving of a mobile robot system using the above technical features as a means for solving problems is a method for performing cooperative driving of a first robot and a second robot, wherein the first robot and the second robot A step of inputting a command for performing cooperative driving, a step of comparing the driving states of the first robot and the second robot with a preset reference condition by the first robot, and the first robot and the first robot according to the comparison result. Each of the two robots performs a motion for collaborative driving.

On the other hand, in an embodiment of a mobile robot system capable of appropriately responding to a trap situation occurring during cooperative driving, while the first robot and the second robot perform cooperative driving, the first robot and/or the second robot When a trap situation occurs in the robot, the first robot and/or the second robot performs trap escape driving, and the trap situation enters the cleaning target area where the first robot or the second robot does not travel. This is an impossible situation, and the trap escape driving is a traveling method in which the first robot or the second robot travels along the boundary of the area to be cleaned.

In addition, an embodiment of a method for performing cooperative driving of a mobile robot system capable of appropriately responding to a trap situation occurring during cooperative driving includes the steps of performing cooperative driving by a first robot and a second robot with each other, the first determining whether a trap situation has occurred in the robot and/or the second robot, and performing trap escape driving when the first robot and/or the second robot is in a trap situation, wherein the trap situation comprises: , It is impossible to enter the cleaning target area where the first robot or the second robot is not traveling, and the trap escape driving is traveling along the boundary of the cleaning target area where the first robot or the second robot has traveled. way to drive.

On the other hand, an embodiment of a mobile robot system capable of appropriately responding to various error situations occurring during collaborative driving includes a first robot that sucks contaminants from an area to be cleaned, a second robot that wipes the floor of the area to be cleaned, A first charging stand for charging the first robot, a second charging stand for charging the second robot, and a network connecting the first robot and the second robot, wherein the first robot and the second robot , When entering a collaborative driving mode using the network, performing cooperative driving by recognizing each other's location information, and performing the cooperative driving, an error occurs in at least one of the first robot and the second robot, Alternatively, when a keynap occurs in at least one of the first robot and the second robot, or when the network connection is released, the first robot or the second robot determines whether to release the collaborative driving mode. .

In addition, an embodiment of a method for performing cooperative driving of a mobile robot system capable of appropriately responding to various error situations occurring during cooperative driving is a method of performing cooperative driving of a mobile robot system traveling in a cleaning target area, wherein the mobile robot The system includes a first robot that sucks contaminants from the area to be cleaned, a second robot that wipes the floor of the area to be cleaned, a first charging station that charges the first robot, a second charging station that charges the second robot, and a network connecting the first robot and the second robot, wherein the method of performing the cooperative driving includes: entering a cooperative driving mode by the first robot and the second robot using the network; The first robot and the second robot performing cooperative driving by recognizing each other's location information, and when an error occurs in at least one of the first robot and the second robot during the cooperative driving, or Determining whether to release the collaborative driving mode by the first robot or the second robot when a key nap occurs in at least one of the first robot and the second robot or when the network connection is released. includes

On the other hand, an embodiment of a mobile robot system capable of appropriately responding to an obstacle detected during a trip-up is a first robot that sucks contaminants from an area to be cleaned, a second robot that wipes the floor of the area to be cleaned, and the first robot that sweeps the floor of the area to be cleaned. A first charging stand for charging the first robot, a second charging stand for charging the second robot, and a network connecting the first robot and the second robot, wherein the first robot and the second robot A cooperative driving mode is entered using a network, the cleaning target area is divided into a plurality of unit zones, and cooperative driving is performed for each unit zone, and the first robot and/or the second robot are among the plurality of unit zones. When an obstacle formed in a preset range, height or depth is detected during the cooperative driving in any one unit area, the cooperative driving is continued by avoiding the obstacle or climbing the obstacle.

In addition, an embodiment of a method for performing cooperative driving of a mobile robot system capable of appropriately responding to an obstacle detected during cooperative driving is a method of performing cooperative driving of a mobile robot system traveling in a cleaning target area, wherein the mobile robot system comprises: , a first robot that sucks contaminants from the area to be cleaned, a second robot that wipes the floor of the area to be cleaned, a first charging station that charges the first robot, a second charging station that charges the second robot, and the A network connecting the first robot and the second robot, wherein the method of performing cooperative driving includes: entering a cooperative driving mode by using the network by the first robot and the second robot; dividing the cleaning target area into a plurality of unit areas by the robot and the second robot and cooperatively traveling in each unit area; When an obstacle formed in a preset range, height or depth is detected during the cooperative driving in one unit area, continuing the cooperative driving by avoiding the obstacle or climbing the obstacle.

On the other hand, an embodiment of a mobile robot system capable of appropriately responding to changes in battery charge levels of a plurality of mobile robots and various states of battery charge levels during collaborative driving is a movement in which a plurality of mobile robots travel in collaboration. As a robot system, the first robot drives based on the power charged at the first charging stand and travels in the area to be cleaned, and the first robot drives based on the power charged at the second charging stand and follows the path traveled by the first robot. and a second robot that travels, wherein the first robot and the second robot each sense the charged capacity of the battery while performing the cooperative driving mode, and the cooperative driving mode according to the charged capacity value of the battery. is released, and at least one of a single driving mode and a charging mode of the battery is performed in response to the charge capacity value.

In addition, another embodiment of a mobile robot system capable of appropriately responding to changes in battery charge levels of a plurality of mobile robots and various states of battery charge levels during cooperative driving is a plurality of mobile robots traveling in collaboration. As a mobile robot system, the first robot drives the area to be cleaned by being driven based on the power charged at the first charging stand, and the first robot drives based on the power charged at the second charging stand, and follows the path along which the first robot traveled. and a second robot that travels along the way, wherein each of the first robot and the second robot detects the capacity charged in the battery while performing the collaborative driving mode, so that the charging capacity value of the battery is a preset reference capacity value. When it is below, it moves to each charging station and charges the battery.

In addition, an embodiment of a method for performing cooperative driving of a mobile robot system in which appropriate responses can be made according to changes in battery charge levels of a plurality of mobile robots and various states of battery charge levels during collaborative driving is charging at a first charging station. Movement including a first robot driven based on the same electric power and traveling in the cleaning target area and a second robot driven based on the electric power charged at the second charging base and traveling along the path traveled by the first robot A method for performing cooperative driving of a robot system, wherein each of the first robot and the second robot starts performing a cooperative driving mode, and each of the first robot and the second robot detects the capacity charged in a battery. , The first robot and the second robot, respectively, comparing the charging capacity value with a preset reference capacity value, and according to the comparison result, at least one of the first robot and the second robot performs a solo driving mode, and moving to a charging stand to charge the battery.

In addition, another embodiment of a method for performing collaborative driving of a mobile robot system in which appropriate responses can be made according to changes in battery charge levels of a plurality of mobile robots and various states of battery charge levels during collaborative driving is performed at a first charging stand. A first robot driven based on the charged power and traveling in the area to be cleaned and a second robot driven based on the power charged at the second charging base and traveling along the path traveled by the first robot. A method for performing cooperative driving of a mobile robot system, wherein each of the first robot and the second robot starts performing a cooperative driving mode, each of the first robot and the second robot detects the capacity charged in a battery Step, the first robot and the second robot, respectively, comparing the charge capacity value with a preset reference capacity value, and according to the comparison result, at least one of the first robot and the second robot moves to a charging station to the battery It includes the step of charging.

As described above, the embodiment of the mobile robot system and the method for performing cooperative driving thereof may be applied and implemented to a robot cleaner, a control system for controlling the robot cleaner, a robot cleaning system, and a control method for controlling the robot cleaner. In particular, all robot cleaners and robot cleaners that can be usefully applied to a plurality of mobile robots, a mobile robot system including a plurality of mobile robots, a control method of a plurality of mobile robots, etc., and also to which the technical idea of the above technology can be applied. It can also be applied to the system and the control method of the robot cleaner.

An embodiment of a mobile robot system and a method for performing cooperative driving thereof provided in the present specification determines whether driving states of a plurality of mobile robots correspond to a preset reference condition, and performs a motion for cooperative driving according to the determination result. By doing so, there is an effect of satisfying various conditions of cooperative driving and enabling cooperative driving to be performed.

Accordingly, it is possible to prevent inaccurate and unstable cooperative driving of a plurality of mobile robots, and cooperative driving can be performed in a safe and accurate environment/state.

In addition, since cooperative driving is performed in a state in which conditions for cooperative driving are satisfied, appropriate responses can be made to various events occurring during cooperative driving.

For example, appropriate responses are made to trap situations, various error situations, and obstacle detection situations that occur during collaborative driving, so that collaborative driving can be performed safely and reliably.

In addition, each of the plurality of mobile robots detects the capacity charged in the battery while performing the cooperative driving mode, and each of the plurality of mobile robots performs a corresponding operation according to the detection result, thereby appropriately responding to the change in the charge level of the battery. There is an effect that can make this happen.

Accordingly, effective cleaning can be performed according to various states of battery charge level during collaborative driving, and neglect of a plurality of mobile robots can be prevented when collaborative driving is stopped due to a change in battery charge level during collaborative driving. Therefore, there is an effect that a follow-up operation after stopping the cooperative driving can be properly and easily performed.

1a and 1b are configuration diagrams a and b of a mobile robot.
2 is a detailed configuration diagram of a mobile robot;
3 is an exemplary view of a mobile robot system;
4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating network communication between a plurality of mobile robots in a mobile robot system;
5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the driving of a plurality of mobile robots in a mobile robot system;
6 is a detailed driving example of a plurality of mobile robots according to the conceptual diagram shown in FIG. 5;
7 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence in which a plurality of mobile robots perform cooperative driving.
8 is an exemplary diagram for explaining the concept of recognizing a location through image comparison between a plurality of mobile robots;
9 is an exemplary diagram for explaining the concept of location recognition between a plurality of mobile robots;
10 is an exemplary diagram in which a plurality of mobile robots perform cooperative driving.
11 is a configuration diagram of a mobile robot system according to an embodiment.
12 is a flowchart illustrating a process of performing a cooperative driving mode in the mobile robot system according to the embodiment;
13 is a diagram showing an example in which a collaborative driving mode is performed in a mobile robot system according to an embodiment.
14 is a flowchart of a method for performing cooperative driving of a mobile robot system according to an embodiment.
15 is a flowchart according to a specific embodiment of the method for performing cooperative driving shown in FIG. 14;
16 is a diagram illustrating cooperative driving of the mobile robot system according to <Embodiment 1>.
17 is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario when a first robot is in a trap situation according to <Example 1>;
18 is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario when a first robot is in a trap situation according to <Embodiment 1>;
19 is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario when a second robot according to <Example 1> is in a trap situation;
20 is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario when a second robot according to <Example 1> is in a trap situation;
21 is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario when a first robot and a second robot are in a trap situation according to <Example 1>;
22 is a flow chart of a method for performing collaborative driving of a mobile robot system when a trap situation occurs according to <Example 1>;
23 is a diagram illustrating cooperative driving of the mobile robot system according to <Example 2>;
24a is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario in response to an error occurring in the first robot according to <Example 2> a.
24b is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario in response to an error occurring in the first robot according to <Example 2> b.
24C is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario in response to an error occurring in the first robot according to <Example 2> c.
25 is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario in response to an error occurring in the first robot and the second robot according to <Example 2>;
26A is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario in response to an error occurring in the second robot according to <Example 2> a.
26B is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario in response to an error occurring in the second robot according to <Example 2> b.
26C is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario in response to an error occurring in the second robot according to <Example 2> c.
FIG. 27a is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario in response to a kidnap generated in a first robot according to <Example 2> a.
FIG. 27b is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario in response to a kidnap generated in the first robot according to <Example 2> b.
FIG. 27c is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario in response to a kidnap generated in the first robot according to <Example 2> c.
28a is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario in response to a kidnap generated in a second robot according to <Example 2> a.
FIG. 28B is a diagram showing a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario in response to a kidnap generated in a second robot according to <Example 2> b.
FIG. 28c is a diagram illustrating a mobile robot system that performs a preset scenario in response to a kidnap generated in a second robot according to <Example 2> c.
FIG. 29 is a flowchart illustrating a method for the mobile robot system according to <Example 2> to perform a preset scenario in response to an error, a kid-nap, or a communication failure occurring during collaborative driving.
30 is a diagram showing that the mobile robot system according to <Example 3> divides a cleaning target area into a plurality of unit areas and travels cooperatively in each unit area.
31 is a diagram showing a preset scenario performed when a first robot and a second robot detect a first obstacle according to <Example 3>;
32 is a diagram illustrating a preset scenario performed when a first robot does not detect a first obstacle and a second robot detects a first obstacle according to <Example 3>;
FIG. 33 is a diagram showing a preset scenario performed when a first robot and a second robot do not detect a first obstacle according to <Example 3>;
34 is a diagram illustrating a preset scenario performed when a first robot detects a second obstacle and the second robot does not detect the second obstacle, according to <Example 3>;
35 is a flowchart illustrating a method for the mobile robot system according to <Example 3> to perform a preset scenario in response to an obstacle detected during collaborative driving;
FIG. 36A is a graph showing an example of response according to the charging capacity state of a battery while a cooperative driving mode is performed in the mobile robot system according to <Example 4> a.
FIG. 36B is a table showing an example of response according to the charging capacity state of a battery while a cooperative driving mode is performed in the mobile robot system according to <Example 4> b.
37 is an example diagram illustrating correspondence of a plurality of mobile robots in the mobile robot system according to <Example 4>;
38 is an example diagram illustrating correspondence of a plurality of mobile robots in the mobile robot system according to <Embodiment 4>;
39 is an example diagram illustrating correspondence of a plurality of mobile robots in the mobile robot system according to <Example 4>;
40 is a flowchart of a method for performing cooperative driving of a mobile robot system according to <Example 4>;

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the mobile robot system will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings, but the technical terms used below are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are intended to limit the spirit of the technology disclosed herein. It should be noted that is not

First, the configuration of a mobile robot (hereinafter, referred to as a robot) in an embodiment of a mobile robot system will be described.

The robot may be a cleaning robot that cleans while driving.

The robot may be a cleaning robot that travels and cleans automatically or by a user's manipulation.

For example, the robot may be a self-driving cleaner and a self-driving vacuum cleaner.

The robot may be a cleaning robot that travels in a certain area and recognizes a location.

The robot may be a cleaning robot that recognizes a location while driving and simultaneously creates a map of a certain area.

The robot may perform a function of cleaning the floor while traveling on its own in a certain area. The cleaning of the floor here includes suctioning dust (including foreign substances) from the floor or mopping the floor.

The robot may have a plurality of configurations for traveling and cleaning.

For example, the robot 100 may have a form as shown in FIG. 1A or FIG. 1B.

The robot 100 may be of the form shown in FIG. 1A, or may be of the form shown in FIG. 1B, or may be a form modified from the form shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, or a form shown in FIG. 1A. And it may have a shape different from that shown in FIG. 1B.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B , the robot 100 may include a main body 110 , a cleaning unit 120 and a sensing unit 130 .

The main body 10 forms the exterior of the robot 100, and can perform driving and cleaning.

That is, the main body 10 may perform overall operations of the robot 100 .

The main body 10 can form the exterior of the robot 100 by being made in a form that is easy to drive and clean.

For example, it may be formed in a circular shape, or it may be formed in a quadrangular shape with rounded corners.

The main body 110 may have a configuration for driving and cleaning of the robot 100 .

The main body 10 may have internal and external components for driving and cleaning of the robot 100 .

For example, a component for performing a driving operation, cleaning operation, or sensing may be provided on the outside, and a component for controlling the robot 100 may be provided on the inside.

In addition, the main body 110 may be provided with a wheel unit 111 for driving the robot 100.

Accordingly, the robot 100 can be moved back and forth and left and right or rotated by the wheel unit 111 .

In addition, the main body 110 may be equipped with a battery (not shown) that supplies power to the robot 100 .

The battery is configured to be rechargeable, and may be configured to be detachable from the lower surface of the main body 110 .

The cleaning unit 120 is disposed in a form protruding from one side of the main body 110, and can suck air containing dust or wipe the dust.

Here, the one side may be the side on which the cleaner body 110 travels in the forward direction (F), that is, the front side of the cleaner body 110.

The cleaning unit 120 may be detachably coupled to the main body 110 .

When the cleaning unit 120 is separated from the main body 110, a mop unit (not shown) may be detachably coupled to the main body 110 to replace the separated cleaning unit 120.

Therefore, the user can mount the cleaning unit 120 on the main body 110 when removing dust from the floor, and mount the mop unit on the main body 110 when wiping the floor.

The sensing unit 130 may be disposed on one side of the main body 110 where the cleaning unit 120 is located, that is, in front of the main body 110 .

The sensing unit 130 may be disposed to overlap the cleaning unit 120 in the vertical direction of the main body 110 .

The sensing unit 130 is disposed above the main body 110 to detect obstacles or landmarks in front so that the robot 100 does not collide with the obstacle.

The sensing unit 130 may be configured to additionally perform other sensing functions in addition to these sensing functions.

For example, the sensing unit 130 may include a camera 131 for obtaining a surrounding image.

The camera 131 may include a lens and an image sensor.

In addition, the camera 131 may convert an image around the main body 110 into an electrical signal that the control unit can process, and transmit an electrical signal corresponding to an upward image to the control unit, for example.

Here, the electrical signal corresponding to the upward image may be used by the control unit to detect the position of the main body 110 .

In addition, the sensing unit 130 may detect obstacles such as walls, furniture, and cliffs on a driving surface or a driving path of the robot 100 .

In addition, the sensing unit 130 may detect the existence of a docking device that performs battery charging.

Also, the sensing unit 130 may detect ceiling information and map a driving area or cleaning area of the robot 100 .

In FIG. 2 below, an embodiment related to specific components of the robot 100 is described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the robot 100 includes a communication unit 1100, an input unit 1200, a driving unit 1300, a sensing unit 1400, an output unit 1500, a power unit 1600, a memory ( 1700), the control unit 1800, and the cleaning unit 1900, or a combination thereof.

At this time, the components shown in FIG. 2 are not essential, so it is a matter of course that an autonomous cleaner having more or fewer components can be implemented. Also, as described above, the plurality of mobile robots described herein may include the same components as some of the components described below. That is, a plurality of mobile robots may be composed of different components.

Hereinafter, each component will be reviewed.

First, the power supply unit 1600 supplies power to the robot 100 by including the battery that can be charged by an external commercial power source.

The power supply unit 1600 may supply operating power required for the robot 100 to drive or perform a specific function by supplying driving power to each component included in the robot 100 .

At this time, the control unit 1800 detects the remaining power of the battery, and if the remaining power is insufficient, controls the battery to move to a charging station connected to an external commercial power source, and receives charging current from the charging station to charge the battery.

The battery may be connected to the battery detection unit, and the battery remaining amount and charging state may be transmitted to the control unit 1800 . At this time, the output unit 1500 may display the battery remaining amount by the control unit 1800 .

The controller 1800 serves to process information based on artificial intelligence technology, and includes one or more circuit modules that perform at least one of information learning, information reasoning, information perception, and natural language processing. can include

The control unit 1800 uses machine running technology to store a vast amount of information (big data, big data) may perform at least one of learning, reasoning, and processing. In addition, the control unit 1800 predicts (or infers) at least one actionable action of the robot 100 using information learned using the machine learning technology, and the at least one predicted action The robot 100 may be controlled so that the most feasible operation is executed.

Machine learning technology is a technology that collects and learns large-scale information based on at least one algorithm, and determines and predicts information based on the learned information. Learning of information is an operation of identifying characteristics, rules, criteria, etc. of information, quantifying the relationship between information and predicting new data using quantified patterns.

The algorithm used by machine learning technology can be an algorithm based on statistics, for example, a decision tree using a tree structure as a predictive model, and an artificial neural network that mimics the structure and function of a neural network in a living organism. (neural network), genetic programming based on the evolutionary algorithm of organisms, clustering that distributes observed examples into subsets called clusters, and Monte Carlo method that calculates function values as probabilities through randomly extracted random numbers (Monter Carlo method) and the like.

As a field of machine learning technology, deep learning technology is a technology that performs at least one of learning, judgment, and processing of information using a Deep Neuron Network (DNN) algorithm. An artificial neural network (DNN) may have a structure that connects layers and transfers data between layers. Such deep learning technology can learn a vast amount of information through an artificial neural network (DNN) using a graphic processing unit (GPU) optimized for parallel computation.

