KR102620941B1 - Method and system for controling robot driving in a building - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control method and system for a robot traveling in a building. More specifically, the present invention relates to a building where robots and people coexist in the same space and provide useful services to people. The present invention can provide a method for controlling the movement of a robot traveling in space. The present invention includes the steps of receiving a first control command related to the running of the robot from a server, in a state where the robot is running in the space based on the first control command, and based on sensing information sensed by the robot. determining whether an obstacle event related to an obstacle located in the space has occurred; generating, in the robot, a second control command related to avoidance of the obstacle based on the occurrence of the obstacle event; 2 Based on a control command, a robot control method may be provided, including generating an avoidance control command for the failure event and controlling the robot to move according to the avoidance control command.

Description

Method and system for controlling a robot driving in a building {METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLING ROBOT DRIVING IN A BUILDING}

The present invention relates to a control method and system for a robot traveling in a building. More specifically, the present invention relates to a building where robots and people coexist in the same space and provide useful services to people.

As technology develops, various service devices appear, and in particular, technology development for robots that perform various tasks or services has been actively developed recently.

Furthermore, in recent years, as artificial intelligence technology, cloud technology, etc. have developed, it has become possible to control robots more precisely and safely, and thus the utilization of robots is gradually increasing. In particular, due to technological advancements, robots have reached a level where they can safely coexist with humans in indoor spaces.

Accordingly, recently, robots have been replacing human tasks or tasks, and various methods for robots to directly provide services to people, especially in indoor spaces, are being actively researched.

For example, robots are providing navigation services in public places such as airports, stations, and department stores, and robots are providing serving services in restaurants. Furthermore, delivery services are being provided in office spaces and communal living spaces, where robots deliver mail and parcels. In addition, robots provide a variety of services such as cleaning services, crime prevention services, and logistics processing services. The type and scope of services provided by robots are expected to increase exponentially in the future, and the level of service provision is also expected to continue to develop.

These robots provide various services not only in outdoor spaces, but also in indoor spaces of buildings (or buildings) such as offices, apartments, department stores, schools, hospitals, amusement facilities, etc. In this case, robots provide various services in the buildings. It is controlled to move around the indoor space and provide various services.

Meanwhile, with the development of service robots, freely moving robot services are emerging. Conventional network-oriented robots are generally controlled based on path information received from a central server, so there is a problem in that it is difficult to respond immediately by reflecting real-time environmental information sensed by the robot.

As in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2020-0099611 (2020.08.28), conventionally, a robot runs based on a path generated by a server, but the path received from the server is corrected based on sensing information detected by the robot. was carried out. However, the conventional method switches from controlling the robot by the server to controlling the robot itself when a sudden obstacle is detected, and its usability may be low in robots with only a minimal control device built-in.

Accordingly, there is still a need for robot control technology that allows robots to cope with sudden failure situations.

Meanwhile, in order for robots to provide various services or live in indoor spaces, they must freely move or pass through the indoor space of the building, and in some cases, various facility infrastructures provided in the building (e.g., elevator, There is a need to use escalators, access control gates, etc.).

Accordingly, in order to provide a higher level of service using robots within buildings, it is necessary to not only research robot control technology for service units (e.g., route guidance service, delivery service, serving service, etc.), but also research the robot control technology to provide services using robots. In the building itself, essential research is needed to support the various infrastructure required for robots.

The present invention provides a control method and system for a robot running in a building. More specifically, the present invention provides a robot control method and system that allows a robot to flexibly respond to unexpected situations that may occur in a building.

In addition, the present invention provides a robot control method and system that allows the robot to effectively cope with obstacles while minimizing the use of computing resources in the cloud server and the robot.

Furthermore, the present invention is intended to provide a robot-friendly building where robots and people coexist and provide useful services to people.

Furthermore, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention can expand the type and scope of services that robots can provide by providing a variety of robot-friendly facility infrastructure that robots can use.

Furthermore, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention uses a cloud system that works with multiple robots to organically control multiple robots and facility infrastructure, thereby managing the movement of robots that provide services more systematically. . Through this, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention can provide various services to people more safely, quickly, and accurately.

Furthermore, robots applied to buildings according to the present invention can be implemented in a brainless format controlled by a cloud server, and according to this, multiple robots placed in buildings can be manufactured inexpensively without expensive sensors. In addition, it can be controlled with high performance/high precision.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention can provide a method for controlling the movement of a robot traveling in space. The present invention includes the steps of receiving a first control command related to the running of the robot from a server, performing sensing of the space while the robot is traveling in the space, sensing in the robot, in the robot, Generating a second control command related to avoidance of the obstacle based on information related to an obstacle located in the space among the sensed information, an avoidance control command for the obstacle based on the first and second control commands It is possible to provide a robot control method including the step of generating and performing control on the robot to move according to the avoidance control command.

Additionally, the present invention can provide a system for controlling the movement of a robot traveling in space. The present invention provides a communication unit that receives a first control command related to the running of the robot from a server, performs sensing of the space while the robot is traveling in the space, and selects the first control command from the robot among the sensing information sensed by the robot. Based on information related to an obstacle located in space, a second control command related to avoidance of the obstacle is generated, and based on the first and second control commands, an avoidance control command for the obstacle is generated, and the avoidance is performed. A robot control system including a control unit that controls the robot to move according to control commands can be provided.

A building in which a robot controlled by a cloud server according to the present invention runs includes a communication unit that receives a first control command related to the running of the robot from the cloud server and transmits it to the robot, and the cloud server includes, While the robot is traveling in a space within the building, sensing of the space is performed, and based on information related to an obstacle located in the space among the sensing information sensed by the robot, a system related to avoidance of the obstacle is generated. Generates two control commands, generates an avoidance control command for the obstacle based on the first and second control commands, and controls the robot to move according to the avoidance control command. .

According to the present invention, when an unexpected situation (for example, an obstacle suddenly appears) occurs while the robot is running, a control command received in advance from the server that does not take into account the unexpected situation and a command to avoid the obstacle detected by the robot are provided. By proposing a method that considers all control commands, the robot can avoid failure events due to various unexpected situations. At this time, the present invention can set the weights of the control command generated by the server and the control command generated by the robot differently in consideration of the time available to deal with the obstacle. Through this, the robot controlled by the present invention prioritizes quick avoidance of obstacles when there is not enough time to deal with obstacles, and when there is enough time to deal with obstacles, it minimizes deviation from the preset driving path. By allowing the robot to cope with obstacles, it is possible to respond appropriately to the robot's situation.

In addition, the present invention generates only a short return path that allows the robot to return to the existing driving path to the robot's destination after avoiding a suddenly appearing obstacle, thereby creating a new driving path to the destination each time the robot avoids an obstacle. Avoid creating it. Through this, the present invention can prevent the server's computational resources from being consumed unnecessarily.

Furthermore, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention uses technological convergence where robots, autonomous driving, AI, and cloud technologies are converged and connected, and these technologies, robots, and facility infrastructure provided in the building are organically connected. It can provide a new space that combines.