The control unit 1800 may use an external server or training data stored in the memory 1700 and may be equipped with a learning engine that detects a feature for recognizing a predetermined object. In this case, the characteristics for recognizing the object may include the size, shape, and shade of the object.

Specifically, when the controller 1800 inputs a part of the image acquired through the camera 131 to the learning engine, the learning engine can recognize at least one object or living creature included in the input image.

In this way, when the learning engine is applied to the driving of the vacuum cleaner, the control unit 1800 determines whether or not there are obstacles such as chair legs, electric fans, and certain types of balcony gaps that interfere with the driving of the robot 100. Since it can recognize, the driving efficiency and reliability of the robot 100 can be increased.

Meanwhile, the above learning engine may be installed in the control unit 1800 or may be installed in an external server. When the learning engine is installed in an external server, the controller 1800 may control the communication unit 1100 to transmit at least one image to be analyzed to the external server.

The external server may recognize at least one object or living creature included in the image by inputting the image transmitted from the cleaner to the learning engine. In addition, the external server may transmit information related to the recognition result to the cleaner again. In this case, the information related to the recognition result may include information related to the number of objects included in the image to be analyzed and the name of each object.

The driving unit 1300 may include a motor, and by driving the motor, the left and right main wheels may be rotated in both directions to rotate or move the main body. At this time, the left and right main wheels can move independently. The driving unit 1300 may move the body 110 forward and backward, left and right, drive in a curve, or rotate in place.

The input unit 1200 may receive various control commands for the robot 100 from a user.

The input unit 1200 may include one or more buttons.

For example, the input unit 1200 may include a confirmation button, a setting button, and the like. The confirmation button is a button for receiving a command for confirming detection information, obstacle information, location information, and map information from the user, and the setting button is a button for receiving a command for setting the information from the user.

In addition, the input unit 1200 includes an input reset button for canceling a previous user input and receiving a user input again, a delete button for deleting a preset user input, a button for setting or changing an operating mode, and a command for returning to the charging station. It may include a button for receiving an input.

In addition, the input unit 1200 may be installed on top of the mobile robot as a hard key, a soft key, or a touch pad. In addition, the input unit 1200 may have the form of a touch screen together with the output unit 1500 .

The output unit 1500 may be installed above the robot 100 . Of course, the installation location or installation form may vary. For example, the output unit 1500 may display a battery state or a driving method on a screen.

In addition, the output unit 1500 may output state information within the mobile robot detected by the sensing unit 1400, for example, the current state of each component included in the mobile robot. In addition, the output unit 1500 may display external state information, obstacle information, location information, map information, and the like detected by the sensing unit 1400 on a screen. The output unit 1500 may be any one of a light emitting diode (LED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel, and an organic light emitting diode (OLED). It can be formed as an element of.

The output unit 1500 may further include a sound output means for audibly outputting the operation process or operation result of the robot 100 performed by the control unit 1800. For example, the output unit 1500 may output a warning sound to the outside according to the warning signal generated by the controller 1800 .

In this case, the sound output unit (not shown) may be a unit for outputting sound such as a beeper or a speaker, and the output unit 1500 may include audio data or messages having a predetermined pattern stored in the memory 1700. Data and the like may be used to externally output through an audio output unit.

Accordingly, the robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may output environment information about the driving area on a screen or output sound through the output unit 1500 . According to another embodiment, the robot may transmit map information or environment information to the terminal device through the communication unit 1100 so that the terminal device outputs a screen or sound to be output through the output unit 1500 .

The memory 1700 stores a control program for controlling or driving the robot 100 and corresponding data. The memory 1700 may store audio information, image information, obstacle information, location information, map information, and the like. Also, the memory 1700 may store information related to driving patterns.

The memory 1700 mainly uses a non-volatile memory. Here, the non-volatile memory (NVM, NVRAM) is a storage device capable of continuously maintaining stored information even when power is not supplied, for example, a ROM, a flash memory, a magnetic computer It may be a storage device (eg, hard disk, diskette drive, magnetic tape), optical disk drive, magnetic RAM, PRAM, and the like.

Also, a map for a driving area may be stored in the memory 1700 . The map may be input by an external terminal or server capable of exchanging information with the robot 100 through wired or wireless communication, or may be generated by the robot 100 while driving.

The location of rooms within the driving area may be indicated on the map. In addition, the current location of the robot 100 may be displayed on a map, and the current location of the robot 100 on the map may be updated during driving.

The memory 1700 may store cleaning history information. Such cleaning history information may be generated whenever cleaning is performed.

The map for the driving area stored in the memory 1700 is data in which predetermined information of the driving area is stored in a predetermined format, and includes a navigation map used for driving during cleaning and location recognition. Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) map, a learning map used for learning and cleaning by storing the corresponding information when an obstacle is encountered, a global location map used for global location recognition, an obstacle recognition map in which information about recognized obstacles is recorded, etc. .

The map may mean a node map including a plurality of nodes. Here, a node refers to data indicating a location on a map corresponding to a point, which is a location within a driving area.

Meanwhile, the sensing unit 1400 may include at least one of an external signal detection sensor, a front detection sensor, a cliff detection sensor, a 2D camera sensor, and a 3D camera sensor.

An external signal detection sensor may detect an external signal of the robot 100 . The external signal detection sensor may be, for example, an infrared ray sensor, an ultra sonic sensor, or a radio frequency sensor (RF sensor).

The robot 100 may receive a guide signal generated by the charging station using an external signal detection sensor to check the location and direction of the charging station. At this time, the charging station may transmit a guide signal indicating a direction and distance so that the mobile robot can return. That is, the robot 100 may receive a signal transmitted from the charging station, determine the current position, set a moving direction, and return to the charging station.

Meanwhile, the front detection sensors may be installed at regular intervals along the front side of the robot 100, specifically along the outer circumferential surface of the side of the robot 100. The front detection sensor is located on at least one side of the robot 100 to detect an obstacle in front. may be transmitted to the control unit 1800. That is, the front detection sensor may detect protruding objects, furnishings, furniture, wall surfaces, and wall corners existing on the moving path of the robot 100 and transmit the information to the control unit 1800 .

The front detection sensor may be, for example, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an RF sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and the like, and the robot 100 uses one type of sensor as the front detection sensor or, if necessary, two or more types of sensors. can be used together.

For example, an ultrasonic sensor may be generally used to detect a long-distance obstacle. The ultrasonic sensor includes a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, and the control unit 1800 determines whether or not there is an obstacle based on whether or not the ultrasonic waves emitted through the transmitting unit are reflected by an obstacle and received by the receiving unit, and the ultrasonic radiation time and the ultrasonic reception time are determined. The distance to the obstacle can be calculated using .

In addition, the control unit 1800 may detect information related to the size of the obstacle by comparing the ultrasound emitted by the transmitter and the ultrasound received by the receiver. For example, the controller 1800 may determine that the size of the obstacle increases as more ultrasound waves are received by the receiver.

In one embodiment, a plurality (eg, five) of ultrasonic sensors may be installed along the outer circumferential surface of the front side of the robot 100 . In this case, the ultrasonic sensor may be installed in front of the robot 100 alternately with a transmitting unit and a receiving unit.

That is, the transmitting unit may be disposed to be spaced apart from the front center of the main body on the left and right sides, and one or more transmitting units may be disposed between the receiving units to form a reception area of an ultrasonic signal reflected from an obstacle or the like. With this arrangement, the reception area can be expanded while reducing the number of sensors. The transmission angle of the ultrasonic waves may be maintained within a range that does not affect different signals in order to prevent crosstalk. Also, reception sensitivities of the receivers may be set differently.

In addition, the ultrasonic sensor may be installed upward by a predetermined angle so that ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor are output upward, and at this time, a predetermined blocking member may be further included to prevent ultrasonic waves from being emitted downward.

Meanwhile, as described above, the front detection sensor may use two or more types of sensors together, and thus, the front detection sensor may use any one type of sensor such as an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or an RF sensor. .

For example, the front detection sensor may include an infrared sensor as another type of sensor in addition to the ultrasonic sensor.

An infrared sensor may be installed on an outer circumferential surface of the robot 100 together with an ultrasonic sensor. The infrared sensor may also detect an obstacle in front or on the side and transmit obstacle information to the controller 1800 . That is, the infrared sensor detects protrusions, fixtures, furniture, wall surfaces, wall corners, etc. existing on the moving path of the robot 100 and transmits the information to the control unit 1800. Therefore, the main body 110 can move within a specific area without colliding with an obstacle.

Meanwhile, the cliff detection sensor (or cliff sensor) may detect an obstacle on the floor supporting the main body 110 by mainly using various types of optical sensors.

That is, the cliff detection sensor is installed on the rear surface of the robot 100, and may be installed in different positions according to the type of the robot 100, of course. The cliff detection sensor is located on the back of the robot 100 to detect obstacles on the floor, and the cliff detection sensor includes an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an RF sensor, It may be a PSD (Position Sensitive Detector) sensor or the like.

For example, one of the cliff detection sensors may be installed in front of the robot 100, and the other two cliff detection sensors may be relatively installed in the rear.

For example, the cliff detection sensor may be a PSD sensor, but may also be composed of a plurality of different types of sensors.

The PSD sensor uses semiconductor surface resistance to detect the short-range position of incident light with one p-n junction. PSD sensors include a one-dimensional PSD sensor that detects light only in one axis direction and a two-dimensional PSD sensor that can detect a light position on a plane, both of which may have a pin photodiode structure. The PSD sensor is a type of infrared sensor, and measures distance by using infrared rays to transmit infrared rays and then measuring an angle of the infrared rays reflected from an obstacle and returned. That is, the PSD sensor calculates the distance to the obstacle using a triangulation method.

The PSD sensor includes a light emitting unit that emits infrared rays from an obstacle and a light receiving unit that receives infrared rays reflected from the obstacle and returned, but is generally configured in a module form. When an obstacle is detected using the PSD sensor, a stable measurement value can be obtained regardless of the difference in reflectance and color of the obstacle.

The control unit 1800 may detect the cliff and analyze its depth by measuring an infrared angle between an infrared emission signal emitted by the cliff detection sensor toward the ground and a reflection signal reflected by an obstacle and received.

Meanwhile, the controller 1800 may determine whether or not to pass the cliff according to the state of the ground of the cliff detected using the cliff detection sensor, and determine whether or not the cliff passes according to the determination result. For example, the control unit 1800 determines whether a cliff exists and the depth of the cliff through a cliff detection sensor, and then passes through the cliff only when a reflection signal is detected through the cliff detection sensor.

As another example, the control unit 1800 may determine whether the robot 100 is lifted by using a cliff detection sensor.

On the other hand, a 2D camera sensor is provided on one side of the robot 100 to obtain image information related to the surroundings of the main body during movement.

An optical flow sensor converts a downward image input from an image sensor included in the sensor to generate image data in a predetermined format. The generated image data may be stored in the memory 1700 .

Also, one or more light sources may be installed adjacent to the optical flow sensor. One or more light sources radiate light to a predetermined area of the floor captured by the image sensor. That is, when the robot 100 moves in a specific area along the floor, a constant distance is maintained between the image sensor and the floor if the floor is flat. On the other hand, when the robot 100 moves on the bottom surface of an uneven surface, it moves farther than a certain distance due to irregularities and obstacles on the bottom surface. At this time, one or more light sources may be controlled by the controller 1800 to adjust the amount of light emitted. The light source may be a light emitting device capable of adjusting the amount of light, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) or the like.

Using the optical flow sensor, the controller 1800 can detect the position of the robot 100 regardless of the slip of the robot 100 . The controller 1800 compares and analyzes image data captured by the optical flow sensor over time to calculate a moving distance and a moving direction, and based on this, the position of the robot 100 can be calculated. By using the image information on the lower side of the robot 100 using the optical flow sensor, the control unit 1800 can make corrections that are robust against slipping with respect to the position of the robot 100 calculated by other means. .

The 3D camera sensor may be attached to one surface or part of the main body 110 to generate 3D coordinate information related to the periphery of the main body 110 .

That is, the 3D camera sensor may be a 3D depth camera that calculates a near and far distance between the robot 100 and an object to be photographed.

Specifically, the 3D camera sensor may capture a 2D image related to the surroundings of the main body 110 and generate a plurality of 3D coordinate information corresponding to the captured 2D image.

In one embodiment, the 3D camera sensor includes two or more cameras that acquire conventional 2D images, and combines two or more images obtained from the two or more cameras to generate stereo vision to generate 3D coordinate information. can be formed in this way.

Specifically, the 3D camera sensor according to the embodiment includes a first pattern irradiation unit for irradiating light of a first pattern downward toward the front of the body 110, and a second pattern irradiation upward toward the front of the body. It may include a second pattern irradiation unit for irradiating light and an image acquisition unit for obtaining an image of the front of the main body. Accordingly, the image acquiring unit may obtain an image of an area where the light of the first pattern and the light of the second pattern are incident.

In another embodiment, the 3D camera sensor includes an infrared pattern emitter that emits an infrared pattern together with a single camera, and captures a shape of an infrared pattern emitted from the infrared pattern emitter projected onto an object to be photographed, thereby capturing the 3D camera. A distance between a sensor and an object to be photographed may be measured. The 3D camera sensor may be an Infra Red (IR) 3D camera sensor.

In another embodiment, the 3D camera sensor includes a single camera and a light emitting unit that emits light, receives a portion of the laser emitted from the light emitting unit and is reflected from an object to be photographed, and analyzes the received laser beam to obtain a 3D image. A distance between a camera sensor and an object to be photographed may be measured. The 3D camera sensor may be a time of flight (TOF) type 3D camera sensor.

Specifically, the laser of the 3D camera sensor as described above is configured to irradiate a laser in a form extending in at least one direction. In one example, the 3D camera sensor may include first and second lasers, the first laser irradiates a laser in the form of a straight line that crosses each other, and the second laser irradiates a laser in the form of a single straight line. can do. According to this, the lowest laser is used to detect obstacles in the bottom part, the top laser is used to detect obstacles in the upper part, and the middle laser between the lowest laser and the uppermost laser is used to detect obstacles in the middle part. is used for

While the robot 100 is running, the sensing unit 1400 acquires images around the robot 100 . Hereinafter, an image acquired by the sensing unit 1400 is defined as an 'obtained image'.

The obtained image includes various features such as lights located on the ceiling, edges, corners, blobs, and ridges.

The controller 1800 detects a feature from each of the acquired images and calculates a descriptor based on each feature point. A descriptor means data in a predetermined format for representing a feature point and mathematical data in a format capable of calculating a distance or similarity between descriptors. For example, the descriptor may be n-dimensional vector (n is a natural number) or matrix type data.

The control unit 1800 classifies at least one descriptor for each acquired image into a plurality of groups according to a predetermined sub-classification rule based on the descriptor information obtained through the acquired image of each location, and classifies the same group according to a predetermined sub-representative rule. Each included descriptor can be converted into a sub-representative descriptor.

As another example, all descriptors gathered from acquired images in a predetermined area, such as a room, are classified into a plurality of groups according to a predetermined sub-classification rule, and the descriptors included in the same group according to the predetermined sub-representation rule are classified as sub-representative descriptors. can also be converted to

The control unit 1800 can obtain the feature distribution of each position through the above process. Each location feature distribution can be expressed as a histogram or an n-dimensional vector. As another example, the control unit 1800 may estimate an unknown current location based on a descriptor calculated from each feature point without passing through a predetermined subclassification rule and a predetermined subrepresentation rule.

In addition, when the current position of the robot 100 becomes unknown due to position jump or the like, the current position can be estimated based on data such as a pre-stored descriptor or a sub-representative descriptor.

The robot 100 acquires an acquired image through the sensing unit 1400 at an unknown current location. Through the video, various features such as lights located on the ceiling, edges, corners, blobs, and ridges are confirmed.

The controller 1800 detects features from an acquired image and calculates a descriptor.

The control unit 1800 compares at least one descriptor information obtained through an acquired image of an unknown current location with location information (eg, feature distribution of each location) to be compared according to a predetermined sub-conversion rule. Convert to available information (lower recognition feature distribution).

According to a predetermined subcomparison rule, each location feature distribution may be compared with each recognition feature distribution to calculate each degree of similarity. A similarity (probability) is calculated for each location corresponding to each location, and a location where the highest probability is calculated among them can be determined as the current location.

In this way, the controller 1800 can divide driving areas and create a map consisting of a plurality of areas, or recognize the current location of the robot 100 based on a previously stored map.

Meanwhile, the communication unit 1100 uses one of wired, wireless, and satellite communication methods with a terminal device and/or other devices located within a specific area (in this specification, the term "home appliance" will be used interchangeably). It is connected to send and receive signals and data.

The communication unit 1100 can transmit/receive data with other devices located within a specific area. In this case, the other device may be any device that can transmit and receive data by connecting to the network, and may be, for example, an air conditioning device, a heating device, an air purifying device, a lamp, a TV, a vehicle, and the like. Also, the other device may be a device that controls a door, a window, a water valve, a gas valve, and the like. In addition, the other device may be a sensor that detects temperature, humidity, air pressure, gas, and the like.

Also, the communication unit 1100 can communicate with other cleaners located in a specific area or within a predetermined range.

When a map is generated, the control unit 1800 can transmit the generated map to an external terminal or server through the communication unit 1100 and store it in its own memory 1100 . Also, as described above, when a map is received from an external terminal or server, the control unit 1800 may store it in the memory 1100 .

Hereinafter, a mobile robot system (hereinafter, referred to as a system) in which a plurality of the robots 100 are made to collaborate will be described.

In the system 1, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may exchange data with each other through the network 50. In addition, the first robot 100a and/or the second robot 100b perform or correspond to a cleaning-related operation according to a control command received from the terminal 300 through the network 50 or other communication. action can be performed.

That is, although not shown, the plurality of robots 100a and 100b may communicate with the terminal 300 through the first network communication and communicate with each other through the second network communication. .

Here, the network 50 may mean network communication, WLAN (Wireless LAN), WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network), Wi-Fi (Wireless-Fidelity), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) Direct, DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), WiBro (Wireless Broadband), WiMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), Zigbee, Z-wave, Blue-Tooth, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), UWB This may mean short-distance communication using at least one of wireless communication technologies such as (Ultrawide-Band) and wireless USB (Wireless Universal Serial Bus).

The illustrated network 50 may vary depending on the communication method of robots that want to communicate with each other.

In FIG. 3 , the first robot 100a and/or the second robot 100b may provide information sensed through each sensing unit 130 to the terminal 300 through the network 50. there is. In addition, the terminal 300 may transmit a control command generated based on the received information to the first robot 100a and/or the second robot 100b through the network 50 .

In addition, in FIG. 3, the communication unit 1100 of the first robot 100a and the communication unit 1100 of the second robot 100b perform direct wireless communication or indirect wireless communication through another router (not shown), etc. , driving state information and each other's location information can be grasped.

In one example, the second robot 100b may perform a driving operation and a cleaning operation according to a control command received from the first robot 100a. In this case, it can be said that the first robot 100a operates as a master cleaner and the second robot 100b operates as a slave cleaner. Alternatively, it may be said that the second robot 100b follows the first robot 100a. Alternatively, in some cases, it may be said that the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b cooperate with each other.

For an example of collaboration between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, the cleaning unit 120 is mounted on the first robot 100a, and the mop unit is mounted on the second robot 100b. mounted, the first robot 100a precedes the second robot 100b and sucks in dust from the floor, and the second robot 100b follows the first robot 100a and wipes the floor. can

4 shows an example of a system 1 in which collaboration is achieved, including a plurality of robots 100a and 100b and a plurality of terminals 300a and 300b.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the system 1 may include the plurality of robots 100a and 100b, a network 50, a server 500, and the plurality of terminals 300a and 300b.

Among them, the plurality of robots 100a and 100b, the network 50, and at least one terminal 300a are disposed in the building 10, and the other terminal 300b and the server 500 are disposed in the building 10. It can be located outside of (10).

Each of the plurality of robots 100a and 100b may perform autonomous driving and autonomous cleaning. Each of the plurality of robots 100a and 100b may include a communication unit 1100 therein, in addition to a driving function and a cleaning function.

In addition, the plurality of robots 100a and 100b, the server 500, and the plurality of terminals 300a and 300b are connected to each other through the network 50 to exchange data with each other. To this end, although not shown, a wireless sharer such as an access point (AP) device may be further included. In this case, the terminal 300a located inside the building 10 monitors the plurality of robots 100a and 100b by connecting to at least one of the plurality of robots 100a and 100b through the AP device. , remote control, etc. In addition, the terminal 300b located outside the building 10 also monitors the plurality of robots 100a and 100b by connecting to at least one of the plurality of robots 100a and 100b through the AP device, remote control, etc.

The server 500 may be directly wirelessly connected through the mobile terminal 300b. Alternatively, the server 500 may be connected to at least one of the plurality of robots 100a and 100b without going through the mobile terminal 300b.

The server 500 may include a programmable processor and may include various algorithms. As an example, the server 500 may have algorithms related to performing machine learning and/or data mining. As another example, the server 500 may include a voice recognition algorithm. In this case, when receiving voice data, the received voice data may be converted into text format data and then output.

The server 500 may store firmware information and driving information (course information, etc.) for the plurality of robots 100a and 100b, and register product information for the plurality of robots 100a and 100b. . For example, the server 500 may be a server operated by a robot manufacturer or a server operated by a public application store operator.

In another example, the server 500 may be a home server provided in the internal network of the building 10 to store state information about home devices or content shared by the home devices. When the server 500 is a home server, it may store foreign material related information, for example, a foreign material image.

Meanwhile, the plurality of robots 100a and 100b may be directly wirelessly connected through Zigbee, Z-wave, Bluetooth, Ultra-wide Band, and the like. can In this case, the plurality of robots 100a and 100b may exchange location information and driving information with each other.

At this time, one of the plurality of robots 100a and 100b may be a master robot 100a and the other may be a slave robot 100b.

In this case, the first robot 100a may control driving and cleaning of the second robot 100b. In addition, the second robot 100b may perform driving and cleaning while following the first robot 100a. Here, the fact that the second robot 100b follows the first robot 100a means that, as shown in FIG. 5, the second robot 100b has an appropriate distance from the first robot 100a. This means that driving and cleaning are carried out by following the first robot 100a while maintaining the robot.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the first robot 100a controls the second robot 100b so that the second robot 100b follows the first robot 100a.

To this end, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b exist in a specific area where mutual communication is possible, and the second robot 100b at least grasps the relative position of the first robot 100a. should be doing

For example, the communication unit 1100 of the first robot 100a and the communication unit 1100 of the second robot 100b exchange IR signals, ultrasonic signals, carrier frequencies, impulse signals, etc., and perform triangulation. By analyzing this through and calculating the movement displacement of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, the relative positions of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b can be grasped. However, it is not limited to this method, and the relative positions of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may be grasped through triangulation or the like using one of the various wireless communication technologies described above.

When the relative position between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b is recognized, the second robot 100b uses map information stored in the first robot 100a or the server 500 or the terminal. It can be controlled based on map information stored in 300 or the like. Also, the second robot 100b may share obstacle information sensed by the first robot 100a. In addition, the second robot 100b may perform an operation according to a control command received from the first robot 100a (eg, a control command related to driving such as a driving direction, a driving speed, and a stop).

Specifically, the second robot 100b performs cleaning while traveling along the travel path of the first robot 100a. However, the moving directions of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b do not always coincide. For example, when the first robot 100a moves or rotates up/down/left/right, the second robot 100b moves or rotates up/down/left/right after a predetermined time, so the current progress is made. directions can be different.

Also, the traveling speed Va of the first robot 100a and the traveling speed Vb of the second robot 100b may be different from each other.

The first robot 100a controls the traveling speed Vb of the second robot 100b to be varied in consideration of the communicable distance between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b. can For example, when the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are separated by a predetermined distance or more, the first robot 100a increases the running speed Vb of the second robot 100b than before. You can control how fast it is. In addition, when the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are closer than a certain distance, the traveling speed Vb of the second robot 100b is controlled to be slower than before or controlled to stop for a predetermined time. can do. Through this, the second robot 100b can perform cleaning while continuously following the first robot 100a.

In the system 1, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform driving and cleaning while following each other or collaborating with each other without user intervention.

To this end, it is necessary for the first robot 100a to determine the position of the second robot 100b or for the second robot 100b to determine the position of the first robot 100a. This may mean grasping the relative positions of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b.

For example, one of the various wireless communication technologies described above (for example, one of Zigbee, Z-wave, Bluetooth, and Ultra-wide Band) Relative positions of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may be determined through triangulation or the like.

Since the triangulation method for obtaining the relative positions of two devices is a general technique, a detailed description thereof is omitted in this specification, and the relative positions of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are identified in the system 1. As an example, an example in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b determine (grasp) relative positions using a UWB module will be described.

As described above, the UWB module (or UWB sensor) may be included in the communication unit 1100 of each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b. In addition, in view of the fact that the UWB module is used to sense the relative positions of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, the UWB module is used for sensing the relative positions of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b. It may also be included in the sensing unit 1400 .

The first robot 100a and the second robot 100b measure the time of the signal transmitted and received between the UWB modules included in each, and measure the time between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b. The distance (separation distance) can be determined.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 , a principle in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b recognize locations through sharing of map information and perform cooperative driving will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may be disposed in one cleaning space. A house, which is the entire space where cleaning is normally performed, may be divided into several spaces such as a living room, a room, and a kitchen.

The first robot 100a has map information on the entire space in a state in which the corresponding space has been cleaned at least once. In this case, the map information may be input by a user or may be based on a record obtained while the first robot 100a performs cleaning. In FIG. 6 , the first robot 100a is located in the living room or kitchen, but it is possible to have map information for the entire space of the house.

Here, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may be assigned a charging station. That is, the two robots 100a and 100b do not share a charging stand, and may charge the battery on a charging stand corresponding to each. For example, the first robot 100a may be docked to a first charging stand to charge the battery, and the second robot 100b may be docked to a second charging base to charge the battery. Also, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may store positional information of the charging stand between them. For example, the first robot 100a stores the location information of the second charging station, and the location of the second robot 100b can be recognized when docked. The location information of the charging stand is stored so that the location can be recognized when the first robot 100a is docked.

A process in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b perform collaboration in such a space may be as shown in FIG. 7 .

Map information of the first robot 100a may be transmitted to the second robot 100b (S1). At this time, map information may be transmitted while the communication units 1100 of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b communicate directly. In addition, it is possible that the information is transmitted between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b through another network such as Wi-Fi or through a server. At this time, the shared map information may be map information including a location where the first robot 100a is disposed. In addition, it is possible to share map information including the location where the second robot 100b is disposed. Substantially, since the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b can exist together in the entire space of a house, and can exist together in a more specific space such as a living room, the two robots 100a and 100b ) is preferably shared.

The first robot 100a and the second robot 100b can move to start cleaning at each charging station, but it is also possible for each robot to move a space that needs cleaning by a user. .

When the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are powered on and driven (S2), it is possible for the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b to move. In particular, it is possible for the second robot 100b to move in a direction in which the distance to the first robot 100a decreases.

At this time, it is determined whether the distance between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b is within a specific distance (S3). At this time, it is possible that the specific distance is 50 cm or less. The specific distance may mean a distance for an initial arrangement set for cleaning while the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b travel together. That is, when the two robots 100a and 100b are arranged at a specific distance, the two robots can then perform cleaning together according to a predetermined algorithm.

Since the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b can communicate directly, it can be confirmed that the distance between the second robot 100b and the first robot 100a decreases while moving. . For reference, in the communication between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, the accuracy of the location and direction of the first robot 100a in the second robot 100b is Since it is not high, a technique for increasing accuracy may be added later.

In order to reduce the distance of the second robot 100b from the first robot 100a, it is possible to move while drawing a circular or spiral trajectory. That is, since it is not easy for the second robot 100b to accurately measure the position of the first robot 100a and move to that position, it is necessary to find a position where the distance decreases while moving in various directions such as a circular or spiral trajectory It is possible.

If the distance between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b does not decrease within a specific distance, the second robot 100b continuously moves and maintains the distance between the first robot 100a and the second robot. The interval of (100b) is moved within a specific distance. For example, if the second robot 100b moves while drawing a circular trajectory and the distance decreases when moving in a specific direction, it can be checked whether the distance decreases while continuously moving in the corresponding direction.

When the distance between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b is reduced to within a specific distance, the image captured by the first robot 100a is transmitted to the second robot 100b (S4). In this case, as with map information, it is possible for the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b to communicate directly, or to communicate through another network or server.

Since the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are located within a specific distance, images taken from the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may be similar. In particular, if the cameras provided in the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are disposed facing upwards in front, respectively, the images captured by the two robots 100a and 100b have the same image if the position and direction are the same. It can be. Therefore, by comparing images captured by the two robots 100a and 100b and adjusting the positions and directions of the two robots 100a and 100b, the initial positions and directions for the two robots 100a and 100b to start cleaning are determined. can be sorted

Thereafter, the image transmitted from the first robot 100a and the image taken from the second robot 100b are compared (S5). Referring to FIG. 8, a comparison process will be described.

FIG. 8(a) is a diagram explaining how the first robot 100a takes an image, and FIG. 8(b) is a diagram explaining how the second robot 100b takes an image.

Cameras are installed in the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b to take pictures of the upper side of the front.

As shown in FIG. 8(a), in the image captured by the first robot 100a, a feature point a2 is arranged on the left side and feature point a1 is arranged on the right side in the direction of the arrow. That is, it is possible to select a feature point from the image captured by the first robot 100a, but to select different feature points on the left and right sides centered on the front imaged by the camera. Accordingly, it is possible to distinguish left and right images captured by the camera.

As shown in FIG. 8(b), in the second robot 100b, shooting is initially performed based on a dotted line arrow. That is, the camera provided in the second robot 100b is arranged to face forward and upward, so that a1 feature point and a4 feature point are arranged on the left side based on the dotted line arrow, and a3 feature point is arranged on the right side. . Therefore, when the feature points are compared in the controller provided in the second robot 100b, it can be confirmed that there is a difference in the feature points of the images captured by the two robots 100a and 100b.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 8(b), when the second robot 100b rotates counterclockwise, images viewed by the two robots 100a and 100b can be similarly implemented. That is, since the second robot 100b is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, the direction in which the camera of the second robot 100b is viewed may be changed as indicated by a solid arrow. At this time, looking at the image captured by the camera of the second robot 100b, the feature point a2 is arranged on the left side and the feature point a1 is arranged on the right side. Accordingly, feature points of the image provided by the first robot 100a in FIG. 8 (a) and the image captured by the second robot 100b in FIG. 8 (b) may be similarly arranged. Through this process, the heading angles of the two robots 100a and 100b may be similarly aligned. Furthermore, if the feature points are similarly arranged in the images provided by the two robots 100a and 100b, it can be confirmed that the positions of the two robots 100a and 100b looking at the feature points in the current state are arranged adjacently within a specific distance, , the position between each other can be accurately specified.

As described above, it is possible to select the same feature point in the image taken by the second robot 100b and the image taken and transmitted by the first robot 100a, that is, the two images, and judge according to the selected feature point. Do. In this case, the feature point may be a large object that is easy to distinguish as a feature or a part of a large object that is easy to distinguish as a feature. For example, the feature point may be an object such as an air purifier, a door, or a television, or a part of an object such as a corner of a wardrobe or a bed.

In the control unit 1800 of the second robot 100b, if the feature points are arranged at similar positions in the two images, it is assumed that the second robot 100b is arranged at the initial position before driving with the first robot 100a. can judge If there is a difference between the image provided by the first robot 100a and the image currently captured by the second robot 100b, by moving or rotating the second robot 100b, It is possible to change the image captured by the camera. When comparing the image captured by the camera of the first robot 100a and the image provided by the first robot 100a, if the location changes of feature points in the two images are made in a similar direction, the second robot 100b ) It is also possible to determine that the first robot (100a) is arranged in the initial position before the start of driving.

On the other hand, in order to make it easy to compare the two images, a plurality of feature points are selected, and each feature point is divided into left and right sides of the front center of the first robot 100a or the second robot 100b. Do. The cameras of the second robot 100b and the first robot 100a are arranged to face forward, respectively. When different feature points are arranged on the left and right sides of the camera, the controller of the second robot 100b This is because it is easy to detect the location and direction of other cleaners in 1800 . The second robot 100b moves or rotates the second robot 100b so that the left and right arrangement of the feature points is the same as the left and right arrangement transmitted from the first robot 100a, so that the second robot 100b It may be arranged in a line behind the first robot (100a). In particular, by arranging the fronts of the second robot 100b and the first robot 100a to coincide with each other, selection of the initial movement direction can be facilitated when cleaning together later.

Through the above process, the location of the first robot 100a can be determined from the map information shared by the second robot 100b (S6).

In addition, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b can exchange location information with each other while moving based on a navigation map and/or a SLAM map shared with each other there is.

The second robot 100b may acquire an image through the sensing unit 1400 while moving or after moving a predetermined distance, and may extract region feature information from the obtained image.

The controller 1800 may extract region feature information based on the obtained image. Here, the extracted region feature information may include a set of probability values for regions and objects recognized based on the obtained image.

Meanwhile, the control unit 1800 may determine a current location based on SLAM-based current location node information and the extracted region feature information.

Here, the SLAM-based current location node information may correspond to a node most similar to feature information extracted from the obtained image among pre-stored node feature information. That is, the control unit 1800 may select current location node information by performing location recognition using feature information extracted from each node.

In addition, in order to further improve the accuracy of location estimation, the controller 1800 may perform location recognition using both feature information and area feature information to increase the accuracy of location recognition. For example, the control unit 1800 compares the extracted region feature information with pre-stored region feature information to select a plurality of candidate SLAM nodes, and selects a plurality of candidate SLAM nodes among the selected plurality of candidate SLAM nodes based on a SLAM. The current location may be determined based on candidate slam node information most similar to the current location node information of .

Alternatively, the controller 1800 may determine SLAM-based current location node information, correct the determined current location node information according to the extracted region feature information, and determine the final current location.

In this case, the control unit 1800 selects a node most similar to the extracted region feature information among pre-stored region feature information of nodes existing within a predetermined range based on the SLAM-based current position node information. It can be determined by the final current position.

As a location estimation method using images, it is a method for estimating the location of local feature points such as corners, as well as global features that describe the overall shape of an object rather than local features for location estimation. By using (global feature), feature extraction that is robust to environmental changes such as lighting/illumination is possible. For example, the control unit 1800 may use area feature information (ex. living room: sofa, table, TV/kitchen) when creating a map. : dining table, sink / room: bed, desk) are extracted and stored, and then the positions of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b can be estimated using information on characteristics of various regions in the indoor environment. .

That is, according to the present invention, location estimation that is robust to changes in lighting/illumination is possible by storing features of objects, objects, or regions instead of using only a specific point in an image when saving an environment.

In addition, when at least a part of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b is put under an object such as a bed or sofa, the sensing unit 1400 sufficiently detects a feature point such as a corner because the field of view is obstructed by the object. The image containing it may not be acquired. Alternatively, accuracy of feature point extraction using a ceiling image may be lowered at a specific location in an environment with a high ceiling.

However, according to the present invention, even when an object such as a bed or sofa covers the sensing unit 1400 or when the identification of a feature point is weak due to a high ceiling, the control unit 1800 controls the feature of the area such as a sofa or a living room in addition to a feature point such as a corner. With this information, the current location can be determined.

After that, it is possible to perform cleaning while the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b travel together. That is, the second robot 100b may perform cleaning while traveling along the first robot 100a.

On the other hand, if sharing of map information fails during collaborative driving between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, their location may be determined through mutual communication. For example, as described above, by measuring the time of signals transmitted and received between the UWB modules included in each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, the distance between the two robots 100a and 100b (separation distance) ) can be identified. In this case, the distance (separation distance) between the two robots 100a and 100b may be determined through a conversion equation using the coordinates of the location where signals are transmitted and received between the UWB modules.

Referring to FIG. 9, a process of calculating the positions of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b through a conversion equation will be described in detail. Here, the conversion formula is based on the first coordinate representing the current position of the first robot 100a based on the previous position of the first robot 100a, based on the position of the main body of the second robot 100b. This may mean an expression for converting the current position of the first robot 100a into second coordinates.

In FIG. 9 , the previous position of the first robot 100a is represented by a dotted line, and the current position is represented by a solid line. Also, the position of the second robot 100b is represented by a solid line.

The conversion equation is described as follows, and is represented by a 3X3 matrix in Equation 1 below.

<conversion formula>

M (current position of the first robot expressed based on the second robot [second coordinate]) = H (conversion formula) × R (current position of the first robot expressed based on the previous position of the first robot [first coordinate] ])

As a more detailed formula, it can be expressed as in <Equation 1> below.

<Equation 1>

Here, Xr and Yr are the first coordinates, and Xm and Ym are the second coordinates.

The first coordinates can be calculated based on information provided from the traveling unit 1300 that moves the first robot 100a. The information provided from the driving unit 1300 of the first robot 100a is information derived from an encoder measuring rotational information of a motor that rotates a wheel, and a gyro that detects rotation of the first robot 100a. It is possible to calibrate by the sensor.

The driving unit 1300 provides a driving force for moving or rotating the first robot 100a, and a situation in which the second robot 100b does not receive a signal provided by the first robot 100a. can also be calculated. Therefore, it is possible to determine a relatively accurate position compared to position information calculated by transmitting and receiving signals between the two robots 100a and 100b. In addition, since the driving part 1300 includes information about the actual movement of the first robot 100a, a positional change of the first robot 100a can be accurately described.

For example, even if the encoder detects that the motor of the first robot 100a is rotated, the gyro sensor is used to determine that the position of the first robot 100a is not moved but rotated, The change in position of the first robot 100a can be accurately calculated. Even when the motor for rotating the wheel is rotated, since the first robot 100a can only rotate without moving, rotation of the motor does not unconditionally move the position of another vacuum cleaner. Therefore, in the case of using the gyro sensor, it is possible to distinguish between a case in which only rotation is performed without a change in the position of the first robot 100a, a case in which a change in position and rotation are performed together, and a case in which only a change in position is performed without rotation. Therefore, the first robot 100a can accurately calculate the first coordinate converted from the previous position to the current position by using the encoder and the gyro sensor. In addition, this information may be transmitted to the network through the communication unit 1100 of the first robot 100a and transmitted to the second robot 100b through the network.

The second coordinate is measured by a signal transmitted and received between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b (eg, a signal may be transmitted and received using a UWB module). The second coordinate may be calculated when the first robot 100a exists in the sensing area of the second robot 100b and the signal is transmitted.

Referring to FIG. 9, it can be seen that two coordinate values can be expressed by an equal sign by H.

Meanwhile, in order to obtain H, data when the first robot 100a is placed in the sensing area of the second robot 100b may be continuously accumulated. Such data is expressed as in Equation 2 below. When the first robot 100a is positioned within the sensing area, a lot of data is accumulated. At this time, data is a plurality of first coordinates and a plurality of second coordinates respectively corresponding to each other.

<Equation 2>

Here, in order to obtain H, the least squares method may be used as shown in Equation 3 below.

<Equation 3>

Meanwhile, after calculating H, if the first coordinate and the second coordinate are continuously obtained, it is possible to newly calculate H and update H. As the amount of data for calculating H increases, H has a more reliable value.

Using the conversion equation (H) thus calculated, even when it is difficult for the second robot 100b and the first robot 100a to transmit and receive signals directly, the second robot 100b transmits the first robot 100a. can be followed When the first robot 100a temporarily leaves the sensing area of the second robot 100b, the second robot 100b may directly receive a signal about the position of the first robot 100a through the sensing unit. If not, the second robot 100b determines the position of the first robot 100a relative to the position of the second robot 100b by using driving information of the first robot 100a transmitted through the network. It can be calculated by the conversion formula.

When the second robot 100b determines the position of the first robot 100a by the conversion formula, the first coordinate corresponding to R must be received through the communication unit 1100 of the second robot 100b. do. That is, since R and H are known, M can be calculated. M is the position of the first robot 100a relative to the second robot 100b. Therefore, the second robot 100b can know the relative position with respect to the first robot 100a, and the second robot 100b can move along the first robot 100a.

On the other hand, based on the above-described technology, when one of the second robot 100b or the first robot 100a first contacts the charging station and then enters charging, the other robot moves to the position of the charging station (robot entered charging). After memorizing the second coordinate or the first coordinate for , it moves to its own charging station. Since the position has been memorized, from the next cleaning, even if it is outside the detection area, it can gather for follow-up cleaning.

In this way, the position of the other robot is grasped using the result of mutual communication without using map information, so that the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b can obtain a map-less location even while driving. Recognition may allow them to locate each other in a way.

In this way, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, which travel by recognizing the location of each other, may perform cooperative travel as shown in FIG. 10 . At this time, the area to be cleaned in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b travel is divided into one or more zones (Z1 to Z3), as shown in FIG. 10, in units of divided zones. cleaning may take place.