Furthermore, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention uses a cloud server that interfaces with multiple robots to organically control multiple robots and facility infrastructure, thereby systematically managing the running of robots that provide services more systematically. You can. Through this, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention can provide various services to people more safely, quickly, and accurately.

Furthermore, the robot applied to the building according to the present invention can be implemented in a brainless format controlled by a cloud server, and according to this, multiple robots placed in the building can be manufactured inexpensively without expensive sensors. In addition, it can be controlled with high performance/high precision.

Furthermore, in the building according to the present invention, the tasks and movement situations assigned to the multiple robots placed in the building are taken into consideration as well as the running is controlled to take people into consideration, allowing robots and people to naturally coexist in the same space.

Furthermore, the building according to the present invention can perform various controls to prevent accidents caused by robots and respond to unexpected situations, thereby instilling in people the perception that robots are friendly and safe, rather than dangerous.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 are conceptual diagrams illustrating a system for controlling a robot traveling in a robot-friendly building and various facilities provided in the robot-friendly building according to the present invention.
Figures 7 and 8 are conceptual diagrams for explaining the facility infrastructure provided in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.
9 to 11 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a method of estimating the position of a robot traveling in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.
Figure 12 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the robot included in the robot system according to the present invention.
Figure 13 is a flowchart for explaining the robot control method according to the present invention.
14 and 15 are conceptual diagrams showing a robot control method according to the present invention.
Figure 16 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of avoiding obstacles using control commands modified by the server and control commands generated within the robot.
Figure 17 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of avoiding an obstacle by selecting one of a control command modified by the server and a control command generated within the robot.
Figure 18 is a conceptual diagram showing a robot returning to an existing path after avoiding an error event.
Figure 19 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment in which obstacles are tracked and reflected in the robot travel path.

Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, identical or similar components will be assigned the same reference numbers regardless of drawing symbols, and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes “module” and “part” for components used in the following description are given or used interchangeably only for the ease of preparing the specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles in themselves. Additionally, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the detailed descriptions will be omitted. In addition, the attached drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical idea disclosed in this specification is not limited by the attached drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention are not limited. , should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

Terms containing ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

When a component is said to be "connected" or "connected" to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, but that other components may exist in between. It should be. On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a component is “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In this application, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

The present invention relates to a robot-friendly building, and proposes a robot-friendly building where people and robots can coexist safely and where robots can provide useful services within the building.

More specifically, the present invention provides a method of providing useful services to people using robots, robot-friendly infrastructure, and various systems that control them. In the building according to the present invention, people and multiple robots can coexist, and various infrastructures (or facility infrastructure) can be provided that allow multiple robots to move freely within the building.

In the present invention, a building is a structure created for continuous residence, living, work, etc., and may have various forms such as commercial buildings, industrial buildings, institutional buildings, residential buildings, etc. Additionally, the building may be a multi-story building with multiple floors and, oppositely, a single-story building. However, in the present invention, for convenience of explanation, infrastructure or facility infrastructure applied to a multi-story building is explained as an example.

In the present invention, infrastructure or facility infrastructure is a facility provided in a building for the purpose of providing services, moving robots, maintaining functions, maintaining cleanliness, etc., and its types and forms can be very diverse. For example, the infrastructure provided in a building can be diverse, such as mobile facilities (e.g., robot passageways, elevators, escalators, etc.), charging facilities, communication facilities, cleaning facilities, and structures (e.g., stairs, etc.). there is. In this specification, these facilities are referred to as facilities, infrastructure, facility infrastructure, or facility infrastructure, and in some cases, the terms are used interchangeably.

Furthermore, in the building according to the present invention, at least one of the building, various facility infrastructures, and robots provided in the building are controlled in conjunction with each other, so that the robot can safely and accurately provide various services within the building.

The present invention allows multiple robots to run within a building, provide services according to missions (or tasks), and is equipped with various facility infrastructures that can support standby or charging functions, as well as repair and cleaning functions for robots, as needed. We propose a building that is These buildings provide an integrated solution (or system) for robots, and the buildings according to the present invention may be named with various modifiers. For example, the building according to the present invention includes: i) a building equipped with infrastructure used by robots, ii) a building equipped with robot-friendly infrastructure, iii) a robot-friendly building, iv) a building where robots and people live together, v) It can be expressed in various ways, such as a building that provides various services using robots.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, the meaning of “robot-friendly” refers to a building where robots coexist, and more specifically, whether robots are allowed to drive, robots provide services, or facility infrastructure that robots can use is built. , This may mean that facility infrastructure that provides necessary functions for robots (ex: charging, repair, cleaning, etc.) has been established. In this case, in the present invention, “robot-friendly” can be used to mean having an integrated solution for the coexistence of robots and people.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be looked at in more detail along with the attached drawings.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a robot-friendly building according to the present invention, and Figures 4, 5, and 6 show a robot driving a robot-friendly building and a robot-friendly building according to the present invention. These are conceptual diagrams to explain the system that controls the various facilities provided in. Furthermore, Figures 7 and 8 are conceptual diagrams for explaining the facility infrastructure provided in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.

First, for convenience of explanation, representative reference symbols will be defined.

In the present invention, the building is assigned the reference numeral “1000,” and the space (indoor space or indoor area) of the building 1000 is assigned the reference numeral “10” (see FIG. 8). Furthermore, indoor spaces corresponding to a plurality of floors constituting the indoor space of the building 1000 are assigned reference numerals 10a, 10b, 10c, etc. (see FIG. 8). In the present invention, indoor space or indoor area refers to the inside of a building protected by an exterior wall as opposed to the outside of the building, and is not limited to meaning space.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the robot is given the reference symbol “R,” and even if the robot is not given a reference number in the drawings or specifications, it can all be understood as a robot (R).

Furthermore, in the present invention, a person or human being is given the reference symbol “U”, and a person or human being can be named as a dynamic object. At this time, the dynamic object does not necessarily mean only a person, but also an animal such as a dog or cat, or at least one other robot (e.g., the user's personal robot, a robot that provides another service, etc.), a drone, or a vacuum cleaner (e.g. For example, it can be taken to mean including objects that can move, such as a robot vacuum cleaner).

On the other hand, the building (building, structure, edifice, 1000) described in the present invention is not limited to a particular type, and is a structure built for people to live, work, raise animals, or store goods. It can mean.

For example, the building 1000 may be an office, an officetel, an apartment, a residential-commercial complex, a house, a school, a hospital, a restaurant, a government office, etc., and the present invention can be applied to these various types of buildings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a robot can run in the building 1000 according to the present invention and provide various services.

One or more robots of different types may be located in the building 1000, and these robots drive within the building 1000, provide services, and operate the building (1000) under the control of the server 20. You can use the various facility infrastructure provided by 1000).