When the collaborative driving starts, the first robot 100a starts cleaning the first zone Z1, and the second robot 100b stands by near the starting position of the first robot 100a. can do. When the first robot 100a finishes cleaning the first zone Z1 by a certain standard or higher, the first robot 100a transmits information on the area that can be cleaned to the second robot 100b. can For example, the second robot ( 100b), the second robot 100b may travel according to the travel path of the first robot 100a.

After the first robot 100a transfers information on the area that can be cleaned to the second robot 100b, it cleans the remaining part of the first area Z1 or goes to the second area Z2 to perform the cleaning process. The second area Z2 is cleaned, and the second robot 100b may clean the first area Z1 based on the information received from the first robot 100a. In this case, the second robot 100a may perform cleaning while traveling along the path traveled by the first robot 100a based on information received from the first robot 100a.

The first robot 100a cleans the second area Z2 while the second robot 100b cleans the first area Z1, thereby cleaning the second area Z2. After completing, you can move to the next uncleaned area, the third area (Z3). At this time, as the first robot 100a transfers the information on the area available for cleaning in the first area Z1 to the second robot 100b, the area available for cleaning in the second area Z2 It is possible to transmit information about the second robot (100b). Accordingly, after the second robot 100a finishes cleaning the first zone Z1, it moves to the second zone Z2 and cleans the second zone Z2. can

Then, the first robot 100a cleans the third zone Z3, and while the first robot 100a cleans the third zone Z3, the second robot 100b cleans the third zone Z3. The twenty-second zone (Z2) may be cleaned. When the first robot 100a finishes cleaning the third zone Z3, the second robot 100b similarly moves to the third zone Z3, and the first robot 100a The third area Z3 may be cleaned while driving along the traveled path.

In this way, the system 1 in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b cooperate is cooperative driving according to the driving conditions of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b. this can be done

For example, when at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b is in a driving state in which the cooperative driving is impossible, or one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b If there is a concern that an error may occur during the cooperative driving, the cooperative driving may not be performed.

For example, the battery charge capacity of one or more of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b does not meet a predetermined standard, so that the cooperative driving cannot be completed, or the first robot 100a and when at least one of the second robots 100b is located in an area where mutual position recognition is not possible, and thus the start of the cooperative driving is difficult because the position of the other robot is not recognized, the cooperative driving is not performed. It can be.

That is, in the system 1, the collaborative driving may be performed when the driving states of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b satisfy a predetermined criterion.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the system 1 that performs cooperative driving according to an initial driving state will be described.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the embodiment of the system 1 includes a plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b that perform cleaning while traveling in an area to be cleaned and communicates with the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b. and a controller 600 for transmitting a control command for remote control to the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b.

The plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b may preferably include two robots, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b.

Here, the first robot 100a may be a robot that pre-travels in the target area of the collaborative driving and sucks in dust, and the second robot 100b is the area traveled by the first robot 100a. It may be a robot that drives and wipes away dust.

That is, the collaborative driving is a path in which the first robot 100a travels in advance and inhales dust, and the second robot 100b travels later and the first robot 100a travels in advance and inhales dust. can be cleaned by wiping off the dust of the

Hereinafter, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b are used to mean including both the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b.

The controller 600 may be one or more of the terminal 300, the control device of the server 500, and the remote controllers of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b.

Accordingly, the first robot (100a) and the second robot (100b), the control device of the terminal 300, the server 500 and the first robot (100a) and the second robot (100b) It may be driven by receiving the control command from one or more of the remote controllers.

The controller 600 may be preferably a mobile terminal.

Accordingly, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform the cooperative driving mode by the terminal 300 .

In the system 1, the cooperative driving may be performed by transmitting a control command for the cooperative driving from the controller 600 to the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b.

When the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b receive a control command from the controller 600 for a collaborative driving mode in which the area to be cleaned is collaboratively cleaned, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b It is determined whether the driving state corresponds to a preset reference condition, and motion for the cooperative driving mode is performed according to the determination result.

That is, when the control command is input, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b may compare their driving state with the reference condition and perform the motion for the collaborative driving mode according to the comparison result.

The cooperative driving mode may refer to an operation mode in which the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b perform the cooperative driving.

The collaborative driving mode may be a mode in which the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b sequentially drive and clean.

For example, it may be a mode in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b sequentially drive and clean in a certain area.

The collaborative driving mode may be a mode in which one of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b drives and cleans an area in which the remaining robots drive and clean afterward.

For example, the first robot 100a may run first, and the second robot 100b may clean while running later.

A process of performing the collaborative driving mode in the system 1 may be as shown in FIG. 12 . In addition, the conditions for performing the collaborative driving mode in the system 1 according to the process shown in FIG. 12 may be as shown in FIG. 13 .

First, when a control command for performing the cooperative driving mode is input (S10) to the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b stop the operation being performed at the current location, , it is possible to determine the driving state (S20). Here, when the control command is input, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b may be already performing different operation modes, or may be in a docked state on the charging bases 400a and 400b, respectively. The plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b receive the control command regardless of whether other operation modes are in progress or whether the charging stations 400a and 400b are docked, and determine the driving state at the current location ( S20) can be done.

The driving state may mean a state for performing cooperative driving of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b. Also, the driving state may include one or more state information of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b compared with the reference condition.

As shown in FIG. 13, the driving state is a map sharing state (driving state 1) of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b, a battery charge state (driving state 2), and a charging base position information state of the other robot. (driving state 3) may include one or more. That is, when the driving state is determined (S20), the map sharing state of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b (driving state 1), the battery charge state (driving state 2), and the state of charging base location information of the other robot One or more of (driving state 3) may be determined.

The map sharing state may refer to a state of whether map information of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b is being shared with each other. That is, a state of whether the map information of the second robot 100b is shared with the first robot 100a and the map information of the first robot 100a is shared with the second robot 100b. can be

The battery charging state may mean a battery charging capacity state of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b. That is, the battery charging capacity of the first robot 100a and the battery charging capacity of the second robot 100b may be states of respective charging capacities.

The status of the position information of the charging stand of the opponent robot may refer to a state of whether or not position information of the charging stand of the opponent robot is stored in each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b. That is, the location information of the charging table 400b of the second robot 100b, which is the counterpart robot, is stored in the first robot 100a, and the position information of the first robot 100a, which is the counterpart robot, is stored in the second robot 100b. It may be a state of whether the location information of the charging station 400a is stored.

Preferably, the driving state may include all of a map sharing state of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b, a battery charge state, and a charging station position information state of a partner robot.

After each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b determines the driving state (S20), the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b may communicate with each other to share the determination result. Accordingly, each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b may grasp the driving state of all of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b. Thereafter, at least one of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b may compare the driving state with the reference condition to determine whether the driving state corresponds to the reference condition (S30 to S50).

The reference condition may be a condition of the driving state in which the cooperative driving mode can be performed. That is, the reference condition may mean an initial state condition in which the cooperative driving mode may be performed. Accordingly, as the reference condition, conditions corresponding to the driving state may be preset.

The reference conditions include a first condition in which each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b share a map, a second condition in which the battery charging capacity of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b is greater than or equal to a predetermined reference capacity, and One or more of the third conditions may be included in which the position information of the charging table of the other robot is stored in each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b.

Preferably, the reference condition may include all of the first to third conditions. Accordingly, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b compare the driving state and the reference condition (S30 to S50), and the map sharing state of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b is the first It is determined whether the condition is met (S30), and it is determined whether the battery state of charge of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b corresponds to the second condition (S40), and the plurality of mobile robots 100a , 100b) It may be determined (S50) whether the state of the position information of the charging station of each partner robot corresponds to the third condition.

The plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b determine whether the driving state corresponds to the reference condition (S30 to S50), and each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b shares a map, When the battery charge capacity of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b is greater than or equal to a predetermined reference capacity, it is determined whether information on the position of the charging stand of the other robot is stored in each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b (S50). According to one result, motion for the cooperative driving mode may be performed.

The plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b determine whether the map sharing state of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b corresponds to the first condition (S30), and as a result, the plurality of mobile robots ( 100a, 100b) When each map sharing state corresponds to the first condition, it is determined (S40) whether the battery charge capacity state of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a, 100b corresponds to the second condition can And, as a result of determining whether the map sharing state of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b corresponds to the first condition (S30), the map sharing state of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b When the first condition is not satisfied, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b may not perform the collaborative driving mode (R2). That is, when each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b shares a map, it is determined that the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b can perform the collaborative driving mode through the shared map, and When each of the mobile robots 100a and 100b does not share a map, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b cannot perform the cooperative driving mode due to restrictions on cooperative cleaning of the same area according to non-sharing of map information. When it is determined that this is the case, the collaborative driving mode may not be performed (R2).

The plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b determine whether the battery charge capacity state of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b corresponds to the second condition (S40), and as a result, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b (100a, 100b) When the charge capacity of each battery corresponds to the second condition, it is determined whether the positional information state of the charging table of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a, 100b corresponds to the third condition. (S50) You can. And, as a result of determining whether the battery charge capacity state of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b corresponds to the second condition (S40), the battery charge capacity of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b When the second condition is not satisfied, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b may not perform the collaborative driving mode (R2). That is, when the battery charging capacity state of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b is greater than or equal to the reference capacity, it is determined that the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b can perform the cooperative driving mode with the charged capacity, , When the battery charge capacity state of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b is less than the reference capacity, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b cannot perform the cooperative driving mode due to the lack of charging capacity By determining, the collaborative driving mode may not be performed (R2). In this case, at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may output a notification about insufficient charging capacity of the battery. For example, a notification regarding the need for charging may be output from a robot whose charging capacity is less than the reference capacity.

The plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b determine (S50) whether or not the location information of the charging stations 400a and 400b of the other robot is stored in each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b. If the location information of the mobile robots 100a and 100b stores the position information of the charging stations 400a and 400b of the other robots, the target robot moves to a position within a certain distance from the other robot and performs the cooperative driving mode (R1). can The plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b determine (S50) whether or not the location information of the charging stations 400a and 400b of the other robot is stored in each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b. If the mobile robots 100a and 100b do not store information on the position of the charging station of the other robot, the position of the mobile robot 100a or 100b may be recognized (S60), and the motion for the collaborative driving mode may be performed according to the recognition result.

The plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b determine whether the positional information state of the charging bases 400a and 400b of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b corresponds to the third condition (S50) As a result, when the location information state of the charging bases 400a and 400b of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b corresponds to the third condition, the first robot 100a is the second robot ( The collaborative driving mode may be performed (R1) by moving to a position within a predetermined distance from the front of 100b). For example, by moving to a point 1 [m] ahead of the second robot 100b, the collaborative driving mode may be performed (R1) prior to the second robot 100b. In addition, as a result of determining whether the location information state of the charging bases 400a and 400b of each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b corresponds to the third condition (S50), the plurality of mobile robots 100a , 100b) When the location information state of the charging bases 400a and 400b of each partner robot does not correspond to the third condition, each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b performs an operation of recognizing the location of each other (S60). can be done That is, when the location information of the charging stations 400a and 400b of the other robot is stored in each of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b use the stored location information to perform the collaborative driving mode. When it is determined that it can be performed, the first robot 100a moves to a position within a certain distance from the front of the second robot 100b, performs the collaborative driving mode (R1), and the plurality of mobile robots 100a , 100b), if the location information of the charging stands 400a and 400b of the opponent robot is not stored, it is impossible to grasp the initial and end positions of the opponent robot due to the inability to determine the position of the charging stands 400a and 400b of the opponent robot. After determining, an operation for location recognition (S60) may be performed mutually.

As a result of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b recognizing each other's location (S60), when the mutual location is recognized (S70), the first traveling target robot moves to a position within a certain distance from the other robot, The collaborative driving mode may be performed (R1). As a result of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b recognizing each other's positions (S60), when one robot does not recognize the position of the other robot (S80), the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b After outputting a notification informing that the unrecognized robot should be moved to the vicinity of the counterpart robot, at least one of the robots may perform a motion for the collaborative driving mode according to the result of the movement. When the unrecognized robot moves near the counterpart robot, the unrecognized robot performs a position recognition operation for recognizing the location of the counterpart robot using a result of communication with the counterpart robot, and then sets a predetermined driving criterion. Accordingly, the cooperative driving mode may be performed (R3). As a result of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b recognizing each other's positions (S60), when all of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b do not recognize their positions (S80), the first robot ( 100a) may move to a position within a certain distance from the vicinity of the second robot 100b and perform a motion for performing the collaborative driving mode (R4).

When the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b recognize each other's position (S60) and recognize each other's position (S70), the first robot 100a is the second robot 100b. The collaborative driving mode may be performed (R1) by moving to a location within a predetermined distance forward. For example, by moving to a point 1 [m] ahead of the second robot 100b, the collaborative driving mode may be performed prior to the second robot 100b. In addition, when one of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b does not recognize the position of the other robot (S80), one or more of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b detects the unrecognized robot as above. If the unrecognized robot is moved to the vicinity of the opponent robot by the user after outputting a notification to inform the opponent robot to move, the unrecognized robot is mapless in the mapless location recognition method as shown in FIG. 9 After performing a location recognition operation for recognizing the location of the counterpart robot using a result of communication with the counterpart robot according to the above, the collaborative driving mode may be performed (R3) according to the driving criterion. For example, when the first robot 100a does not recognize the position of the second robot 100b, the first robot 100a moves to a position within a radius of 50 [cm] of the second robot 100b. After being moved, the location of the second robot 100b may be recognized according to the mapless location recognition method shown in FIG. 9 . Conversely, when the second robot 100b does not recognize the position of the first robot 100b, the second robot 100b is positioned within a radius of 50 [cm] of the first robot 100a. After moving to , the location of the first robot 100a may be recognized according to the mapless location recognition method shown in FIG. 9 . Here, the vicinity of the opponent robot may mean a distance at which the angle of view of the opponent robot overlaps with the camera 131, and may be within a radius of 50 [cm] or 50 [cm] of the opponent robot. Thereafter, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b may perform the collaborative driving mode (R3) according to the driving criterion. Here, the driving criterion may be a criterion for changing or limiting the setting of the collaborative driving mode. For example, it may be a criterion set to drive by dividing the area set in the collaborative driving mode into two or more small areas. Accordingly, the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b may attempt location recognition with each other even while performing the cooperative driving mode, and the location recognition result may be corrected according to the attempt result. If both of the plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b do not recognize their positions (S80), the first robot 100a moves to a position within a certain distance from the vicinity of the second robot 100b. Then, after each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b recognizes the location of the other robot according to the mapless location recognition method shown in FIG. 9, the motion for performing the collaborative driving mode is performed. It can be performed (R4).

As such, in the system 1 in which the cooperative driving mode is performed depending on whether the driving state corresponds to the reference condition, the cooperative driving can be performed by the cooperative driving method as shown in FIG. 14 .

The method for performing cooperative driving (hereinafter, referred to as the performing method) is a method in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b perform cooperative driving, and as shown in FIG. 14, the first A step of inputting a command to perform cooperative driving to the robot 100a and the second robot 100b (S100), wherein the first robot 100a controls the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b Comparing the driving state of ) with a preset reference condition (S200) and performing motion for collaborative driving by each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b according to the comparison result (S300) includes

Here, the first robot 100a pre-travels in the target area of the collaborative driving and inhales dust, and the second robot 100b travels after the area traveled by the first robot 100a. The dust can be wiped off. That is, in the case of performing the collaborative driving according to the performing method, the first robot 100a drives in front of the second robot 100b and sucks in dust, and the second robot 100b, After traveling to the first robot 100a, dust may be wiped.

In the step of inputting a command for performing the collaborative driving (S100), a command for performing the collaborative driving may be input to each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b.

In the step of inputting a command for performing the collaborative driving (S100), the operation being performed by the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b at the current location may be stopped.

In the step of comparing the driving state with a preset reference condition (S200), the driving state may be compared with a preset reference condition in the first robot 100a.

In the step of comparing the driving state with a preset reference condition (S200), as shown in FIG. 15, the map sharing state and the battery charge capacity state of each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b According to the step of comparing each of the reference conditions with the first condition and the second condition (S210) and the result of the comparison with the first condition and the second condition, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b ) comparing the storage state of the position information of the charging station of each partner robot with a third condition among the reference conditions (S220).

In the step of performing the motion for the collaborative driving (S300), the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b according to the comparison result of the step of comparing the driving state with a preset reference condition (S200). At least one of the motions for the collaborative driving may be performed.

In the step of performing the motion for the collaborative driving (S300), when the driving state corresponds to all of the first to third conditions, the first robot 100a moves the second robot 100b You can move to a location within a certain distance.

In this case, the first robot 100a may move to a position within x [m] in front of the second robot 100b and start the cooperative driving.

In the step of performing the motion for the collaborative driving (S300), when the driving state corresponds to the first condition and the second condition and does not correspond to the third condition, the first robot 100a and the Each of the second robots 100b may recognize each other's position, and according to the recognition result, at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform a motion for the collaborative driving.

In the step of performing the motion for the collaborative driving (S300), when one robot does not recognize the position of the other robot as a result of recognizing the mutual position, the first robot 100a and the second robot In at least one of (100b), after outputting a notification informing the robot to move the unrecognized robot to the vicinity of the counterpart robot, the motion for the collaborative driving may be performed according to the result of the movement.

In this case, the unrecognized robot may be moved to a vicinity within a radius y [cm] of the opponent robot and perform the motion for the cooperative driving.

In the step of performing the motion for the collaborative driving (S300), when the unrecognized robot moves to the vicinity of the counterpart robot, the unrecognized robot uses a communication result with the counterpart robot to locate the counterpart robot. After performing a location recognition operation for recognizing , the collaborative driving may be performed according to a predetermined driving criterion.

The execution including the step of inputting a command for performing the collaborative driving (S100), the step of comparing the driving state with a preset reference condition (S200), and the step of performing motion for the collaborative driving (S300). The method can be implemented as computer readable code on a medium on which a program is recorded. The computer-readable medium includes all types of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of computer-readable media include Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Solid State Disk (SSD), Silicon Disk Drive (SDD), ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, etc. , and also includes those implemented in the form of a carrier wave (eg, transmission over the Internet). Also, the computer may include the controller 1800.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 16 to 21 , <Embodiment 1> of a mobile robot system 1 that performs a preset scenario in response to a trap situation occurring during collaborative driving will be described.

Referring to FIG. 16, when the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b enter the cooperative driving mode and grasp each other's location information, the first robot 100a precedes the second robot 100b. Contaminants from the area to be cleaned can be inhaled. Also, as illustrated, the cleaning target area may be divided into one or more areas (Z4 to Z6), and cleaning may be performed in divided area units.

The fourth zone Z4 means a cleaning zone in which the second robot 100b is scheduled to travel after the first robot 100a completes travel. The fifth zone Z5 means a cleaning zone in which the first robot 100a is scheduled to run. The sixth zone Z6 means a cleaning zone in which the first robot 100a is scheduled to travel after the fifth zone Z5 is cleaned.

At this time, on the drawing, the fourth zone (Z4) to the sixth zone (Z6) are divided by the outer wall and the entrances (D1, D2). However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the fourth zone (Z4) to the sixth zone (Z6) are divided based on a certain size or divided based on outer walls, corners, furniture, etc., as described above. The cooperative driving of the system 1 can be distinguished in a way that can be performed efficiently.

When the mobile robot system 1 travels collaboratively, the first robot 100a may travel along the first travel path L1, and the second robot 100b may travel along the second travel path L2. At this time, the first path L1 means all paths for cleaning the area to be cleaned, such as the first robot 100a bypassing obstacles. In addition, the second travel path L2 means all paths for the second robot 100b to clean the area to be cleaned, and may be set to be the same as the travel path the first robot 100a has already traveled. However, when an obstacle that did not exist during the driving of the first robot 100a occurs while the second robot 100b is driving, it may travel in a modified path such as a detour.

Hereinafter, a trap situation and a scenario according to a case where the first robot 100a is in a trap situation will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18 .

Referring to FIG. 17 , the first robot 100a has finished cleaning the fifth area Z5 and the second robot 100b has completed cleaning the fourth area Z4. In addition, the inlet D1 movable from the fifth zone Z5 to the sixth zone Z6 is in a closed state. Therefore, it shows a case where the first robot 100a is in a trap situation.