In the present invention, the location of the server 20 may exist in various ways. For example, the server 20 may be located at least one of the inside of the building 1000 and the outside of the building 1000. That is, at least part of the server 20 may be located inside the building 1000, and the remaining part may be located outside the building 1000. Alternatively, the server 20 may be located entirely inside the building 1000 or may be located only outside the building 1000. Accordingly, in the present invention, no special limitation is placed on the specific location of the server 20.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the server 20 is configured to use at least one of a cloud computing type server (cloud server, 21) and an edge computing type server (edge server, 22). You can. Furthermore, the server 20 can be applied to the present invention as long as it is a method capable of controlling a robot, in addition to cloud computing or edge computing.

Meanwhile, in some cases, the server 20 according to the present invention combines the server 21 of the cloud computing method and the edge computing method to use the server 20 among the robots and facility infrastructure provided in the building 1000. Control can be performed on at least one.

Meanwhile, looking at the cloud server 21 and the edge server 22 in more detail, the edge server 22 is an electronic device and can operate as the brain of the robot R. That is, each edge server 22 can wirelessly control at least one robot R. At this time, the edge server 22 can control the robot R based on a determined control cycle. The control cycle can be determined as the sum of the time given to process data related to the robot R and the time given to provide control commands to the robot R. The cloud server 21 can manage at least one of the robot R or the edge server 22. At this time, the edge server 22 may operate as a server in response to the robot R and may operate as a client in response to the cloud server 21.

The robot (R) and the edge server 22 can communicate wirelessly, and the edge server 22 and the cloud server 21 can communicate by wire or wirelessly. At this time, the robot R and the edge server 22 can communicate through a wireless network capable of ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC). For example, the wireless network may include at least one of a 5G network or WiFi-6 (WiFi ad/ay). Here, the 5G network can have features that not only enable ultra-reliable, low-latency communications, but also enable ultra-broadband mobile communications (enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)) and massive machine type communications (mMTC). As an example, the edge server 22 includes a mobile edge computing (MEC) server and may be deployed in a base station. Through this, the latency time due to communication between the robot R and the edge server 22 can be shortened. At this time, in the control cycle of the edge server 22, as the time given to provide a control command to the robot R is shortened, the time given to process data may be expanded. Meanwhile, the edge server 22 and the cloud server 21 may communicate, for example, through a wireless network such as the Internet.

Meanwhile, in some cases, a plurality of edge servers may be connected through a wireless mesh network, and the functions of the cloud server 21 may be distributed to a plurality of edge servers. In this case, for a robot R, one of the edge servers operates as an edge server 22 for the robot R, and at least another one of the edge servers cooperates with one of the edge servers. , It can operate as a cloud server 21 for the robot R.

The network or communication network formed in the building 1000 according to the present invention includes at least one robot R configured to collect data, at least one edge server 22 configured to wirelessly control the robot R, and It is connected to the edge server 22 and may include communication between the robot R and the cloud server 21 configured to manage the edge server 22.

The edge server 22 may be configured to wirelessly receive the data from the robot R, determine a control command based on the data, and wirelessly transmit the control command to the robot R.

According to various embodiments, the edge server 22 determines whether to cooperate with the cloud server 21 based on the data, and if it is determined that there is no need to cooperate with the cloud server 21, performs a predetermined control. Within a period, it may be configured to determine the control command and transmit the control command.

According to various embodiments, if it is determined that the edge server 22 needs to cooperate with the cloud server 21, it may be configured to communicate with the cloud server 21 based on the data and determine the control command. there is.

Meanwhile, the robot R can be driven according to control commands. For example, the robot R can move its position or change its posture by changing its movement, and perform software updates.

In the present invention, for convenience of explanation, the server 20 is collectively named “cloud server” and is given the reference numeral “20”. Meanwhile, of course, the cloud server 20 can also be replaced by the term edge server 22 of edge computing.

Furthermore, the term “cloud server” can be variously changed to terms such as cloud robot system, cloud system, cloud robot control system, and cloud control system.

Meanwhile, the cloud server 20 according to the present invention is capable of performing integrated control on a plurality of robots traveling around the building 1000. That is, the cloud server 20 monitors i) a plurality of robots (R) located in the building 1000, ii) assigns tasks (or tasks) to the plurality of robots, and iii) monitors the plurality of robots. (R) To successfully perform this mission, the facility infrastructure provided in the building 1000 can be directly controlled, or iv) the facility infrastructure can be controlled through communication with a control system that controls the facility infrastructure.

Furthermore, the cloud server 20 can check the status information of robots located in the building and provide (or support) various functions necessary for the robots. Here, various functions may exist, such as a charging function for robots, a cleaning function for contaminated robots, and a standby function for robots whose missions have been completed.

The cloud server 20 can control the robots so that they use various facility infrastructure provided in the building 1000 in order to provide various functions to the robots. Furthermore, in order to provide various functions to robots, the cloud server can directly control the facility infrastructure provided in the building 1000 or allow the facility infrastructure to be controlled through communication with a control system that controls the facility infrastructure. there is.

In this way, robots controlled by the cloud server 20 can drive around the building 1000 and provide various services.

Meanwhile, the cloud server 20 can perform various controls based on information stored in the database, and there is no particular limitation on the type and location of the database in the present invention. The term database can be freely modified and used as long as it refers to a means by which information is stored, such as memory, storage unit, repository, cloud storage, external storage, external server, etc. Hereinafter, the explanation will be unified using the term “database.”

Meanwhile, the cloud server 20 according to the present invention can perform distributed control of robots based on various criteria such as the type of service provided by the robots and the type of control for the robot. In this case, the cloud server 20 ), there may be subordinate sub servers of lower level concepts.

Furthermore, the cloud server 20 according to the present invention can control a robot traveling around the building 1000 based on various artificial intelligence algorithms.

Furthermore, the cloud server 20 performs artificial intelligence-based learning that utilizes the data collected in the process of controlling the robot as learning data, and uses this to control the robot, so that the more the robot is controlled, the more the robot becomes better. It can be operated accurately and efficiently. That is, the cloud server 20 can be configured to perform deep learning or machine learning. In addition, the cloud server 20 can perform deep learning or machine learning through simulation, etc., and control the robot using the artificial intelligence model built as a result.

Meanwhile, the building 1000 may be equipped with various facility infrastructure for driving the robot, providing robot functions, maintaining robot functions, performing robot missions, or coexisting between robots and people.

For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 1, various facility infrastructures 1 and 2 that can support the driving (or movement) of the robot R may be provided within the building 1000. These facility infrastructures (1, 2) support the horizontal movement of the robot (R) within the floors of the building (1000) or the vertical direction to allow the robot (R) to move between different floors of the building (1000). Can support movement to . In this way, the facility infrastructure 1, 2 may be equipped with a transportation system that supports the movement of the robot. The cloud server 20 controls the robot R to use these various facility infrastructures 1 and 2, so that the robot R operates in a building (R) to provide services, as shown in (b) of FIG. 1. 1000) can be moved within.

Meanwhile, the robots according to the present invention can be controlled based on at least one of the cloud server 20 and the control unit provided in the robot itself to run within the building 1000 or provide services corresponding to the assigned mission. there is.

Furthermore, as shown in (c) of Figure 1, the building according to the present invention is a building where robots and people coexist, and the robots are people (U) and objects used by people (e.g., strollers, carts, etc.) , it is made to drive while avoiding obstacles such as animals, and in some cases, it can be made to output notification information (3) related to the robot's driving. The robot may be driven to avoid obstacles based on at least one of the cloud server 20 and the control unit provided in the robot. The cloud server 20 allows the robot to avoid obstacles and navigate within the building 1000 based on information received through various sensors (e.g., cameras (image sensors), proximity sensors, infrared sensors, etc.) provided in the robot. You can control the robot to move.

In addition, the robot that runs inside the building through the process of (a) to (c) of FIG. 1 is configured to provide services to people or target objects present in the building, as shown in (d) of FIG. 1. You can.

The types of services provided by robots may be different for each robot. In other words, there may be various types of robots depending on the purpose, the robots have different structures for each purpose, and the robots may be equipped with programs suitable for the purpose.

For example, building 1000 includes delivery, logistics work, guidance, interpretation, parking assistance, security, crime prevention, security, public order, cleaning, quarantine, disinfection, laundry, beverage production, food production, serving, fire suppression, and medical support. and robots that provide at least one service among entertainment services may be deployed. The services provided by robots can vary beyond the examples listed above.

Meanwhile, the cloud server 20 can assign appropriate tasks to the robots, taking into account the purposes of each robot, and control the robots so that the assigned tasks are performed.

At least some of the robots described in the present invention can drive or perform missions under the control of the cloud server 20, and in this case, the amount of data processed by the robot itself to drive or perform missions can be minimized. there is. In the present invention, such a robot can be called a brainless robot. Such a brainless robot may rely on the control of the cloud server 20 for at least some control when performing activities such as driving, performing missions, performing charging, waiting, and washing within the building 1000.

However, in this specification, brainless robots are not named separately, but are all collectively named “robots.”

As described above, the building 1000 according to the present invention may be equipped with various facility infrastructures that robots can use, and as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the facility infrastructure is placed within the building 1000. By linking with the building 1000 and the cloud server 20, it is possible to support the movement (or driving) of the robot or provide various functions to the robot.

More specifically, facility infrastructure may include facilities to support the movement of robots within a building.

Facilities that support the movement of the robot may be of either type: robot-specific facilities used exclusively by the robot and public facilities jointly used by humans.

Furthermore, facilities that support the movement of the robot may support the movement of the robot in the horizontal direction or may support the movement of the robot in the vertical direction. Robots can move horizontally or vertically using facilities within the building 1000. Movement in the horizontal direction may mean movement within the same floor, and movement in the vertical direction may mean movement between different floors. Therefore, in the present invention, moving up and down within the same floor can be referred to as horizontal movement.

Facilities that support the movement of the robot may vary. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the building 1000 is equipped with a robot passageway (robot road, 201) that supports the movement of the robot in the horizontal direction. , 202, 203) may be provided. These robot passages may include a robot-only passage exclusively used by the robot. Meanwhile, it is possible to create a robot-only passageway so that human access is fundamentally blocked, but it may not necessarily be limited to this. In other words, the robot-only passage may be structured so that people can pass through or access it.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, the robot-only passage may be comprised of at least one of a first dedicated passage (or first type passage, 201) and a second dedicated passage (or second type passage, 202). The first dedicated passage and the second dedicated passage 201 and 202 may be provided together on the same floor or may be provided on different floors.

As another example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the building 1000 may be equipped with movement means 204 and 205 that support the robot's movement in the vertical direction. These transportation means 204 and 205 may include at least one of an elevator or an escalator. The robot can move between different floors using the elevator 204 or escalator 205 provided in the building 1000.

Meanwhile, the elevator 204 or escalator 205 may be used exclusively for robots or may be used jointly with people.

For example, the building 1000 may include at least one of a robot-only elevator or a public elevator. Likewise, the building 1000 may include at least one of a robot-only escalator or a public escalator.

Meanwhile, the building 1000 may be equipped with a type of movement means that can be used for both vertical and horizontal movement. For example, a means of movement in the form of a moving walkway may support robots in horizontal movement within a floor or vertical movement between floors.

The robot can move within the building 1000 in the horizontal or vertical direction under its own control or under the control of the cloud server 20. At this time, the robot can move within the building 1000 using various facilities that support the movement of the robot. I can move around.

Furthermore, the building 1000 may include at least one of an access door 206 (or automatic door) and an access control gate 207 that control access to the building 1000 or a specific area within the building 1000. At least one of the access door 206 and the access control gate 207 may be made available to the robot. The robot can be made to pass through an access door (or automatic door, 206) or an access control gate 207 under the control of the cloud server 20.

Meanwhile, the access control gate 207 may be named in various ways, such as a speed gate.

Furthermore, the building 1000 may further include a waiting space facility 208 corresponding to a waiting space where the robot waits, a charging facility 209 for charging the robot, and a washing facility 210 for cleaning the robot. .

Furthermore, the building 1000 may include facilities 211 specialized for specific services provided by robots, for example, facilities for delivery services.

Additionally, the building 1000 may include equipment for monitoring robots (see reference numeral 212), and examples of such equipment may include various sensors (eg, cameras (or image sensors) 121).

As seen with FIGS. 2 and 3, the building 1000 according to the present invention may be equipped with various facilities for service provision, robot movement, driving, function maintenance, cleanliness, etc.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 4, the building 1000 according to the present invention is interconnected with the cloud server 20, the robot (R), and the facility infrastructure 200, so that the robots within the building 1000 provide various services. Not only can it be provided, but facilities can be used appropriately for this purpose.

Here, “interconnected” means that various data and control commands related to services provided within the building, robot movement, driving, function maintenance, cleanliness, etc. are transmitted from at least one subject to another through a network (or communication network). It may mean unidirectional or bidirectional transmission and reception with at least one subject.

Here, the subject may be a building 1000, a cloud server 20, a robot (R), facility infrastructure 200, etc.

Furthermore, the facility infrastructure 200 includes at least one of the various facilities (see reference numerals 201 to 213) shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and control systems (201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, ...) that control them. can do.

The robot R running in the building 1000 is configured to communicate with the cloud server 20 through the network 40 and can provide services within the building 1000 under the control of the cloud server 20. .

More specifically, the building 1000 may include a building system 1000a for communicating with or directly controlling various facilities provided in the building 1000. As shown in FIG. 4, the building system 1000a may include a communication unit 110, a sensing unit 120, an output unit 130, a storage unit 140, and a control unit 150.