The trap situation refers to a situation in which the first robot 100a or the second robot 100b cannot enter the area to be cleaned where it is not traveling. That is, it means a situation in which the first robot 100a and/or the second robot 100b cannot enter the uncleaned area. Therefore, the trap situation of the first robot 100a in FIG. 15 indicates that the first robot 100a has finished cleaning the fifth zone Z5, but cannot enter the sixth zone Z6, which is the scheduled cleaning zone. it means.

In addition, in order to indicate the classification of the cleaning area and whether or not it is possible to move to the cleaning area, whether or not it is possible to move between the cleaning areas by opening and closing the first entrance D1 and the second entrance D2 is displayed, but the embodiment is limited to this. The trap situation includes a situation in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b cannot enter the area to be cleaned due to various obstacles such as chairs, desks, furniture, etc. in addition to doors.

When a trap situation occurs in the first robot 100a while the mobile robot system 1 is performing the cooperative driving mode, the first robot 100a performs trap escape driving. Trap escape driving refers to a driving method in which the first robot 100a travels along the outside or boundary of the cleaning area. That is, trap escape driving refers to a driving method in which the first robot 100a or the second robot 100b travels while pushing the outside or boundary of the cleaning zone that has already traveled. The third path L3 refers to all paths along which the first robot 100a or the second robot 100b travels while pushing the outside or boundary of the cleaning area as the trap escape driving is performed.

The case of escaping the trap situation means that the first robot 100a and/or the second robot 100b enter an uncleaned area where entry was impossible. Therefore, when the first robot 100a is in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is not in a trap situation, when the first robot 100a escapes the trap situation by performing trap escape driving, that is, the first robot 100a escapes from the trap situation. When neither the robot 100a nor the second robot 100b is in a trap situation, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b perform cooperative driving again.

In addition, when the first robot 100a is in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is not in a trap situation, the second robot 100b may wait in place for a first preset time. In addition, after the second robot 100b finishes driving in the fourth area Z4 being cleaned, it may wait for a first preset time at the point where it ends. If the first robot 100b escapes the trap situation while the second robot 100b is waiting, the second robot 100b cancels the standby state and performs cooperative driving with the first robot 100a.

In addition, when the first robot 100a is in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is not in a trap situation, the second robot 100b waits for a preset first time and then cleans the previously cleaned fourth zone Z4. Re-cleaning may be performed again along the fourth path L4. At this time, the re-cleaning time may be set to a preset second time. The fourth path L4 refers to all paths for performing re-cleaning of the area to be cleaned, such as retracing the already traveled second path L2 or driving while avoiding obstacles to perform re-cleaning. If the first robot 100a escapes the trap situation while re-cleaning the fourth zone Z4 already cleaned by the second robot 100b, the second robot 100b and the first robot 100a cooperate again. do the driving

The first time may be set to 1 minute, and the second time may be set to 9 minutes, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. If the waiting time of the second robot 100b becomes longer, water may accumulate on the floor, so the first time can be set as an appropriate time to prevent this. Also, the second time may be set to an appropriate time for the second robot 100b to perform re-cleaning and to wait for the first robot 100a to escape the trap situation.

While the second robot 100b is performing re-cleaning for the second time, if the first robot 100a escapes the trap situation, the second robot 100b stops re-cleaning and re-cleans the first robot 100a. Collaborative driving again.

18 shows a first time for the second robot 100b to wait and a second time for re-cleaning when the first robot 100a is in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is not in a trap situation. if it has passed

If the first robot 100a does not escape the trap situation during the first and second times, the second robot 100b cancels the cooperative driving mode and returns to the second charging station 400b. At this time, the fifth path L5 on which the second robot 100b returns to the second charging station 400b is the elapse of the first time for the second robot 100b to wait and the second time for re-cleaning. and then all paths returning to the second charging station 400b.

In addition, when the first robot 100a is in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is not in a trap situation, the second robot 100b does not wait for the first time or perform re-cleaning for the second time, and 1 When the robot 100a is in a trap situation, the cooperative driving mode may be immediately released and returned to the second charging stand 400b.

In addition, when only the first robot 100a is in a trap situation, the second robot 100b returns to the second charging base 400b without canceling the collaborative driving mode, and then the first robot 100a escapes the trap situation. Then, cleaning may be performed according to the cooperative driving mode. After the second robot 100b returns to the second charging stand 400b, if the first robot 100a does not escape the trap situation for a preset time, the second robot 100b releases the collaborative driving mode and cleans can be terminated.

In addition, when the first robot 100a is in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is not in a trap situation, while the first robot 100a performs a trap escape driving, the second robot 100b is the first robot ( Although the cleaning of 100a) has been completed, cleaning of the fifth zone Z5, which has not been driven, may be performed.

Hereinafter, a scenario according to the case where the second robot 100b is in a trap situation will be described with reference to FIG. 19 .

Referring to FIG. 19 , the first robot 100a has finished cleaning the fifth area Z5, and the second robot 100b has finished cleaning the fourth area Z4. Also, the inlet D2 movable from the fourth zone Z4 to the fifth zone Z5 is in a closed state. Therefore, it shows a case where the second robot 100a is in a trap situation.

When the first robot 100a is not in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is in a trap situation, the second robot 100b performs trap escape driving along the third path L3. As described above, the trap escape driving along the third path L3 refers to a traveling method in which the second robot 100b travels while pushing the outside or boundary of the cleaning area traveled.

While the second robot 100a performs trap escape driving, the first robot 100a may stand by in place for the first time. In addition, the first robot 100a may wait for the first time at the point where the driving of the fifth zone Z5 being cleaned ends, and then ends. If the second robot 100b escapes the trap situation while the first robot 100a is on standby, the first robot 100a cancels the standby state and performs cooperative driving with the second robot 100b.

In addition, when the first robot 100a is not in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is in a trap situation, the first robot 100a waits for a preset first time and then cleans the fifth zone Z5. can be re-cleaned again along the fourth path (L4). At this time, the re-cleaning time may be set to a preset second time, and the fourth path L4 returns to the first path L1 that has already traveled or runs while avoiding obstacles to perform re-cleaning. All routes to perform re-cleaning of the back cleaning area. If the second robot 100b escapes the trap situation while re-cleaning the fifth zone Z5 that the first robot 100a has already cleaned, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b cooperate again. do the driving

Referring to FIG. 20, a scenario according to the case where the second robot 100b is in a trap situation will be described.

20 shows a first time for the first robot 100a to wait and a second time for re-cleaning when the second robot 100b is in a trap situation and the first robot 100a is not in a trap situation. if it has passed

In the case where the above-described first robot 100a is in a trap situation, the first robot 100a does not escape the trap situation during the first time while the second robot 100b is waiting and the second time when re-cleaning is performed. Otherwise, unlike the case where the second robot 100b releases the collaborative driving mode and returns to the second charging station 400b, when the first time and the second time elapse in the case where the second robot 100b is in a trap situation, , the first robot 100a cancels the collaborative driving mode and performs independent driving.

That is, while the first robot 100a is not in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is in a trap situation, the first time for the first robot 100a to wait and the second time for re-cleaning have elapsed. In this case, the first robot 100a cancels the collaborative driving mode and enters the solo driving mode to drive alone. Accordingly, the first robot 100a travels in the sixth zone Z6, which is a scheduled cleaning zone. At this time, the first path L1 on which the first robot 100a travels in the sixth area Z6 means all paths for cleaning the cleaning area.

In addition, when the first robot 100a is not in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is in a trap situation, the first robot 100a releases the cooperative driving mode as soon as the trap situation occurs in the second robot 100b. Then, it enters the solo driving mode, and can drive in the sixth zone Z6, which is a scheduled cleaning zone.

In addition, when the first robot 100a is not in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is in a trap situation, the first robot 100a does not wait for a first time or perform re-cleaning for a second time. , it is possible to release the cooperative driving mode immediately and return to the first charging stand 400a. That is, when the first robot 100a is not in a trap situation, the first robot 100a may release the cooperative driving mode and return to the first charging base 400a as soon as the second robot 100b becomes in a trap situation. there is.

In addition, when only the second robot 100b is in a trap situation, the first robot 100a returns to the first charging station 400a without canceling the cooperative driving mode, and then the second robot 100b escapes the trap situation. Then, the cooperative driving mode may be performed again to perform cooperative driving. If the second robot 100b does not escape the trap situation for a preset time after the first robot 100a returns to the first charging stand 400a, the first robot 100a releases the collaborative driving mode and cleans. can be terminated

Referring to FIG. 21, a scenario according to the case where the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are in a trap situation will be described.

Referring to FIG. 21 , both the first entrance D1 and the second entrance D2 are closed, and both the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are in a trap situation. However, this is classified for convenience of description, and the embodiment is not limited thereto, and when a trap situation occurs while the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are traveling in the same cleaning area, the first robot ( This means all cases in which 100a) and the second robot 100b are in a trap situation.

When both the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are in a trap situation, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b respectively perform trap escape driving. In addition, when only the first robot 100a escapes the trap situation according to trap escape driving, the above-described first robot 100a is not in the trap situation and the second robot 100b operates according to a scenario in which the trap situation exists. do. In addition, when only the second robot 100b escapes the trap situation according to trap escape driving, the above-described first robot 100a is in the trap situation, and the second robot 100b operates according to a scenario other than the trap situation. do.

Referring to FIG. 22 , a method of performing cooperative driving of the mobile robot system 1 when a trap situation occurs will be described.

22 is a flowchart of a method of performing cooperative driving of the mobile robot system 1 when a trap situation occurs.

Referring to FIG. 22 , in step S100 , the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b enter a cooperative driving mode, recognize each other's location information, and perform cooperative driving. At this time, the area to be cleaned may be divided into one or more areas (Z4 to Z6), and cleaning may be performed in units of the divided areas.

In step S200, it is determined whether the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are in a trap situation. At this time, it is divided into three cases, and scenarios according to the trap situation are performed. First, case A represents a case where the first robot 100a is in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is not in a trap situation. Case B represents a case where the first robot 100a is not in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is in a trap situation. Case C represents a case where both the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are in a trap situation.

In step S300, a trap scenario according to case A is performed. As for the trap scenario according to case A, as described in the description of FIGS. 15 and 16 above, the first robot 100a is in a trap situation and the second robot 100b is not in a trap situation. (100a) and the running of the second robot (100b).

Therefore, according to the A case trap scenario, when only the first robot 100a is in a trap situation, the first robot 100a performs trap escape driving. While the first robot 100a performs trap escape driving, the second robot 100b may wait in place for a preset first time. In addition, the second robot 100b may wait for a first time at the point where the cleaning is finished after completing the driving of the cleaning area being cleaned. If the first robot 100a escapes the trap situation while the second robot 100b is on standby, the second robot 100b cancels the standby state and performs cooperative driving again with the first robot 100a. .

Also, while the first robot 100a performs trap escape driving, the second robot 100b may re-clean the already cleaned cleaning area after waiting for the first time. At this time, the re-cleaning time may be set to a preset second time. While the second robot 100b is performing re-cleaning for the second time, if the first robot 100a escapes the trap situation, the second robot 100b stops re-cleaning and re-cleans the first robot 100a. Collaborative driving again.

In addition, when the first robot 100a does not escape the trap situation during the first time the second robot 100b waits and the second time when the second robot 100b performs re-cleaning, the second robot 100b performs cooperative driving. The mode is canceled and the second charging station 100b is returned.

In addition, when only the first robot 100a is in a trap situation, the second robot 100b waits for a first time or does not perform re-cleaning for a second time, and the first robot 100a is in a trap situation The cooperative driving mode may be immediately released and returned to the second charging stand 400b.

In addition, although only representative scenarios are shown as a flow chart in FIG. 20, in addition, when only the first robot 100a is in a trap situation, the second robot 100b returns to the second charging station 400b without canceling the cooperative driving mode. , When the first robot 100a escapes the trap situation, it may perform the cooperative driving mode again to perform cleaning. After the second robot 100b returns to the second charging station 400b, if the first robot 100a does not escape the trap situation for a predetermined period of time, the second robot 100b releases the cooperative driving mode. and finish cleaning.

In addition, when only the first robot 100a is in a trap situation, the second robot 100b may clean a cleaning area where the first robot 100a has finished cleaning but the second robot 100b has not traveled. there is.

In step S310, it is determined whether or not the first robot 100a has escaped from the trap situation as a result of the first robot 100a performing trap escape driving. When the first robot 100a escapes the trap situation, neither the first robot 100a nor the second robot 100b is in the trap situation. Therefore, cooperative driving is performed (S100). However, when the first robot 100a fails to escape from the trap situation, the second robot 100b returns to the second charging stand 400b (S600).

In step S400, a trap scenario according to case B is performed. The trap scenario according to case B is the first robot according to the case where the second robot 100b is in a trap situation and the first robot 100a is not in a trap situation, as described in the description of FIGS. 17 and 18 above. (100a) and the running of the second robot (100b).

Therefore, according to the B case trap scenario, when only the second robot 100b is in a trap situation, the second robot 100b performs trap escape driving. While the second robot 100b performs trap escape driving, the first robot 100a may wait in place for a first preset time. In addition, the first robot 100a may wait for a first time at the point where the cleaning is finished after completing the driving of the cleaning area being cleaned. If the second robot 100b escapes the trap situation while the first robot 100a is on standby, the first robot 100a cancels the standby state and performs cooperative driving again with the second robot 100b. .

In addition, while the second robot 100b performs trap escape driving, the first robot 100a may re-clean the previously cleaned cleaning area after waiting for the first time. At this time, the re-cleaning time may be set to a preset second time. While the first robot 100a is performing re-cleaning for the second time, if the second robot 100b escapes the trap situation, the first robot 100a stops re-cleaning and re-cleans the second robot 100b. Collaborative driving again.

In addition, when the second robot 100b does not escape the trap situation during the first time the first robot 100a waits and the second time when re-cleaning is performed, the first robot 100a performs cooperative driving. After releasing the mode, it is possible to perform independent driving by entering the independent driving mode. That is, while the second robot 100b performs trap escape driving, the first robot 100a performs stand-by for a first time, re-cleaning for a second time, and then performs independent driving according to the independent driving mode. can do.

In addition, although only representative scenarios are shown as a flow chart in FIG. 22, in addition, when only the second robot 100b is in a trap situation, the first robot 100a does not wait for the first time or perform re-cleaning for the second time. , When the second robot 100b is in a trap situation, the cooperative driving mode may be immediately released and returned to the first charging base 400a.

In addition, when only the second robot 100b is in a trap situation, the first robot 100a returns to the first charging station 400a without canceling the cooperative driving mode, and then the second robot 100b escapes the trap situation. Then, cooperative driving can be performed again. After the first robot 100a returns to the first charging station 400a, if the second robot 100b does not escape the trap situation for a predetermined period of time, the first robot 100a releases the cooperative driving mode. and finish cleaning.

In step S410, it is determined whether or not the second robot 100b has escaped from the trap situation as a result of the second robot 100b performing trap escape driving. When the second robot 100b escapes the trap situation, neither the first robot 100a nor the second robot 100b is in the trap situation. Therefore, cooperative driving is performed (S100). However, when the second robot 100b fails to escape from the trap situation, the first robot 100a performs solo driving according to the solo driving mode (S700).

In step S500, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b each perform trap escape driving in response to case C, in which both the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are trapped. do. Then, in step S510, it is determined whether the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b escape from the trap situation. When only the second robot 100b escapes the trap situation, it corresponds to case A, so an A case trap scenario is performed (S300). When only the first robot 100a escapes from the trap situation, it corresponds to case B, and thus a case B trap scenario (S400) is performed. In addition, when both the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b escape, cooperative driving may be performed (S100).

Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 23 to 29 , <Example 2> of a mobile robot system 1 that performs a preset scenario in response to an error occurring during collaborative driving will be described.

The first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may enter a cooperative driving mode using the network 50 . Referring to FIG. 23 , when the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b enter the cooperative driving mode and grasp each other's location information, the first robot 100a determines the location of the second robot 100b. Contaminants in the area to be cleaned (Z4) may be sucked in by driving before driving. Here, the contaminants may be a concept including all substances that can be inhaled, such as dust, foreign substances, and trash existing in the area to be cleaned (Z4). In addition, the second robot 100b may wipe the floor of the area to be cleaned Z4 by traveling along the path L1 along which the first robot 100a traveled. Here, that the second robot 100b wipes the floor may mean that the second robot 100b wipes a substance such as a liquid that cannot be sucked by the first robot 100a by wiping with a damp cloth. However, there may be a case where an error occurs in at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b during the collaborative driving, and thus the cooperative driving is stopped. In this case, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform a preset scenario in response to an error occurring during collaborative driving.

Table 1 is a table showing first to seventh embodiments of preset scenarios performed by the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b in response to an error occurring during collaborative driving. In Table 1, 'error' means that the first robot (100a) or the second robot (100b) is stuck on an obstacle, a wheel is missing, or a motor that rotates a wheel is broken, and the cooperative driving continues. This means that it cannot be performed. Also, 'normal' means a state in which the first robot 100a or the second robot 100b can continue to perform cooperative driving without an error occurring.

In Table 1, different codes are attached to each error in the first to seventh embodiments, and this is for convenience of description. In addition, each embodiment to be described below should be understood as independent. Meanwhile, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may have a button capable of receiving a resume command from the user. After the error is resolved, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform cooperative driving again when receiving a re-traveling command and recognizing each other's location information. The re-travel command is related to the second embodiment, the third embodiment, the sixth embodiment, and the seventh embodiment, which will be described later. Hereinafter, with reference to Table 1, the first to seventh embodiments will be described in detail.

Example State of the first robot 100a State of the second robot 100b One Error (a) normal 2 Error (b) normal 3 Error (c) normal 4 Error (d) Error (e) 5 normal Error (f) 6 normal error (g) 7 normal error (h)

The first embodiment is a scenario in which an error (a) occurs in the first robot 100a while performing collaborative driving and a preset waiting time elapses. In this case, the first robot 100a may power off after a preset waiting time. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes. Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 24A , in the first embodiment, the second robot 100b cancels the collaborative driving mode, travels (L2) to the point P1 where the first robot 100a travels, and then 2 It is possible to return to the charging station 400b (L3). Here, the point P1 at which the first robot 100a travels is the position of the first robot 100a at the time when the error a occurs. That is, the second robot 100b may travel (L2) to the point P1 where the first robot 100a sucks in contaminants, wipe the floor, and then return to the second charging stand 400b (L3). . Meanwhile, as another example of the first embodiment, it may be considered that the second robot 100b cancels the collaborative driving mode and then performs independent driving without returning to the second charging station 400b. In the second embodiment, an error (b) occurs in the first robot 100a while performing cooperative driving, but in a preset waiting time, the error (b) is resolved and a re-run command is input to the first robot 100a. This is a scenario in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b grasp each other's location information. In this case, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform cooperative driving again. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes. On the other hand, referring to FIG. 24B, in the second embodiment, the second robot 100b, from the time of error b to the time of performing cooperative driving again, the second robot 100b itself traveled The area to be cleaned may be driven (L4) again. That is, if the second robot 100b is still in place during the waiting time, water may be flooded at the waiting point, so the second robot 100b may wipe the floor of the area to be cleaned again. can On the other hand, as another embodiment of the second embodiment, it will be considered that the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b do not perform cooperative driving, release the cooperative driving mode, and then perform independent driving, respectively. In the third embodiment, an error (c) occurs in the first robot 100a while performing cooperative driving, and in a preset waiting time, the error (c) is resolved and the first robot 100a is restarted. This is a scenario in which a driving command is input, but the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b do not grasp each other's location information. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes. Referring to FIG. 24C , the first robot 100a may cancel the cooperative driving mode and then perform independent driving (L5). In addition, the second robot 100b may release the cooperative driving mode, travel (L6) to the point P2 where the first robot 100a traveled, and then return (L7) to the second charging stand 400b. there is. Here, the point P2 where the first robot 100a travels is the position of the first robot 100a at the time when the error c occurs. That is, the second robot 100b may travel (L6) to the point P2 where the first robot 100a sucks in contaminants, wipe the floor, and then return to the second charging stand 400b (L7). . Meanwhile, as another example of the third embodiment, it may be considered that the second robot 100b cancels the cooperative driving mode and then performs independent driving without returning to the second charging stand 400b. Also, as another example of the third embodiment, it may be considered that the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b release the collaborative driving mode and then return to the charging stations 400a and 400b, respectively. In addition, as another embodiment of the third embodiment, after the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b release the cooperative driving mode, the first robot 100a returns to the first charging station 400a, It may be considered that the second robot 100b performs independent driving.