The communication unit 110 forms at least one of a wired communication network and a wireless communication network within the building 1000, i) between the cloud server 20 and the robot (R), ii) between the cloud server 20 and the building 1000. , iii) between the cloud server 20 and the facility infrastructure 200, iv) between the facility infrastructure 200 and the robot (R), and v) between the facility infrastructure 200 and the building 1000. In other words, the communication unit 110 can serve as a communication medium between different entities. This communication unit 110 may also be called a base station, a router, etc., and the communication unit 110 allows the robot (R), the cloud server 20, and the facility infrastructure 200 to communicate with each other within the building 1000. A communication network or network can be formed so that

Meanwhile, in this specification, being connected to the building 1000 through a communication network may mean connected to at least one of the components included in the building system 1000a.

As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of robots R disposed in the building 1000 communicate with the cloud server 20 through at least one of a wired communication network and a wireless communication network formed through the communication unit 110. By performing this, it can be remotely controlled by the cloud server 20. A communication network such as a wired communication network or a wireless communication network may be understood as a network 40.

In this way, the building 1000, the cloud server 20, the robot R, and the facility infrastructure 200 can form a network 40 based on the communication network formed within the building 1000. Based on this network, the robot R can provide services corresponding to the assigned mission using various facilities provided in the building 1000 under the control of the cloud server 20.

Meanwhile, the facility infrastructure 200 includes at least one of the various facilities (see reference numerals 201 to 213) shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and control systems (201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, ...) that control them. (Such control systems may also be named “control servers”).

As shown in Figure 4, different types of equipment may be equipped with unique control systems. For example, in the case of a robot passage (or robot-only passage, robot road, robot-only road, 201, 202, 203), a control system (201a, 202a) for independently controlling the robot passages (201, 202, 203) , 203a) exists, and in the case of an elevator (or a robot-only elevator, 204), a control system 204 for controlling the elevator 204 may exist.

These unique control systems for controlling facilities communicate with at least one of the cloud server 20, the robot R, and the building 1000, and appropriately control each facility so that the robot R uses the facility. can be performed.

Meanwhile, the sensing units (201b, 202b, 203b, 204b, ...) included in each facility control system (201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, ...) are provided in the facility itself to sense various information related to the facility. It can be done.

Furthermore, the control units (201c, 202c, 203c, 204c, ...) included in each facility control system (201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, ...) perform control for operating each facility, and the cloud server (20) ) Through communication with the robot (R), appropriate control can be performed so that the robot (R) can use the facility. For example, the control system 204b of the elevator 204, through communication with the cloud server 20, sends the elevator 204 to the floor where the robot R is located so that the robot R gets on the elevator 204. ) can control the elevator 204 to stop.

At least some of the control units (201c, 202c, 203c, 204c, ...) included in each facility control system (201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, ...) are connected to each facility (201, 202, 203, 204, ...). Together, they may be located within the building 1000 or may be located outside the building 1000.

Furthermore, it is also possible that at least some of the facilities included in the building 1000 according to the present invention are controlled by the cloud server 20 or by the control unit 150 of the building 1000. In this case, the facility may not be equipped with a separate facility control system.

In the following description, each facility has its own control system as an example. However, as mentioned above, the role of the control system for controlling the facility is that of the cloud server 20 or the building 1000. Of course, it can be replaced by the control unit 150. In this case, the terminology of the control unit (201c, 202c, 203c, 204c, ...) of the facility control system described in this specification is replaced with the terminology of the cloud server 20 or the control unit 150, or the building control unit 150. Of course, it can be expressed as

Meanwhile, the components of each facility control system (201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, ...) in FIG. 4 are examples, and various components may be added or excluded depending on the characteristics of each facility.

As such, in the present invention, the robot R, the cloud server 20, and the facility control systems 201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, ... provide various services within the building 1000 using the facility infrastructure.

In this case, the robot (R) mainly travels within the building to provide various services. For this purpose, the robot R may be provided with at least one of a body part, a driving part, a sensing part, a communication part, an interface part, and a power supply part.

The body part includes a case (casing, housing, cover, etc.) that forms the exterior. In this embodiment, the case can be divided into a plurality of parts, and various electronic components are built into the space formed by the case. In this case, the body part may have different forms depending on the various services exemplified in the present invention. For example, in the case of a robot that provides delivery services, a storage box for storing items may be provided on the upper part of the body. As another example, in the case of a robot that provides cleaning services, a suction port that suctions dust using a vacuum may be provided at the bottom of the body.

The driving unit is configured to perform a specific operation according to a control command transmitted from the cloud server 20.

The driving unit provides a means for the body part of the robot to move within a specific space in relation to driving. More specifically, the driving unit includes a motor and a plurality of wheels, which are combined to perform the functions of driving, changing direction, and rotating the robot R. As another example, the driving unit may be provided with at least one of an end effector, a manipulator, and an actuator to perform operations other than driving, such as picking up.

The sensing unit may include one or more sensors for sensing at least one of information within the robot (in particular, the driving state of the robot), information on the surrounding environment surrounding the robot, location information of the robot, and user information.

For example, the sensing unit may include a camera (image sensor), proximity sensor, infrared sensor, laser scanner (LIDAR sensor), RGBD sensor, geomagnetic sensor, ultrasonic sensor, inertial sensor, UWB sensor, etc.

The communication unit of the robot transmits and receives wireless signals from the robot to perform wireless communication between the robot (R) and the communication unit of the building, between the robot (R) and other robots, or between the robot (R) and the facility control system. It is done so that As an example of this, the communication unit may be equipped with a wireless Internet module, a short-range communication module, a location information module, etc.

The interface unit may be provided as a passage through which the robot R can be connected to an external device. For example, the interface unit may be a terminal (charging terminal, connection terminal, power terminal), port, or connector. The power supply unit may be a device that receives external power and internal power and supplies power to each component included in the robot (R). As another example, the power supply unit may be a device that generates electrical energy inside the robot (R) and supplies it to each component.

In the above, the robot R was mainly explained based on traveling within a building, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the robot of the present invention can be in the form of a robot that flies inside a building, such as a drone. More specifically, a robot providing guidance services can provide guidance about a building to a person while flying around the person within the building.

Meanwhile, the overall operation of the robot of the present invention is controlled by the cloud server 20. In addition, the robot is a subordinate controller of the cloud server 20 and may be provided with a separate control unit. For example, the robot's control unit receives driving control commands from the cloud server 20 and controls the robot's driving unit. In this case, the control unit can calculate the torque or current to be applied to the motor using data sensed by the robot's sensing unit. Using the calculated results, the motor, etc. is driven by a position controller, speed controller, current controller, etc., and through this, the robot executes the control command of the cloud server 20.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, the building 1000 may include a building system 1000a for communicating with or directly controlling various facilities provided in the building 1000. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the building system 1000a may include at least one of a communication unit 110, a sensing unit 120, an output unit 130, a storage unit 140, and a control unit 150. You can.

The communication unit 110 forms at least one of a wired communication network and a wireless communication network within the building 1000, i) between the cloud server 20 and the robot (R), ii) between the cloud server 20 and the building 1000. , iii) between the cloud server 20 and the facility infrastructure 200, iv) between the facility infrastructure 200 and the robot (R), and v) between the facility infrastructure 200 and the building 1000. In other words, the communication unit 110 can serve as a communication medium between different entities.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the communication unit 110 is configured to include at least one of a mobile communication module 111, a wired Internet module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, and a short-range communication module 114. You can.

The communication unit 110 can support various communication methods based on the communication modules listed above.

For example, the mobile communication module 111 supports technical standards or communication methods for mobile communications (e.g., 5G, 4G, Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), and Code Division Multi Access (CDMA). ), CDMA2000 (Code Division Multi Access 2000), EV-DO (Enhanced Voice-Data Optimized or Enhanced Voice-Data Only), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) ), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (Long Term Evolution-Advanced), etc.) on a mobile communication network built according to the building system (1000a), cloud server (20), robot (R), and facility infrastructure (200) It may be configured to transmit and receive a wireless signal with at least one of the. At this time, as a more specific example, the robot R may transmit and receive wireless signals with the mobile communication module 111 using the communication unit of the robot R described above.

Next, the wired Internet module 112 is a method of providing communication in a wired manner, so as to transmit and receive signals with at least one of the cloud server 20, the robot (R), and the facility infrastructure 200 using a physical communication line as a medium. It can be done.

Furthermore, the wireless Internet module 113 is a concept that includes the mobile communication module 111 and may mean a module capable of wireless Internet access. The wireless Internet module 113 is disposed in the building 1000 and wirelessly communicates with at least one of the building system 1000a, the cloud server 20, the robot R, and the facility infrastructure 200 in a communication network based on wireless Internet technologies. It is made to transmit and receive signals.

Wireless Internet technology can be very diverse, and includes not only the communication technology of the mobile communication module 111 discussed above, but also WLAN (Wireless LAN), Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), and WiBro ( Wireless Broadband), WiMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), etc. Furthermore, in the present invention, the wireless Internet module 113 transmits and receives data according to at least one wireless Internet technology, including Internet technologies not listed above.

Next, the short-range communication module 114 is for short-range communication, including Bluetooth™, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), and ZigBee. , using at least one of NFC (Near Field Communication), Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and Wireless USB (Wireless Universal Serial Bus) technology, a building system (1000a), a cloud server (20), a robot (R), and Short-distance communication can be performed with at least one of the facility infrastructures 200.

The communication unit 110 may include at least one of the communication modules discussed above, and these communication modules may be placed in various spaces inside the building 1000 to form a communication network. Through this communication network, i) cloud server (20) and robot (R), ii) cloud server (20) and building (1000), iii) cloud server (20) and facility infrastructure (200, iv) facility infrastructure (200) ) and the robot (R), v) the facility infrastructure 200 and the building 1000 may be configured to communicate with each other.

Next, the building 1000 may include a sensing unit 120, and the sensing unit 120 may include various sensors. At least some of the information sensed through the sensing unit 120 of the building 1000 is transmitted to at least the cloud server 20, the robot (R), and the facility infrastructure 200 through a communication network formed through the communication unit 110. It can be sent as one. At least one of the cloud server 20, the robot (R), and the facility infrastructure 200 uses information sensed through the sensing unit 120 to control the robot (R) or the facility infrastructure 200. You can.

The types of sensors included in the sensing unit 120 may be very diverse. The sensing unit 120 may be provided in the building 1000 to sense various information about the building 1000. Information sensed by the sensing unit 120 may be information about the robot (R) running in the building 1000, people located in the building 1000, obstacles, etc., and various environmental information related to the building (e.g. For example, temperature, humidity, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 5, the sensing unit 120 includes an image sensor 121, a microphone 122, a bio sensor 123, a proximity sensor 124, an illumination sensor 125, an infrared sensor 126, and a temperature sensor. It may include at least one of the sensor 127 and the humidity sensor 128.

Here, the image sensor 121 may correspond to a camera. As seen in FIG. 3, a camera corresponding to the image sensor 121 may be placed in the building 1000. In this specification, the same reference numeral “121” as the image sensor 121 is assigned to the camera.

Meanwhile, the number of cameras 121 placed in the building 1000 is not limited. There may be various types of cameras 121 placed in the building 1000. As an example, the camera 121 placed in the building 1000 may be a closed circuit television (CCTV). Meanwhile, saying that the camera 121 is placed in the building 1000 may mean that the camera 121 is placed in the indoor space 10 of the building 1000.

Next, the microphone 122 can be configured to sense various sound information generated in the building 1000.

The biosensor 123 is for sensing biometric information and can sense biometric information (eg, fingerprint information, face information, iris information, etc.) about people or animals located in the building 1000.

The proximity sensor 124 may be configured to sense an object (such as a robot or person) that approaches the proximity sensor 124 or is located around the proximity sensor 124 .

Furthermore, the illuminance sensor 125 is configured to sense the illuminance around the illuminance sensor 125, and the infrared sensor 126 has a built-in infrared sensor and uses it to take pictures of the building 1000 in a dark room or at night. can do.

Furthermore, the temperature sensor 127 may sense the temperature around the temperature sensor 127, and the humidity sensor 128 may sense the temperature around the humidity sensor 128.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, there is no particular limitation on the type of sensor constituting the sensing unit 120, and it is sufficient as long as the function defined by each sensor is implemented.

Next, the output unit 130 is a means for outputting at least one of visual, auditory and tactile information to a person or robot (R) in the building 1000, and includes a display unit 131 and an audio output unit ( 132) and may include at least one of the lighting unit 133. This output unit 130 may be placed at an appropriate location in the indoor space of the building 1000 depending on need or circumstances.

Next, the storage unit 140 may be configured to store various information related to at least one of the building 1000, robots, and facility infrastructure. In the present invention, the storage unit 140 may be provided in the building 1000 itself. Alternatively, at least a portion of the storage unit 140 may refer to at least one of the cloud server 20 or an external database. In other words, the storage unit 140 is sufficient as a space for storing various information according to the present invention, and it can be understood that there are no restrictions on physical space.

Next, the control unit 150 is a means of performing overall control of the building 1000 and can control at least one of the communication unit 110, the sensing unit 120, the output unit 130, and the storage unit 140. there is. The control unit 150 can control the robot in conjunction with the cloud server 20. Furthermore, the control unit 150 may exist in the form of a cloud server 20. In this case, the building 1000 can be controlled together by the cloud server 20, which is a control means of the robot R. In contrast, the cloud server controlling the building 1000 is the cloud server 20 controlling the robot R. It may exist separately from the server 20. In this case, the cloud server controlling the building 1000 and the cloud server 20 controlling the robot R communicate with each other to provide services by the robot R, or maintain the movement and function of the robot. , can be linked with each other to maintain cleanliness, etc. Meanwhile, the control unit of the building 1000 may also be named a “processor,” and the processor may be configured to process various commands by performing basic arithmetic, logic, and input/output operations.

As seen above, at least one of the building 1000, the robot (R), the cloud server 20, and the facility infrastructure 200 forms a network 40 based on a communication network, within the building 1000. Various services can be provided using robots.