The fourth embodiment is a scenario in which an error occurs in both the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b while performing cooperative driving and a preset waiting time elapses. That is, in the fourth embodiment, an error (d) occurs in the first robot (100a) and an error (e) occurs in the second robot. Referring to FIG. 25 , the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may each terminate their own power after a preset waiting time. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes.

The fifth embodiment is a scenario in which an error f occurs in the second robot 100b while performing cooperative driving and a preset waiting time elapses. In this case, the second robot 100b may power off after a preset waiting time. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes. Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 26A , in the fifth embodiment, the first robot 100a may release the cooperative driving mode and then perform independent driving (L8). Meanwhile, as another example of the fifth embodiment, it may be considered that the first robot 100a cancels the collaborative driving mode and then returns to the charging base 400a without performing independent driving.

In the sixth embodiment, although an error g occurs in the second robot 100b while performing cooperative driving, the error g is resolved and a re-run command is issued to the second robot 100b in a preset waiting time. This is a scenario in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b grasp each other's location information. In this case, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform cooperative driving again. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes. On the other hand, referring to FIG. 26B , in the sixth embodiment, the first robot 100a, from the point of occurrence of the error g to the point of performing the collaborative driving again, the first robot 100a itself traveled The area to be cleaned may be driven (L9) again. On the other hand, as another embodiment of the sixth embodiment, it will be considered that the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b do not perform cooperative driving, release the cooperative driving mode, and then perform independent driving, respectively. can

In the seventh embodiment, an error (h) occurs in the second robot while performing cooperative driving, and the error (h) is resolved and a re-run command is input to the second robot (100b) at a preset waiting time. This is a scenario in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b do not know each other's location information. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes. Referring to FIG. 26C , the first robot 100a may release the collaborative driving mode and then perform independent driving (L10). In addition, the second robot 100b may release the collaborative driving mode, travel to the point P3 where the first robot 100a traveled, and then return to the second charging station 400b. Here, the point P3 where the first robot 100a travels is the position of the first robot 100a at the time when the error h occurs. That is, the second robot 100b may travel (L11) to the point P3 where the first robot 100a sucks in contaminants, wipe the floor, and then return to the second charging stand 400b (L12). . Meanwhile, as another example of the seventh embodiment, it may be considered that the first robot 100a cancels the collaborative driving mode and then returns to the first charging base 400a without performing independent driving. In addition, as another embodiment of the seventh embodiment, the second robot 100b cancels the collaborative driving mode and then performs independent driving without returning to the second charging station 400b, and the first robot 100a After canceling the cooperative driving mode, solo driving or returning to the charging stand 400a may be considered.

Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 27 and 28 , the mobile robot system 1 that performs a preset scenario in response to a kidnap occurring during collaborative driving will be described.

The first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may enter a cooperative driving mode using the network 50 . Referring back to FIG. 23 , when the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b enter the cooperative driving mode and grasp each other's positional information, the first robot 100a, the second robot 100b It is possible to suck pollutants from the area to be cleaned (Z4) by traveling before the travel of the vehicle. Here, the contaminants may be a concept including all substances that can be inhaled, such as dust, foreign substances, and trash existing in the area to be cleaned (Z4). In addition, the second robot 100b may wipe the floor of the area to be cleaned Z4 by traveling along the path L1 along which the first robot 100a traveled. Here, that the second robot 100b wipes the floor may mean that the second robot 100b wipes a substance such as a liquid that cannot be sucked by the first robot 100a by wiping with a damp cloth. However, there may occur a case in which a kid-nap occurs in at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b during collaborative driving, thus stopping the collaborative driving. In this case, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform a preset scenario in response to a kidnap occurring during collaborative driving.

Table 2 is a table showing the first to seventh embodiments of preset scenarios performed by the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b in response to a kidnap occurring during collaborative driving. . In Table 2, 'kidnap' means that the user picks up the first robot 100a or the second robot 100b that was running and puts them in a different location. Also, 'normal' means a state in which the first robot 100a or the second robot 100b can continue to perform cooperative driving without a kid-nap occurring.

In Table 2, different reference numerals are attached to each keynap of the first to seventh embodiments, and this is for convenience of explanation. In addition, each embodiment to be described below should be understood as independent. Meanwhile, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may have a button capable of receiving a resume command from the user. When the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b receive a re-travel command and recognize each other's location information, they may perform cooperative travel again. The restart command is related to the second embodiment, the third embodiment, the fourth embodiment, the sixth embodiment, and the seventh embodiment, which will be described later. Hereinafter, referring to Table 2, the first to seventh embodiments will be described in detail.

Example State of the first robot 100a State of the second robot 100b One Kidnap (i) normal 2 Kidnap (j) normal 3 Kidnap (k) normal 4 Kidnap (l) Kidnap (m) 5 normal Kidnap (n) 6 normal Kidnap (o) 7 normal Kidnap (p)

The first embodiment is a scenario in which a kidnap (i) occurs in the first robot 100a while performing cooperative driving and a preset waiting time elapses. In this case, the first robot 100a may power off after a preset waiting time. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes. Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 27A , in the first embodiment, the second robot 100b cancels the cooperative driving mode, travels (L13) to the point Q1 where the first robot 100a travels, and then 2 It is possible to return to the charging station 400b (L14). Here, the point Q1 where the first robot 100a travels is the position of the first robot 100a at the time when the kidnap i occurs. That is, the second robot 100b may travel (L13) to the point Q1 where the first robot 100a sucks in contaminants, wipe the floor, and then return to the second charging stand 400b (L14). . Meanwhile, as another example of the first embodiment, it may be considered that the second robot 100b cancels the collaborative driving mode and then performs independent driving without returning to the second charging station 400b. In the second embodiment, while performing cooperative driving, a kidnap (j) occurs in the first robot 100a, a re-traveling command is input to the first robot 100a at a preset waiting time, and the first robot 100a ) and the second robot 100b grasp each other's location information. In this case, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform cooperative driving again. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes. On the other hand, referring to FIG. 27B , in the second embodiment, the second robot 100b itself travels from the time when Kidnap j occurs until before the time when collaborative driving is performed again. It is possible to drive (L15) again to the area to be cleaned. That is, if the second robot 100b is still in place during the waiting time, water may be flooded at the waiting point, so the second robot 100b may wipe the floor of the area to be cleaned again. can On the other hand, as another embodiment of the second embodiment, it will be considered that the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b do not perform cooperative driving, release the cooperative driving mode, and then perform independent driving, respectively. In the third embodiment, while performing collaborative driving, the first robot 100a has a kidnap (k) and a re-traveling command is input to the first robot 100a at a preset waiting time. This is a scenario in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b do not know each other's location information. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes. Referring to FIG. 27C , the first robot 100a may cancel the collaborative driving mode and then perform independent driving (L16). In addition, the second robot 100b may release the collaborative driving mode, drive (L17) to the point Q2 where the first robot 100a traveled, and then return to the second charging station 400b (L18). there is. Here, the point Q2 where the first robot 100a travels is the position of the first robot 100a at the time when the kidnap k occurs. That is, the second robot 100b may travel (L17) to the point Q2 where the first robot 100a sucks in contaminants, wipe the floor, and then return to the second charging stand 400b (L18). . Meanwhile, as another example of the third embodiment, it may be considered that the second robot 100b cancels the cooperative driving mode and then performs independent driving without returning to the second charging stand 400b. Also, as another example of the third embodiment, it may be considered that the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b release the collaborative driving mode and then return to the charging stations 400a and 400b, respectively. In addition, as another embodiment of the third embodiment, after the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b release the cooperative driving mode, the first robot 100a returns to the first charging station 400a, It may be considered that the second robot 100b performs independent driving.

The fourth embodiment is a scenario in which a kid-nap occurs in both the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b during collaborative driving and a preset waiting time elapses. In other words, the fourth embodiment is a case in which a Kidnap (l) occurs in the first robot 100a and a Kidnap (m) occurs in the second robot 100b. In this case, when a re-travel command is input to the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b at a preset waiting time, and the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b grasp each other's position, The first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform cooperative driving again. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes. Meanwhile, as another embodiment of the fourth embodiment, when a re-travel command is input to only one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, Depending on circumstances, any one of the above-described first to third embodiments and the fifth to seventh embodiments to be described later may be followed.

The fifth embodiment is a scenario in which a kidnap (n) occurs in the second robot 100b while performing cooperative driving and a preset waiting time elapses. In this case, the second robot 100b may power off after a preset waiting time. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes. Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 28A , in the fifth embodiment, the first robot 100a may release the collaborative driving mode and then perform independent driving (L19). Meanwhile, as another example of the fifth embodiment, it may be considered that the first robot 100a cancels the collaborative driving mode and then returns to the charging base 400a without performing independent driving.

In the sixth embodiment, although a key nap (o) occurred in the second robot 100b while performing cooperative driving, a re-traveling command was input to the second robot 100b at a preset waiting time, and the first robot (100b) This is a scenario in which 100a) and the second robot 100b grasp each other's location information. In this case, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform cooperative driving again. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes. Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 28B , in the sixth embodiment, the first robot 100a itself travels from the time when the kidnap (o) occurs until the time when collaborative driving is performed again. The area to be cleaned may be driven again (L20). On the other hand, as another embodiment of the sixth embodiment, it will be considered that the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b do not perform cooperative driving, release the cooperative driving mode, and then perform independent driving, respectively. can

In the seventh embodiment, while performing collaborative driving, a keynap (p) occurs in the second robot and a re-traveling command is input to the second robot 100b at a preset waiting time, but the first robot 100a and This is a scenario in which the second robot 100b fails to grasp each other's location information. Here, the preset waiting time may be 10 minutes. Referring to FIG. 28C , the first robot 100a may release the collaborative driving mode and then perform independent driving (L21). In addition, the second robot 100b may release the collaborative driving mode, travel to the point Q3 where the first robot 100a traveled, and then return to the second charging stand 400b. Here, the point Q3 where the first robot 100a travels is the position of the first robot 100a at the time when the kidnap p occurs. That is, the second robot 100b may travel (L22) to the point Q3 where the first robot 100a sucks in contaminants, wipe the floor, and then return to the second charging stand 400b (L23). . Meanwhile, as another example of the seventh embodiment, it may be considered that the first robot 100a cancels the collaborative driving mode and then returns to the first charging base 400a without performing independent driving. In addition, as another embodiment of the seventh embodiment, the second robot 100b cancels the collaborative driving mode and then performs independent driving without returning to the second charging station 400b, and the first robot 100a After canceling the cooperative driving mode, solo driving or returning to the charging stand 400a may be considered.

Hereinafter, the mobile robot system 1 that performs a preset scenario in response to a communication failure occurring during collaborative driving will be described.

The first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may enter a cooperative driving mode using the network 50 . Referring back to FIG. 23 , when the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b enter the cooperative driving mode and grasp each other's positional information, the first robot 100a, the second robot 100b It is possible to suck pollutants from the area to be cleaned (Z4) by traveling before the travel of the vehicle. Here, the contaminants may be a concept including all substances that can be inhaled, such as dust, foreign substances, and trash existing in the area to be cleaned (Z4). In addition, the second robot 100b may wipe the floor of the area to be cleaned Z4 by traveling along the path L1 along which the first robot 100a traveled. Here, that the second robot 100b wipes the floor may mean that the second robot 100b wipes a substance such as a liquid that cannot be sucked by the first robot 100a by wiping with a damp cloth. However, communication failure may occur in at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b while performing cooperative driving. Here, the communication failure refers to all kinds of failures in which the first robot 100a or the second robot 100b cannot transmit or receive data with other mobile robots using a network. In this case, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform a preset scenario in response to a communication failure occurring during collaborative driving.

The network 50 connecting the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may include a first network and a second network. The first network may be a network for the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b to share map information of the area to be cleaned Z4. Here, the first network may be Wi-Fi. In addition, the second network may be a network for determining the distance between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b and the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b. Here, the second network may be UWB. The method for sharing map information between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b using Wi-Fi and the method for determining the separation distance between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b using UWB are as described above. omitted, so Hereinafter, the first and second embodiments of a preset scenario performed by the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b in response to a communication failure occurring during collaborative driving will be described in detail.

The first embodiment is a scenario in which the first network or the second network is disconnected between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b during collaborative driving. In this case, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may continue to perform cooperative driving. That is, the disconnection of the first network or the second network between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b means that the first network and the second network between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b This means that one of the second networks is connected.

The second embodiment is a scenario in which all connections between the first network and the second network are released between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b during collaborative driving. In this case, the first robot 100a may release the collaborative driving mode and then perform independent driving. In addition, the second robot 100b may release the cooperative driving mode and then return to the second charging base 100b.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 29 , a method for the mobile robot system 1 to perform a preset scenario in response to an error, kid-nap, or communication failure occurring during collaborative driving will be described.

Referring to FIG. 29 , in step S100 , the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may enter a cooperative driving mode using the network 50 . Since the process of entering the cooperative driving mode by the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b has been described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In step S200, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform cooperative driving by recognizing each other's location. Referring back to FIG. 14 , the first robot 100a may travel prior to the travel of the second robot 100b and suck contaminants from the area to be cleaned Z4 . Here, the contaminants may be a concept including all substances that can be inhaled, such as dust, foreign substances, and trash existing in the area to be cleaned (Z4). In addition, the second robot 100b may wipe the floor of the area to be cleaned Z4 by traveling along the path L1 along which the first robot 100a traveled. Here, that the second robot 100b wipes the floor may mean that the second robot 100b wipes a substance such as a liquid that cannot be sucked by the first robot 100a by wiping with a damp cloth.

In step S300, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may determine whether to release the collaborative driving mode in response to an error, a kid-nap, or a communication failure occurring during cooperative driving. That is, while performing cooperative driving, an error, kidnapping, or communication failure may occur in at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b. In this case, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform preset scenarios in response to errors, kidnaps, or communication failures that occur during collaborative driving. Since the preset scenarios corresponding to errors, kidnaps, or communication failures occurring during collaborative driving have been described above, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Meanwhile, the mobile robot system 1 may include a first robot 100a and a second robot 100b. The first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are provided inside the main body 110 forming the exterior and the main body 110, respectively, and communicate data with other mobile robots using the network 50. It may include a communication unit 1100 for sending and receiving. In addition, the first robot 100a may include a cleaning unit 120 mounted on one side of the main body 110 and sucking contaminants from an area to be cleaned. In addition, the second robot 100b may include a mop unit (not shown) mounted on one side of the main body 110 to wipe the floor of the area to be cleaned. Meanwhile, the network 50 connecting the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may include a first network and a second network. The first network may be a network in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b share map information of an area to be cleaned. Here, the first network may be Wi-Fi. In addition, the second network may be a network for determining the distance between the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b and the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b. Here, the second network may be UWB. From this configuration, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b can perform independent travel or cooperative travel. In addition, from this configuration, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform preset scenarios in response to errors, kidnaps, or communication failures occurring during collaborative driving. Since the preset scenarios performed by the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b corresponding to errors, kidnaps, or communication failures occurring during collaborative driving have been described above, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 30 to 34 , <Example 3> of the mobile robot system 1 that performs a preset scenario in response to an obstacle detected during collaborative driving will be described.

The first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may enter a cooperative driving mode using the network 50 . Referring to FIG. 30 , when the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b enter the cooperative driving mode, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b clean the area X1 to be cleaned. Divided into a plurality of unit areas (for example, the cleaning target area X1 is divided into a first unit area A1 and a second unit area A2), and cooperative driving can be performed for each unit area. When the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b perform cooperative travel, the first robot 100a travels before the travel of the second robot 100b and travels in any one unit area among a plurality of unit areas. (For example, pollutants in the first unit area A1) may be inhaled. Here, contaminants may be a concept including all substances that can be inhaled, such as dust, foreign matter, and garbage, existing in each unit area. In addition, the second robot 100b travels along the path L1 on which the first robot 100a travels, and in one unit area among a plurality of unit areas (a unit in which the first robot 100a sucks pollutants) The floor of the zone, the first unit zone A1) may be wiped. Here, that the second robot 100b wipes the floor may mean that the second robot 100b wipes a substance such as a liquid that cannot be sucked by the first robot 100a by wiping with a damp cloth. The specific method for the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b to travel cooperatively for each divided unit area is omitted because it has been described above.

At least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may detect an obstacle while cooperatively traveling in any one unit area among a plurality of unit areas. Specifically, at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b is between the divided areas (for example, between the first unit area A1 and the second unit area A2), Alternatively, an obstacle existing inside the divided area (eg, inside the first unit area A1) may be detected. Here, an obstacle existing between the divided areas is defined as a first obstacle OB1, and an obstacle existing inside the divided area is defined as a second obstacle OB2. The first obstacle OB1 or the second obstacle OB2 may be a threshold, a carpet, or a cliff. Specifically, the first obstacle OB1 or the second obstacle OB2 is an obstacle that the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b can climb, and is formed in a preset range, height or depth. can be For example, the first robot 100a may recognize an obstacle formed at a height of 5 [mm] or more as an obstacle that can be climbed. In addition, the second robot 100b may recognize an obstacle formed at a height of 4 [mm] or more as an obstacle that can be climbed. In addition, the first robot 100a can recognize an obstacle formed at a depth of 30 [mm] or more as an obstacle that can be climbed in the case of traveling alone. Also, in the case of collaborative driving, the first robot 100a may recognize an obstacle formed at a depth of 10 [mm] or more as an obstacle that can be climbed. In addition, the second robot 100b can recognize an obstacle formed at a depth of 10 [mm] or more as an obstacle that can be climbed. Here, climbing an obstacle by the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b means crossing over a threshold, crossing a carpet, passing through a gap in a cliff, or going down and up the slope of a cliff. can

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a preset scenario performed when at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b detects the first obstacle OB1 or the second obstacle OB2. to fourth embodiments will be described in detail. 31 to 34, reference numerals M1 to M17 denote travel paths of the first robot 100a, and reference numerals N1 to N13 denote travel paths of the second robot 100b.

In the first embodiment, referring to FIG. 31 , the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, during cooperative driving M1 and N1 in the first unit area A1, encounter a first obstacle OB1. This is a scenario in which it is detected. In this case, the first robot 100a avoids the first obstacle OB1 (M2), completes the cooperative driving in the first unit area A1 (M3), and then returns to the second unit area A2. You can drive alone (M5) by entering (M4) . In the first embodiment, the second robot 100b completes cooperative driving in the first unit area A1 by avoiding the first obstacle OB1 (M2) (M3), and then the second charging stand 100b ) to return (N4). Meanwhile, as another embodiment of the first embodiment, the first robot 100a enters the second unit area A2 without avoiding the first obstacle OB1, and the second robot 100b After completing floor wiping in unit area A1, waiting until the first robot 100a completes suctioning of contaminants in second unit area A2 may be considered.

In the second embodiment, referring to FIG. 32, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, during cooperative driving (M6, N5) in the first unit area (A1), the first robot (100a) does not detect the first obstacle OB1 and enters the second unit area A2 (M7), and the second robot 100b detects the first obstacle OB1 and moves the first obstacle OB1 This is a scenario in case of avoiding (N6). In this case, the second robot 100b finishes wiping the floor of the first unit area A1 (N7), and then informs the first robot 100a that it cannot enter the second unit area A2. can send In addition, the first robot 100a may complete (M8) inhaling contaminants in the second unit area (A2) and then move (M9) to the position (P1) where the second robot (100b) sent a notification. there is. In the second embodiment, even when the first robot 100a enters the second unit area A2 without completing suction of pollutants in the first unit area A1, the second robot 100b Can complete floor cleaning in 1 unit area (A1). Also, in the second embodiment, the second robot 100b may not wipe the floor of the second unit area A2 where the first robot 100a has finished sucking contaminants. The driving of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b in the above-described second embodiment should be understood as driving within a cooperative driving mode, not independent driving. Meanwhile, in the second embodiment, the second robot 100b may detect the first obstacle OB1 and transmit information about the first obstacle OB1 to the first robot 100a. Then, the first robot 100a receives information about the first obstacle OB1 from the second robot 100b, and stores the first obstacle OB1 in a map stored in the memory 1700. can be merged That is, the second robot 100b can share information about the first obstacle OB1 with the first robot 100a.

In the third embodiment, referring to FIG. 33 , the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, during cooperative driving M10 and N8 in the first unit area A1, encounter a first obstacle OB1. This is a scenario in which the second unit area A2 is entered (M11, N9) without detecting . In this case, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform cooperative driving (M12, N10) in the second unit area A2.