As seen above, in the building 1000 according to the present invention, the robot (R), the facility infrastructure 200 provided in the building, and the cloud server 20 can be organically connected so that various services are provided by the robot. there is. At least some of these robots (R), facility infrastructure 200, and cloud servers 20 may exist in the form of a platform for building a robot-friendly building.

Below, referring to the contents of the building 1000, building system 1000a, facility infrastructure 200, and cloud server 20 discussed above, the process by which the robot (R) uses the facility infrastructure 200 is described in more detail. Let’s take a look. At this time, the robot (R) travels in the indoor space 10 of the building 1000 or uses the facility infrastructure 200 for the purposes of performing missions (or providing services), driving, charging, maintaining cleanliness, and waiting. You can move and further use the facility infrastructure 200.

In this way, based on a certain “purpose,” the robot (R) travels in the indoor space of the building 1000 or moves using the facility infrastructure 200 to achieve the “purpose,” and further, the facility infrastructure (200) can be used.

At this time, the purpose to be achieved by the robot can be specified based on various causes. The purpose to be achieved by the robot may include a first type of purpose and a second type of purpose.

Here, the first type of purpose may be for the robot to perform its original mission, and the second type of purpose may be for the robot to perform a mission or function other than the robot's original mission.

In other words, the purpose to be achieved by the robot according to the first type may be the purpose of performing the robot's original mission. This purpose can also be understood as the robot’s “task.”

For example, if the robot is a robot that provides serving services, the robot drives around the indoor space of the building 1000 or moves using the facility infrastructure 200 to achieve the purpose or mission of providing serving services. And, furthermore, the facility infrastructure 200 can be used. In addition, if the robot is a robot that provides a route guidance service, the robot drives around the indoor space of the building (1000) or moves using the facility infrastructure (200) in order to achieve the purpose or mission of providing the route guidance service. And, furthermore, the facility infrastructure 200 can be used.

Meanwhile, a plurality of robots operating for different purposes may be located in a building according to the present invention. In other words, different robots capable of performing different tasks can be deployed in a building, and different types of robots can be deployed in a building depending on the needs of the building manager and various entities residing in the building.

For example, buildings include delivery, logistics operations, guidance, interpretation, parking assistance, security, crime prevention, security, public order, cleaning, quarantine, disinfection, laundry, beverage preparation, food preparation, serving, fire suppression, medical support, and entertainment services. Robots that provide at least one service may be deployed. The services provided by robots can vary beyond the examples listed above.

Meanwhile, the second type of purpose is for the robot to perform a mission or function other than the robot's original mission, which may be a purpose unrelated to the robot's original mission. This second type of purpose is not directly related to the robot performing its original mission, but may be an indirectly necessary mission or function.

For example, in order for a robot to perform its duties, it needs sufficient power to operate, and in order for the robot to provide comfortable services to people, it must be kept clean. Furthermore, in order for multiple robots to operate efficiently within a building, there may sometimes be a situation where they wait in a certain space.

As such, in the present invention, in order to achieve the second type of purpose, the robot can run in the indoor space of the building 1000, move using the facility infrastructure 200, and further use the facility infrastructure 200. there is.

For example, the robot can use the charging facility infrastructure to achieve the purpose of the charging function, and the robot can use the cleaning facility infrastructure to achieve the purpose of the cleaning function.

As such, in the present invention, the robot can run in the indoor space of the building 1000, move using the facility infrastructure 200, and further use the facility infrastructure 200 in order to achieve a certain purpose.

Meanwhile, the cloud server 20 may perform appropriate control on each of the robots located in the building based on information corresponding to each of the plurality of robots located in the building stored in a database.

Meanwhile, various information about each of a plurality of robots located in a building may be stored in the database, and information about the robot R may be very diverse. As an example, i) identification information to identify the robot (R) placed in the space 10 (e.g., serial number, TAG information, QR code information, etc.), ii) mission assigned to the robot (R) Information (e.g., type of mission, actions according to the mission, target user information for the mission, mission performance location, mission performance schedule, etc.), iii) driving path information set for the robot (R), iv) robot Location information of (R), v) Status information of the robot (R) (e.g., power status, failure status, cleaning status, battery status, etc.), vi) Image information received from the camera provided in the robot (R) , vii) There may be motion information related to the motion of the robot (R).

Meanwhile, appropriate control of robots may be related to control of operating robots according to the first type of purpose or the second type of purpose discussed above.

Here, operation of the robot may mean controlling the robot to run in the indoor space of the building 1000, move using the facility infrastructure 200, and further use the facility infrastructure 200.

The movement of the robot may be referred to as the running of the robot, and therefore, in the present invention, the movement path and driving path may be used interchangeably.

Based on the information about each robot stored in the database, the cloud server 20 assigns appropriate tasks to the robots according to the purpose (or original mission) of each robot, and provides support to the robots so that the assigned tasks are performed. Control can be performed. The mission assigned at this time may be a mission to achieve the first type of purpose discussed above.

Furthermore, the cloud server 20 may perform control to achieve the second type of purpose on each robot based on information about each robot stored in the database.

At this time, the robot that has received the control command to achieve the second type of purpose from the cloud server 20 moves to the charging facility infrastructure or the cleaning facility infrastructure based on the control command, and moves to the second type of The purpose can be achieved.

Meanwhile, hereinafter, the terms “purpose” or “mission” will be used without distinguishing between the first type and the second type of purpose. The purpose described below may be either a first type purpose or a second type purpose.

Likewise, the mission described below may also be a mission for achieving a first type purpose or a mission for achieving a second type purpose.

For example, if a robot capable of providing a serving service exists and a person to serve (target user) exists, the cloud server 20 allows the robot to perform the task of serving the target user, You can control the robot.

For another example, if there is a robot that needs charging, the cloud server 20 may control the robot to move to the charging facility infrastructure so that the robot can perform a task corresponding to charging.

Accordingly, in the following, a more detailed description will be given of how the robot performs the purpose or mission using the facility infrastructure 200 under the control of the cloud server 20, without distinction between the first type of purpose or the second type of purpose. Let’s take a look. Meanwhile, in this specification, the cloud server 20 may also refer to a robot controlled by the cloud server 20 as a “target robot” in order to perform its mission.

The cloud server 20 may specify at least one robot to perform a mission upon request or at its own discretion.

Here, it is possible for requests to be received from various entities. For example, a cloud server can receive requests in various ways (e.g., user input through electronic devices, user input through gestures) from various entities such as visitors, managers, residents, workers, etc. located in a building. Here, the request may be a service request for a specific service (or specific task) to be provided by the robot.

Based on this request, the cloud server 20 can specify a robot that can perform the service among the plurality of robots located in the building 1000. The cloud server 20 records i) the types of services that the robot can perform, ii) the tasks already assigned to the robot, iii) the current location of the robot, and iv) the status of the robot (ex: power status, cleanliness status, battery status, etc.). Based on this, a robot capable of responding to the request can be specified. As seen above, there is a variety of information about each robot in the database, and the cloud server 20 can specify the robot to perform the mission based on the request based on this database.