Referring to FIG. 34, in the fourth embodiment, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, during cooperative travel (M13, N11) in the first unit area A1, the first robot 100a Detects the second obstacle OB2, avoids the second obstacle (M14), moves to the second unit area A2 (M15), and the second robot 100b moves to the second obstacle OB2 This is a scenario in which the second obstacle OB2 is not avoided (N12) by not detecting . In this case, the second robot 100b finishes wiping the floor of the first unit area A1 (N13), and then informs the first robot 100a that it cannot enter the second unit area A2. can send In addition, the first robot 100a may complete suctioning of pollutants in the second unit area A2 (M16) and then move to the location where the second robot 100b sent the notification (M17). In the fourth embodiment, even when the first robot 100a moves to the second unit area A2 without completing suction of the pollutants in the first unit area A1, the second robot 100b, The floor wiping of the first unit area A1 may be completed. Also, the second robot 100b may not wipe the floor of the second unit area A2 where the first robot 100a has finished sucking contaminants. The driving of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b in the above-described fourth embodiment should be understood as driving in a cooperative driving mode, not solo driving. Meanwhile, in the fourth embodiment, the first robot 100a may detect the second obstacle OB2 and transmit information about the second obstacle OB2 to the second robot 100b. Then, the second robot 100b receives information about the second obstacle OB2 from the first robot 100a, and stores the second obstacle OB2 in the map stored in the memory 1700. can be merged That is, the first robot 100a can share information about the second obstacle OB2 with the second robot 100b.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 35 , a method for the mobile robot system 1 to perform a preset scenario in response to an obstacle detected during collaborative driving will be described.

Referring to FIG. 35 , in step S100 , the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may enter a cooperative driving mode using the network 50 . Since the process of entering the cooperative driving mode by the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b has been described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In step S200, again referring to FIG. 30 , the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b divide the cleaning target area X1 into a plurality of unit areas (for example, the cleaning target area ( X1) is divided into a first unit area (A1) and a second unit area (A2)), and cooperative driving can be performed in each unit area. When the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b perform cooperative travel, the first robot 100a travels before the travel of the second robot 100b and travels in any one unit area among a plurality of unit areas. (For example, pollutants in the first unit area A1) may be inhaled. Here, contaminants may be a concept including all substances that can be inhaled, such as dust, foreign matter, and garbage, existing in each unit area. In addition, the second robot 100b travels along the path L1 on which the first robot 100a travels, and in one unit area among a plurality of unit areas (a unit in which the first robot 100a sucks pollutants) The floor of the zone, the first unit zone A1) may be wiped. Here, that the second robot 100b wipes the floor may mean that the second robot 100b wipes a substance such as a liquid that cannot be sucked by the first robot 100a by wiping with a damp cloth. The specific method for the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b to travel cooperatively for each divided unit area is omitted because it has been described above.

In step S300, at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may detect an obstacle while cooperatively traveling in any one unit area among a plurality of unit areas. Specifically, at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b is between the divided areas (for example, between the first unit area A1 and the second unit area A2), Alternatively, an obstacle existing inside the divided area (eg, inside the first unit area A1) may be detected. Here, an obstacle existing between the divided areas is defined as a first obstacle OB1, and an obstacle existing inside the divided area is defined as a second obstacle OB2. The first obstacle OB1 or the second obstacle OB2 may be a threshold, a carpet, or a cliff. Specifically, the first obstacle OB1 or the second obstacle OB2 is an obstacle that the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b can climb, and is formed in a preset range, height or depth. can be For example, the first robot 100a may recognize an obstacle formed at a height of 5 [mm] or more as an obstacle that can be climbed. In addition, the second robot 100b may recognize an obstacle formed at a height of 4 [mm] or more as an obstacle that can be climbed. In addition, the first robot 100a can recognize an obstacle formed at a depth of 30 [mm] or more as an obstacle that can be climbed in the case of traveling alone. Also, in the case of collaborative driving, the first robot 100a may recognize an obstacle formed at a depth of 10 [mm] or more as an obstacle that can be climbed. In addition, the second robot 100b can recognize an obstacle formed at a depth of 10 [mm] or more as an obstacle that can be climbed. Here, climbing an obstacle by the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b means crossing over a threshold, crossing a carpet, passing through a gap in a cliff, or going down and up the slope of a cliff. can Hereinafter, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, in step S300, at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, the first obstacle OB1 or the second robot 100b. The first to fourth embodiments of a preset scenario performed when an obstacle OB2 is detected will be described in detail.

In the first embodiment, referring to FIG. 31 , the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, during cooperative driving M1 and N1 in the first unit area A1, encounter a first obstacle OB1. This is a scenario in which it is detected. In this case, the first robot 100a avoids the first obstacle OB1 (M2), completes the cooperative driving in the first unit area A1 (M3), and then returns to the second unit area A2. You can drive alone (M5) by entering (M4) . In the first embodiment, the second robot 100b completes cooperative driving in the first unit area A1 by avoiding the first obstacle OB1 (M2) (M3), and then the second charging stand 100b ) to return (N4). Meanwhile, as another embodiment of the first embodiment, the first robot 100a enters the second unit area A2 without avoiding the first obstacle OB1, and the second robot 100b After completing floor wiping in unit area A1, waiting until the first robot 100a completes suctioning of contaminants in second unit area A2 may be considered.

In the second embodiment, referring to FIG. 32, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, during cooperative driving (M6, N5) in the first unit area (A1), the first robot (100a) does not detect the first obstacle OB1 and enters the second unit area A2 (M7), and the second robot 100b detects the first obstacle OB1 and moves the first obstacle OB1 This is a scenario in case of avoiding (N6). In this case, the second robot 100b finishes wiping the floor of the first unit area A1 (N7), and then informs the first robot 100a that it cannot enter the second unit area A2. can send In addition, the first robot 100a may complete (M8) inhaling contaminants in the second unit area (A2) and then move (M9) to the position (P1) where the second robot (100b) sent a notification. there is. In the second embodiment, even when the first robot 100a enters the second unit area A2 without completing suction of pollutants in the first unit area A1, the second robot 100b Can complete floor cleaning in 1 unit area (A1). Also, in the second embodiment, the second robot 100b may not wipe the floor of the second unit area A2 where the first robot 100a has finished sucking contaminants. The driving of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b in the above-described second embodiment should be understood as driving within a cooperative driving mode, not independent driving. Meanwhile, in the second embodiment, the second robot 100b may detect the first obstacle OB1 and transmit information about the first obstacle OB1 to the first robot 100a. Then, the first robot 100a receives information about the first obstacle OB1 from the second robot 100b, and stores the first obstacle OB1 in a map stored in the memory 1700. can be merged That is, the second robot 100b can share information about the first obstacle OB1 with the first robot 100a.

In the third embodiment, referring to FIG. 33 , the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, during cooperative driving M10 and N8 in the first unit area A1, encounter a first obstacle OB1. This is a scenario in which the second unit area A2 is entered (M11, N9) without detecting . In this case, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform cooperative driving (M12, N10) in the second unit area A2.

Referring to FIG. 34, in the fourth embodiment, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, during cooperative travel (M13, N11) in the first unit area A1, the first robot 100a Detects the second obstacle OB2, avoids the second obstacle (M14), moves to the second unit area A2 (M15), and the second robot 100b moves to the second obstacle OB2 This is a scenario in which the second obstacle OB2 is not avoided (N12) by not detecting . In this case, the second robot 100b finishes wiping the floor of the first unit area A1 (N13), and then informs the first robot 100a that it cannot enter the second unit area A2. can send In addition, the first robot 100a may complete suctioning of pollutants in the second unit area A2 (M16) and then move to the location where the second robot 100b sent the notification (M17). In the fourth embodiment, even when the first robot 100a moves to the second unit area A2 without completing suction of the pollutants in the first unit area A1, the second robot 100b, The floor wiping of the first unit area A1 may be completed. Also, the second robot 100b may not wipe the floor of the second unit area A2 where the first robot 100a has finished sucking contaminants. The driving of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b in the above-described fourth embodiment should be understood as driving in a cooperative driving mode, not solo driving. Meanwhile, in the fourth embodiment, the first robot 100a may detect the second obstacle OB2 and transmit information about the second obstacle OB2 to the second robot 100b. Then, the second robot 100b receives information about the second obstacle OB2 from the first robot 100a, and stores the second obstacle OB2 in the map stored in the memory 1700. can be merged That is, the first robot 100a can share information about the second obstacle OB2 with the second robot 100b.

Meanwhile, the mobile robot system 1 may include a first robot 100a and a second robot 100b. The first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are provided inside the main body 110 forming the exterior and the main body 110, respectively, and communicate data with other mobile robots using the network 50. It may include a communication unit 1100 for sending and receiving. In addition, the first robot 100a may include a cleaning unit 120 mounted on one side of the main body 110 and sucking contaminants from an area to be cleaned. In addition, the second robot 100b may include a mop unit (not shown) mounted on one side of the main body 110 to wipe the floor of the area to be cleaned. The first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may travel alone in the solo driving mode or enter the cooperative driving mode using the network 50 to perform cooperative driving. When the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b enter the cooperative driving mode, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b divide the cleaning target area into a plurality of unit areas, Collaborative driving is possible for each unit area. Meanwhile, at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may detect an obstacle while cooperatively traveling in any one unit area among a plurality of unit areas. Specifically, at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b is between the divided areas (for example, between the first unit area A1 and the second unit area A2), Alternatively, an obstacle existing inside the divided area (eg, inside the first unit area A1) may be detected. Here, an obstacle existing between the divided areas is defined as a first obstacle OB1, and an obstacle existing inside the divided area is defined as a second obstacle OB2. The first obstacle OB1 or the second obstacle OB2 may be a threshold, a carpet, or a cliff. Specifically, the first obstacle OB1 or the second obstacle OB2 is an obstacle that the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b can climb, and is formed in a preset range, height or depth. can be Here, climbing an obstacle by the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b means crossing over a threshold, crossing a carpet, passing through a gap in a cliff, or going down and up the slope of a cliff. can The first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform preset scenarios in response to the first obstacle OB1 or the second obstacle OB2 detected during cooperative driving. Regarding the preset scenarios performed by the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, corresponding to the first obstacle OB1 or the second obstacle OB2 detected during cooperative driving, as described above, A detailed description is omitted.

Meanwhile, when the capacities charged in the batteries of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b fall below a certain value while the collaborative driving is being performed in the system 1, the charging capacities are insufficient. Due to this, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may not be able to perform the cooperative driving. For example, if the charging capacity of any one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b becomes insufficient, it becomes difficult to perform pre-travel or post-travel, so it is necessary to stop performing the collaborative driving. If the collaborative driving is stopped without a specific motion, there is a concern that a problem may occur in the post-traveling of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b or cause inconvenience to the user.

Therefore, the present specification intends to provide <Embodiment 4> of a mobile robot system 1 capable of appropriately responding to a change in the charging capacity of a battery during such collaborative driving.

As shown in FIG. 11, the embodiment of the system 1 drives the first robot 100a and the second robot 100a that travels in the area to be cleaned by driving based on the power charged in the first charging station 400a. A plurality of mobile robots 100a and 100b, including the second robot 100b that drives based on the power charged in the charging stand 400b and travels along the path traveled by the first robot 100a, drive in collaboration

That is, in the system 1, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b charges the power of the battery at the first charging station 400a and the second charging station 400b, respectively. do.

The first robot 100a may be a robot that pre-travels in the target area for the collaborative driving and sucks in dust, and the second robot 100b may travel in the area where the first robot 100a traveled and then It may be a robot that drives and wipes dust.

That is, the collaborative driving is a path in which the first robot 100a travels in advance and inhales dust, and the second robot 100b travels later and the first robot 100a travels in advance and inhales dust. can be cleaned by wiping off the dust of the

In the system 1, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b each detect the charged capacity of the battery while performing the cooperative driving mode, and according to the charged capacity value of the battery. The collaborative driving mode is released, and at least one of a solo driving mode and a charging mode of the battery is performed in response to the charging capacity value.

Specifically, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b releases the cooperative driving mode when the charge capacity value of the battery is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, and each of the charging bases 400a, In step 400b), the battery is charged or the single driving mode is performed.

That is, when the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a moves to the first charging base 400a to charge the battery, and the first robot 100a charges the battery. 2 When the charging capacity value of the robot 100b is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, the second robot 100b moves to the second charging station 400b to charge the battery, or the independent driving mode is changed. can be performed

For example, the collaborative driving mode being performed by the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b is released, and at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b corresponds to a charging station ( 400a and/or 400b) to charge the battery, or at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may perform the solo driving mode.

Here, the solo driving mode may be performed immediately after the cooperative driving mode is released, or may be performed after moving to the charging station 400a and/or 400b to charge the battery.

Each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may sense the capacity charged in the battery while driving.

For example, while performing the cooperative driving mode, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may sense the capacity charged in the battery.

In addition, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may sense the capacity charged in the battery while performing a mode other than the cooperative driving mode.

Each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may sense the capacity charged in the battery in real time.

That is, the first robot 100a senses the charging capacity of the battery built in the first robot 100a in real time while driving, and the second robot 100b detects the second robot 100b while driving. ), the charging capacity of the built-in battery can be sensed in real time.

Each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may sense the capacity charged in the battery while driving, and quantify the detection result as the charge capacity value. Accordingly, a detection result of the capacity charged in the battery may be compared with the reference capacity value.

Each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b releases the collaborative driving mode when the respective charging capacity value is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, and then returns to the charging bases 100a and 100b. The battery can be charged by moving.

Here, release of the cooperative driving mode may mean stopping the cooperative driving mode being performed.

That is, as a result of the first robot 100a detecting the charging capacity of the battery while performing the cooperative driving mode, when the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a detects the charging capacity of the first robot 100a. After the robot 100a stops performing the collaborative driving mode, it moves to the first charging station 400a to charge the battery, and the second robot 100b is performing the cooperative driving mode while the battery is charged. As a result of detecting the charging capacity of the second robot 100b, when the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, the second robot 100b stops performing the cooperative driving mode, and then the second robot 100b stops performing the collaborative driving mode. The battery may be charged by moving to a charging stand 400b.

In this case, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may share information about canceling the cooperative driving mode with the other robot.

That is, when the cooperative driving mode is released, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b transfers information about the cancellation of the cooperative driving mode to the other robot, Release of the cooperative driving mode may be informed.

For example, when the first robot 100a releases the collaborative driving mode because the charging capacity value becomes less than or equal to the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a sends the second robot 100b the cooperative driving mode. By transmitting information on the release of the mode, the second robot 100b recognizes the release of the collaborative driving mode, and the second robot 100b determines that the charging capacity value is less than or equal to the reference capacity value, When the cooperative driving mode is released, the second robot 100b transmits information on the cooperative driving mode release to the first robot 100a, so that the first robot 100a is in the cooperative driving mode. release can be recognized.

Accordingly, when the charging capacity value in at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b becomes equal to or less than the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b ) may stop performing the cooperative driving mode.

After moving to the charging bases 400a and 400b, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may charge the battery until the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a predetermined standard or higher. there is.

That is, when each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b moves to the charging bases 400a and 400b when the charging capacity value becomes equal to or less than the reference capacity value, the charging capacity of the battery is The battery may be charged until it is charged to a predetermined standard or higher.

Here, the predetermined criterion may mean a level of charging capacity of the battery. The predetermined criterion may be set as a percentage of the total capacity of the battery [%], or may be set as a capacity unit [Ah] of the battery.

Each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may preferably move to the charging stations 400a and 400b and then charge the battery until the battery is completely charged.

Each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b recognizes the current location and obtains location information before moving to the charging bases 400a and 400b when each charging capacity value becomes less than or equal to the reference capacity value. After the value is stored and the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a predetermined standard or higher in the charging bases 400a and 400b, driving can be started using the location information value.

That is, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b stores the location information value corresponding to the position before moving to the charging stations 400a and 400b, When driving is resumed after charging the battery, driving may be started using the location information value.

For example, after each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b completes the charging of the battery on the charging bases 400a and 400b, they move to a location according to the location information value and start driving, or , or when driving starts, a notification about movement to a location according to the location information value may be output.

In the system 1, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b travel corresponding to their respective charging capacities as shown in the chart shown in FIG. 36A.

{Response 1(ⓐ)}

When the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is less than or equal to the reference capacity value and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b exceeds the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a performs the collaboration After the driving mode is released, the battery is charged by moving to the first charging station 400a, and when the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a certain level or higher, the position before moving to the first charging station 400a. You can perform the solo driving mode by moving to . In this case, after canceling the collaborative driving mode, the second robot 100b may move to the second charging stand 400b to charge the battery depending on whether or not there is a remaining cleaning area. If the area of the remaining cleaning area corresponds to a certain (area) criterion, the second robot 100b may move to the second charging base 400b after completing driving in the remaining cleaning area. . Also, if the area of the remaining cleaning area does not meet the predetermined standard, the second robot 100b may move to the second charging stand 400b.

That is, when only the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, as shown in FIG. 37, the first robot 100a performs the collaboration during the execution of the cooperative driving mode (P10). After the mode is released, it moves to the first charging station 400a (P11 or P12), but the second robot 100b stops traveling in the remaining cleaning area when the area of the remaining cleaning area corresponds to the predetermined standard. After completion (P11), it moves to the second charging station (400b) (P12), and if the area of the remaining cleaning area does not meet the predetermined standard, it immediately moves to the second charging station (400b) (P12), After the first robot 100a charges the charge capacity of the battery to a predetermined standard or higher on the first charging stand 400a, it moves to a position (x1) before moving to the first charging stand 400a, and then moves to the first robot 100a. The single driving mode of the robot 100a may be performed (P13).

{Response 2 (ⓑ)}

In addition, when the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is less than or equal to the reference capacity value and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b exceeds the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a and the After releasing the cooperative driving mode, each of the second robots 100b moves to each of the charging stations 400a and 400b to charge the battery, and when the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a predetermined standard or higher, each of the charging stations It is also possible to move to a position before moving to (400a, 400b) and perform a solo driving mode, respectively.

That is, when only the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, as shown in FIG. 38, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100a and the second After each of the robots 100b releases the collaboration mode, the first robot 100a moves to the first charging station 400a and the second robot 100b moves to the second charging station 400b. After (P21), each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b determines the charging capacity of the battery in each of the first charging station 400a and the second charging station 400b by a predetermined standard or more. After charging, the first robot 100a moves to the position (x1) before moving to the first charging base 400a to perform the solo driving mode of the first robot 100a, and the second robot ( 100b) may be moved to the position (x2) before moving to the second charging stand 400b to perform the independent driving mode of the second robot 100b (P22).

{Response 3(ⓒ)}

When the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is greater than the reference capacity value and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b is less than or equal to the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a and the second robot (100b) Each of them, after canceling the cooperative driving mode, moves to each charging station (400a, 400b) to charge the battery, but the first robot (100a), the charging capacity of the battery is more than a certain standard When charged to , it can move to a position before moving to the first charging stand 400a and perform a solo driving mode.

That is, when the charging capacity values of both the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are equal to or less than the reference capacity value, as shown in FIG. After each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b releases the collaboration performance mode, the first robot 100a moves to the first charging base 400a and the second robot 100b It moves to the second charging station 400b (P12), but after the first robot 100a charges the charging capacity of the battery to a predetermined standard or higher in the first charging station 400a, the first charging station 400a ) to the position (x1) before moving to the first robot (100a) may perform the solo driving mode (P13).

{Response 4 (ⓓ)}

In addition, when the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is greater than the reference capacity value and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b is less than or equal to the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a and the first robot 100a After releasing the cooperative driving mode, each of the two robots 100b moves to each of the charging stations 400a and 400b to charge the battery, and when the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a predetermined standard or higher, each charging station ( 400a, 400b) may be moved to a position before moving to a single driving mode.

That is, when only the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, as shown in FIG. 38, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100a and the second After each of the robots 100b releases the collaboration mode, the first robot 100a moves to the first charging station 400a and the second robot 100b moves to the second charging station 400b. After (P21), each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b determines the charging capacity of the battery in each of the first charging station 400a and the second charging station 400b by a predetermined standard or more. After charging, the first robot 100a moves to the position (x1) before moving to the first charging base 400a to perform the solo driving mode of the first robot 100a, and the second robot ( 100b) may be moved to the position (x2) before moving to the second charging stand 400b to perform the independent driving mode of the second robot 100b (P22).

{Response 5(ⓔ)}

When both the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b are equal to or less than the reference capacity value, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b, After canceling the collaborative driving mode, the first robot 100a moves to each of the charging bases 400a and 400b to charge the battery. By moving to a position before moving to the charging station 400a, a single driving mode may be performed.

That is, when the charging capacity values of both the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are equal to or less than the reference capacity value, as shown in FIG. After each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b releases the collaboration performance mode, the first robot 100a moves to the first charging base 400a and the second robot 100b It moves to the second charging station 400b (P12), but after the first robot 100a charges the charging capacity of the battery to a predetermined standard or higher in the first charging station 400a, the first charging station 400a ) to the position (x1) before moving to the first robot (100a) may perform the solo driving mode (P13).

{Response 6(ⓕ)}

In addition, when both the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b are equal to or less than the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b respectively After canceling the cooperative driving mode, the battery is charged by moving to each of the charging bases 400a and 400b, and when the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a predetermined standard or higher, moving to the respective charging bases 400a and 400b It is also possible to move to a position before driving and perform a single driving mode.

That is, when only the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, as shown in FIG. 38, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100a and the second After each of the robots 100b releases the collaboration mode, the first robot 100a moves to the first charging station 400a and the second robot 100b moves to the second charging station 400b. After (P21), each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b determines the charging capacity of the battery in each of the first charging station 400a and the second charging station 400b by a predetermined standard or more. After charging, the first robot 100a moves to the position (x1) before moving to the first charging base 400a to perform the solo driving mode of the first robot 100a, and the second robot ( 100b) may be moved to the position (x2) before moving to the second charging stand 400b to perform the independent driving mode of the second robot 100b (P22).

In addition, in the system 1, the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may travel corresponding to their respective charging capacities as shown in the chart shown in FIG. 36B.

{Response 7(ⓖ)}

When the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is less than or equal to the reference capacity value and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b exceeds the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a performs the collaboration After releasing the driving mode and switching to the independent driving mode, the second robot 100b travels while performing the independent driving mode, and after canceling the collaborative driving mode, the second robot 100b performs the autonomous driving mode according to whether or not there is a remaining cleaning area. 2 The battery may be charged by moving to the charging stand 400b. If the area of the remaining cleaning area corresponds to a certain (area) criterion, the second robot 100b may move to the second charging base 400b after completing driving in the remaining cleaning area. . Also, if the area of the remaining cleaning area does not meet the predetermined standard, the second robot 100b may move to the second charging stand 400b.

That is, when only the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is less than or equal to the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a releases the cooperative driving mode and then switches to the independent driving mode while the cooperative driving mode is performed. Performs a single traveling mode, but the second robot 100b moves to the second charging stand 400b after completing the driving of the remaining cleaning area when the area of the remaining cleaning area corresponds to the predetermined standard, and if If the area of the remaining cleaning area does not meet the predetermined standard, it immediately moves to the second charging station 400b, and the first robot 100a sets the charging capacity of the battery in the first charging station 400a to a predetermined standard or more. After being charged with , it may be moved to the position (x1) before moving to the first charging stand 400a to perform the solo driving mode of the first robot 100a.

{Response 8(ⓗ)}

In addition, when the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is less than or equal to the reference capacity value and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b is greater than the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a, After canceling the collaborative driving mode and switching to the independent driving mode, the second robot 100b travels while performing the independent driving mode, and after canceling the collaborative driving mode, the second robot 100b moves to the second charging stand 400b. to charge the battery, and when the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a certain (capacity) standard or higher, it moves to the position before moving to the second charging station 400b and performs the independent driving mode.

That is, when only the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b performs the cooperative driving mode while performing the cooperative driving mode. After release, the first robot 100a converts to the single driving mode and performs the single driving mode, but the second robot 100b moves to the second charging station 400b, and the second charging station ( In 400b), after the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a certain standard or higher, the second robot 100b moves to the position (x2) before moving to the second charging station 400b to perform the independent driving mode of the second robot 100b. can

{Correspondence 9(ⓘ)}

When the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is greater than the reference capacity value and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b is less than or equal to the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a performs the collaborative driving. After canceling the mode and switching to the independent driving mode, it travels while performing the independent driving mode, and the second robot 100b, after canceling the cooperative driving mode, moves to the second charging station 400b The battery can be charged.

That is, when only the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, as shown in FIG. 39 , the second robot 100b performs the cooperative driving mode (P30) during the cooperative driving mode. After releasing the mode, move to the second charging base 400b (P31), but the first robot 100a cancels the collaborative driving mode and then switches to the independent driving mode to perform the independent driving mode (P32). can be done

{Response 10(ⓙ)}

In addition, when the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is greater than the reference capacity value and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b is less than or equal to the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a, After releasing the cooperative driving mode and switching to the independent driving mode, the second robot 100b travels while performing the independent driving mode, and after canceling the cooperative driving mode, the second robot 100b returns to the second charging base 400b. The battery is charged by moving, and when the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a predetermined (capacity) standard or higher, it can move to a position before moving to the second charging base 400b and perform an independent driving mode.

That is, when only the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b performs the cooperative driving mode while the cooperative driving mode is performed. After release, the first robot 100a converts to the single driving mode and performs the single driving mode, but the second robot 100b moves to the second charging station 400b, and the second charging station ( In 400b), after the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a certain standard or higher, the second robot 100b moves to the position (x2) before moving to the second charging station 400b to perform the independent driving mode of the second robot 100b. can

{Response 11(ⓚ)}

When both the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b are equal to or less than the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a releases the collaborative driving mode and drives alone. mode, it travels while performing the solo driving mode, and the second robot 100b releases the collaborative driving mode and then moves to the second charging base 400b to charge the battery. there is.

That is, when only the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, as shown in FIG. 39 , the second robot 100b performs the cooperative driving mode (P30) during the cooperative driving mode. After releasing the mode, move to the second charging base 400b (P31), but the first robot 100a cancels the collaborative driving mode and then switches to the independent driving mode to perform the independent driving mode (P32). can be done

{Response 12(ⓛ)}

In addition, when both the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b are equal to or less than the reference capacity value, the first robot 100a releases the cooperative driving mode, After switching to the independent driving mode, the second robot 100b travels while performing the independent driving mode, and after canceling the collaborative driving mode, moves to the second charging base 400b to charge the battery. And, when the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a certain (capacity) standard or higher, it can move to the position before moving to the second charging station 400b and perform the solo driving mode.

That is, when only the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b performs the cooperative driving mode while the cooperative driving mode is performed. After release, the first robot 100a converts to the single driving mode and performs the single driving mode, but the second robot 100b moves to the second charging station 400b, and the second charging station ( In 400b), after the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a certain standard or higher, the second robot 100b moves to the position (x2) before moving to the second charging station 400b to perform the independent driving mode of the second robot 100b. can

Meanwhile, in the system 1 in which response is made according to the state of the charging capacity of the battery, the cooperative driving may be performed by the cooperative driving method as shown in FIG. 40 .

The method for performing collaborative driving (hereinafter, referred to as the performing method) is driven based on the power charged in the first charging stand 400a, and the first robot 100a traveling in the area to be cleaned and the second charging stand A method for performing cooperative driving in the system 1 including the second robot 100b driven based on the electric power charged in step 400b and traveling according to the path traveled by the first robot 100a. 18, each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b starts performing a cooperative driving mode (S100), the first robot 100a and the first robot 100a. 2 Each robot (100b) detecting the capacity charged in the battery (S200), the first robot (100a) and the second robot (100b) each comparing the charging capacity value with a preset reference capacity value (S300) and according to the comparison result, at least one of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b performs a solo driving mode or moves to a charging stand 400a, 400b to charge the battery ( S400).

Here, the first robot 100a pre-travels in the target area of the collaborative driving and inhales dust, and the second robot 100b travels after the area traveled by the first robot 100a. The dust can be wiped off.

The starting step (S100) may be a step in which the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b start driving according to the cooperative driving mode.

The sensing step (S200) may be a step in which each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b detects, in real time, the capacity charged in the battery while driving according to the cooperative driving mode.

In the detecting step (S200), the first robot 100a detects the charge capacity of the battery built in the first robot 100a, digitizes the detection result as the charge capacity value, and the second robot (100b) may detect the charge capacity of the battery built in the second robot (100b), and digitize the detection result as the charge capacity value.

In the step of comparing (S300), each of the first robot (100a) and the second robot (100b) converts the charge capacity value obtained by digitizing the result of detecting the charging capacity in the sensing step (S200) to the reference capacity. It may be a step of comparing with a value.

In the comparing step (S300), the first robot 100a compares the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a with the reference capacity value, and the second robot 100b compares the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a with the second robot ( The charging capacity value of 100b) may be compared with the reference capacity value.

In the comparing step (S300), each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b may transmit and share a result of comparing the charging capacity value with the reference capacity value.

In the charging step (S400), the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b whose charging capacity value is equal to or less than the reference capacity value move to the charging bases 400a and 400b to charge the battery. It may be a step to

In the charging step (S400), when the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is less than or equal to the reference capacity value and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b exceeds the reference capacity value, FIG. 36A As in the case of ⓐ in , after the first robot 100a releases the collaborative driving mode, it moves to the first charging station 400a to charge the battery, and the battery charge capacity exceeds a predetermined standard. When it is charged, it moves to the position before moving to the first charging station 400a to perform the solo driving mode, and after the second robot 100b cancels the collaborative driving mode, the second robot 100b releases the second robot 100b depending on whether or not there is a remaining cleaning area. 2 The battery may be charged by moving to the charging stand 400b.

Accordingly, in the charging step (S400) when only the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, as shown in FIG. 1 The robot 100a releases the collaboration mode and then moves to the first charging station 400a (P11 or P12), but the second robot 100b determines that the area of the remaining cleaning area meets the predetermined standard. If so, after completing the driving of the remaining cleaning area (P11), it moves to the second charging station 400b (P12), and if the area of the remaining cleaning area does not meet the predetermined standard, the second charging station 400b ) to (P12), and the first robot 100a is positioned before moving to the first charging stand 400a after charging the charging capacity of the battery to a certain standard or higher. It may move to (x1) and perform the solo driving mode of the first robot 100a (P13).

In the charging step (S400), when the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is less than or equal to the reference capacity value and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b exceeds the reference capacity value, FIG. 36A As in the case of ⓑ of, after each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b cancels the collaborative driving mode, they move to each charging station 400a, 400b to charge the battery, When the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a predetermined standard or higher, it moves to a position before moving to each charging station 400a or 400b, and each can perform a single driving mode.

Accordingly, when only the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, the charging step (S400), as shown in FIG. After each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b releases the collaboration performance mode, the first robot 100a moves to the first charging base 400a and the second robot 100b After moving to the second charging station 400b (P21), the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b respectively perform the above operation on the first charging station 400a and the second charging station 400b, respectively. After charging the charging capacity of the battery to a certain standard or higher, the first robot 100a moves to the position (x1) before moving to the first charging stand 400a, and moves to the independent driving mode of the first robot 100a. , and the second robot 100b may move to a position (x2) before moving to the second charging station 400b and perform the solo driving mode of the second robot 100b (P22). .

In the charging step (S400), when the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a is greater than the reference capacity value and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b is less than or equal to the reference capacity value, FIG. 36A As in the case of ⓒ, after the first robot 100a cancels the cooperative driving mode and switches to the independent driving mode, it travels while performing the independent driving mode, and the second robot 100b performs the cooperative driving After the mode is released, the battery may be charged by moving to the second charging stand 400b.

Accordingly, when only the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b is equal to or less than the reference capacity value, the charging step (S400), as shown in FIG. After releasing the cooperative driving mode, the second robot 100b moves to the second charging base 400b (P31), but the first robot 100a switches to the independent driving mode after canceling the cooperative driving mode. Thus, the single driving mode (P32) may be performed.

In the charging step (S400), when both the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b are equal to or less than the reference capacity value, as in the case of ⓔ in FIG. 36A, After each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b cancels the cooperative driving mode, they move to the respective charging stations 400a and 400b to charge the battery, and the first robot 100a When the charge capacity of the battery is charged to a predetermined standard or higher, it may move to a position before moving to the first charging station 400a and perform the independent driving mode.

Accordingly, when the charging capacity values of both the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are equal to or less than the reference capacity value, the charging step (S300), as shown in FIG. 37, the cooperative driving After each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b cancels the collaborative performance mode during the execution of the mode (P10), the first robot 100a moves to the first charging stand 400a. And the second robot 100b moves to the second charging stand 400b (P12), but the first robot 100a charges the charge capacity of the battery at the first charging stand 400a to a certain standard or higher. After that, it may be moved to the position (x1) before moving to the first charging stand 400a to perform the solo driving mode of the first robot 100a (P13).

In the charging step (S400), when both the charging capacity value of the first robot 100a and the charging capacity value of the second robot 100b are equal to or less than the reference capacity value, as in the case of ⓕ in FIG. 36A, After each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b cancels the collaborative driving mode, they move to each of the charging stations 400a and 400b to charge the battery, and the battery has a constant charge capacity. When the battery is charged beyond the reference level, it moves to a position prior to moving to each of the charging bases 400a and 400b, and each individual driving mode can be performed.

Accordingly, when the charging capacity values of both the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b are equal to or less than the reference capacity value, the charging step (S300), as shown in FIG. 38, the cooperative driving After each of the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b cancels the collaborative performance mode during the execution of the mode (P20), the first robot 100a moves to the first charging base 400a. and the second robot 100b moves to the second charging stand 400b (P21), and then the first robot 100a and the second robot 100b respectively move to the first charging stand 400a and the second robot 100b. After the charging capacity of the battery is charged to a predetermined standard or higher in each of the second charging stations 400b, the first robot 100a moves to the position (x1) before moving to the first charging station 400a, 1 Performs the solo driving mode of the robot 100a, and the second robot 100b moves to the position (x2) before moving to the second charging stand 400b to perform the solo driving mode of the second robot 100b may be performed (P22).

The performing method including the starting step (S100), the detecting step (S200), the comparing step (S300), and the charging step (S400) is a computer-readable medium on which a program is recorded. It can be implemented as code. The computer-readable medium includes all types of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of computer-readable media include Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Solid State Disk (SSD), Silicon Disk Drive (SDD), ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, etc. , and also includes those implemented in the form of a carrier wave (eg, transmission over the Internet). Also, the computer may include the controller 1800.

Although specific embodiments according to the present invention have been described so far, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments and should not be defined, but should be defined by not only the following claims but also those equivalent to these claims.

As described above, the present invention has been described by the limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art in the field to which the present invention belongs can make various modifications and transformation is possible Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should be grasped only by the claims described below, and all equivalent or equivalent modifications thereof will be said to belong to the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

1: mobile robot system 10: building
50: network 100: mobile robot
100a: first robot 100b: second robot
110: body 111: wheel unit
120: cleaner 130: sensing unit
131: camera 300, 300a, 300b: terminal
400: charging stand 400a: first charging stand
400b: second charging station 500: server
600: controller 1100: communication unit
1200: input unit 1300: driving unit
1400: sensor 1500: output unit
1600: power unit 1700: memory
1800: control unit 1900: cleaner

Claims (22)

a plurality of mobile robots that drive and clean an area to be cleaned; and
A controller communicating with the plurality of mobile robots and transmitting a control command for remote control to the plurality of mobile robots;
The plurality of mobile robots,
When a control command for a collaborative driving mode for collaboratively cleaning the cleaning target area is received from the controller,
It is determined whether the driving state of the plurality of mobile robots corresponds to a predetermined reference condition, which is the condition of the driving state in which the collaborative driving mode can be performed, and if the driving state corresponds to the reference condition, the driving state A motion for starting the collaborative driving mode is performed according to, and if the driving state does not correspond to the reference condition, the motion for starting the collaborative driving mode is not performed,
The driving state is
including at least one of a map sharing state, a battery charge state, and a charging station position information state of a counterpart robot of each of the plurality of mobile robots;
The reference condition is,
a first condition that each of the plurality of mobile robots share a map;
a second condition in which the battery charge capacity of each of the plurality of mobile robots is greater than or equal to a predetermined reference capacity; and
a third condition in which information on the position of a charging table of an opponent robot is stored in each of the plurality of mobile robots; Mobile robot system, characterized in that it comprises one or more of. According to claim 1,
The controller,
A mobile robot system, characterized in that it is a mobile terminal. According to claim 1,
The cooperative driving mode,
The mobile robot system, characterized in that the plurality of mobile robots are in a mode of driving and cleaning in order. According to claim 1,
The cooperative driving mode,
The mobile robot system, characterized in that in a mode in which one of the plurality of mobile robots travels and cleans the area where the other robot travels and cleans. According to claim 1,
The plurality of mobile robots,
When a control command for the cooperative driving mode is input,
A mobile robot system, characterized in that for determining the driving state by stopping the operation being performed at the current location. delete delete delete According to claim 1,
The plurality of mobile robots,
As a result of the determination, when each of the plurality of mobile robots shares a map and the battery charge capacity of each of the plurality of mobile robots is greater than or equal to a predetermined reference capacity,
The mobile robot system, characterized in that performing the motion for the collaborative driving mode according to whether the position information of the charging table of the other robot is stored in each of the plurality of mobile robots. According to claim 9,
The plurality of mobile robots,
As a result of the determination, when the position information of the charging table of the other robot is stored in each of the plurality of mobile robots,
The mobile robot system, characterized in that the first driving target robot moves to a position within a certain distance from the other robot and performs the cooperative driving mode. According to claim 10,
The plurality of mobile robots,
As a result of the determination, when the charging station position information of the other robot is not stored in each of the plurality of mobile robots,
A mobile robot system characterized by recognizing mutual positions and performing motion for the collaborative driving mode according to the recognition result. According to claim 11,
The plurality of mobile robots,
As a result of the above recognition, when the location of each other is recognized,
The mobile robot system, characterized in that the first driving target robot moves to a position within a certain distance from the other robot and performs the cooperative driving mode. According to claim 11,
The plurality of mobile robots,
As a result of the above recognition, if one robot does not recognize the position of the other robot,
The mobile robot system characterized in that at least one of the plurality of mobile robots outputs a notification informing to move the unrecognized robot to the vicinity of the opponent robot, and then performs a motion for the collaborative driving mode according to a result of the movement. . According to claim 13,
The plurality of mobile robots,
When the unrecognized robot moves to the vicinity of the opponent robot,
The mobile robot characterized in that the unrecognized robot performs a location recognition operation for recognizing the location of the counterpart robot using a communication result with the counterpart robot, and then performs the collaborative driving mode according to a preset driving criterion. system. A method for performing cooperative driving of a first robot and a second robot,
inputting a command for performing cooperative driving to the first robot and the second robot;
Comparing, by the first robot, driving states of the first robot and the second robot with a preset reference condition; and
Performing a motion for cooperative driving by each of the first robot and the second robot according to the comparison result; Including,
Comparing the driving state with a preset reference condition,
comparing a map sharing state and a battery charge capacity state of each of the first robot and the second robot with a first condition and a second condition among the reference conditions; and
Comparing the stored state of the charging station position information of the opponent robot of each of the first robot and the second robot with a third condition among the reference conditions according to a result of the comparison with the first condition and the second condition; do,
The step of performing the motion for the collaborative driving,
When the driving state corresponds to the reference condition, a motion for starting the collaborative driving is performed in response to the driving state. According to claim 15,
The first robot,
Pre-driving in the target area of the collaborative driving and inhaling dust,
The second robot,
A method for performing collaborative driving, characterized in that the first robot travels after driving in the area and wipes dust. According to claim 15,
In the step of inputting a command for performing the cooperative driving,
The method of performing cooperative driving, characterized in that for stopping the operation being performed by the first robot and the second robot at the current location. delete According to claim 15,
The step of performing the motion for the collaborative driving,
When the driving state corresponds to all of the first condition to the third condition,
The method of performing cooperative driving, characterized in that the first robot moves to a position within a predetermined distance from the second robot. According to claim 15,
The step of performing the motion for the collaborative driving,
When the driving state corresponds to the first condition and the second condition and does not correspond to the third condition,
Wherein each of the first robot and the second robot recognizes a position of each other, and according to a recognition result, at least one of the first robot and the second robot performs a motion for the collaborative driving. How to do it. According to claim 20,
The step of performing the motion for the collaborative driving,
As a result of recognizing the position of each other, if one robot does not recognize the position of the other robot,
Characterized in that at least one of the first robot and the second robot outputs a notification informing to move the unrecognized robot to the vicinity of the opponent robot, and then performs the motion for the collaborative driving according to the result of the movement. How to do cooperative driving. According to claim 21,
The step of performing the motion for the collaborative driving,
When the unrecognized robot moves to the vicinity of the opponent robot,
Wherein the unrecognized robot performs a location recognition operation for recognizing the location of the partner robot using a communication result with the partner robot, and then performs the collaborative driving according to a predetermined driving criterion. Way.

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