Furthermore, the cloud server 20 may specify at least one robot to perform the mission based on its own judgment.

Here, the cloud server 20 can make its own judgment based on various causes.

As an example, the cloud server 20 may determine whether provision of a service is necessary to a specific user or a specific space existing within the building 1000. The cloud server 20 senses and receives from at least one of the sensing unit 120 (see FIGS. 4 to 6) present in the building 1000, the sensing unit included in the facility infrastructure 200, and the sensing unit provided in the robot. Based on the information provided, specific targets requiring service provision can be extracted.

Here, the specific object may include at least one of a person, space, or object. Objects may refer to facilities, objects, etc. located within the building 1000. Additionally, the cloud server 20 can specify the type of service required for the extracted specific target and control the robot so that the specific service is provided to the specific target.

To this end, the cloud server 20 may specify at least one robot to provide a specific service to a specific target.

The cloud server 20 can determine a target that needs to provide services based on various judgment algorithms. For example, the cloud server 20 is at least one of the sensing unit 120 (see FIGS. 4 to 6) present in the building 1000, the sensing unit included in the facility infrastructure 200, and the sensing unit provided in the robot. Based on the information sensed and received from the service, the type of service such as directions, serving, moving up stairs, etc. can be specified. And, the cloud server 20 can specify a target that needs the service. Furthermore, the cloud server 20 may specify a robot capable of providing the specified service so that the service is provided by the robot.

Furthermore, the cloud server 20 may determine a specific space that requires provision of a service based on various judgment algorithms. For example, the cloud server 20 is at least one of the sensing unit 120 (see FIGS. 4 to 6) present in the building 1000, the sensing unit included in the facility infrastructure 200, and the sensing unit provided in the robot. Based on the information sensed and received from, specific spaces or objects that require service provision, such as delivery target users, guests requiring guidance, contaminated spaces, contaminated facilities, fire areas, etc., are extracted, and the specific space or object is extracted. In order for a service to be provided by a robot, a robot capable of providing the service can be specified.

In this way, when a robot to perform a specific task (or service) is specified, the cloud server 20 can assign the task to the robot and perform a series of controls necessary for the robot to perform the task.

At this time, a series of controls include i) setting the robot's movement path, ii) specifying the facility infrastructure to be used to move to the destination where the mission will be performed, iii) communicating with the specified facility infrastructure, and iv) controlling the specified facility infrastructure. , v) monitoring the robot performing its mission, vi) evaluating the robot's driving, and vii) monitoring whether the robot has completed its mission.

The cloud server 20 can specify a destination where the robot's mission will be performed and set a movement path for the robot to reach the destination. Once the movement path is set by the cloud server 20, the robot R can be controlled to move to the corresponding destination in order to perform its mission.

Meanwhile, the cloud server 20 can set a movement path for the robot to reach the destination from the location where the robot starts (starts) mission performance (hereinafter referred to as “mission performance start location”). Here, the position where the robot starts performing its mission may be the current position of the robot or the position of the robot at the time the robot starts performing its task.

The cloud server 20 may generate a movement path for a robot to perform a mission based on a map (or map information) corresponding to the indoor space 10 of the building 1000.

Here, the map may include map information for each space of a plurality of floors (10a, 10b, 10c, ...) constituting the indoor space of the building.

Furthermore, the movement path may be a movement path from the mission performance start location to the destination where the mission is performed.

In the present invention, such map information and movement routes are described as pertaining to indoor spaces, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, map information may include information about an outdoor space, and the movement route may be a path extending from an indoor space to an outdoor space.

As shown in FIG. 8, the indoor space 10 of the building 1000 may be composed of a plurality of different floors 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, ..., and the mission performance start location and destination are the same. It may be located on one floor or on different floors.

The cloud server 20 may use map information for the plurality of floors 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, ... to create a movement path for a robot to perform a service within the building 1000.

The cloud server 20 may specify at least one facility that the robot must use or pass through to move to the destination among the facility infrastructure (plural facilities) deployed in the building 1000.

For example, when the robot needs to move from the first floor (10a) to the second floor (10b), the cloud server 20 specifies at least one facility (204, 205) to assist the robot in moving between floors, and specifies You can create a movement route including the point where the installed equipment is located. Here, the equipment that assists the robot in moving between floors may be at least one of a robot-only elevator 204, a public elevator 213, and an escalator 205. In addition, various types of equipment that assist robots in moving between floors may exist.

As an example, the cloud server 20 identifies a specific floor corresponding to the destination among the plurality of floors 10a, 10b, 10c, ... of the indoor space 10, and determines the robot's mission performance start location (ex: service Based on the position of the robot at the time of starting the corresponding mission, it can be determined whether the robot needs to move between floors to perform the service.

And, based on the determination result, the cloud server 20 may include equipment (means) to assist the robot in moving between floors on the movement path. At this time, the equipment that assists the robot in moving between floors may be at least one of a robot-only elevator 204, a public elevator 213, and an escalator 205. For example, when the robot needs to move between floors, the cloud server 20 may create a movement path so that facilities that assist the robot in moving between floors are included in the robot's movement path.

For another example, when the robot-only passage (201, 202) is located on the robot's movement path, the cloud server 20 allows the robot to move using the robot-only passage (201, 202). A movement path can be created including the point where (201, 202) is located. As previously discussed with FIG. 3, the robot-only passage may be comprised of at least one of a first dedicated passage (or first type passage 201) and a second dedicated passage (or second type passage 202). The first dedicated passage and the second dedicated passage 201 and 202 may be provided together on the same floor or may be provided on different floors. The first exclusive passage 201 and the second exclusive passage 202 may have different heights relative to the floor surface of the building.

Meanwhile, the cloud server 20 may control the driving characteristics of the robot on the robot-only passage to vary based on the type of robot-only passage used by the robot and the level of congestion around the robot-only passage. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8 , when the robot runs on the second dedicated passage, the cloud server 20 may change the driving characteristics of the robot based on the degree of congestion around the robot-only passage. Since the second dedicated passage is a passage accessible to people or animals, it is intended to consider both safety and movement efficiency.

Here, the driving characteristics of the robot may be related to the driving speed of the robot. Furthermore, the congestion level may be calculated based on images received from at least one of a camera (or image sensor, 121) placed in the building 1000 and a camera placed in the robot. Based on this image, the cloud server 20 may control the robot's traveling speed to be below (or less than) a preset speed when the robot-only passage at the point where the robot is located and in the direction of travel is crowded.

In this way, the cloud server 20 uses map information for the plurality of floors 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, ... to generate a movement path for a robot to perform a service within the building 1000, where , Among the facility infrastructure (plural facilities) arranged in the building 1000, at least one facility that the robot must use or pass through to move to the destination can be specified. Additionally, a movement path may be created so that at least one specified facility is included in the movement route.

Meanwhile, a robot traveling in the indoor space 10 to perform a service may sequentially use or pass through the at least one facility along the movement path received from the cloud server 20 and drive to the destination.

Meanwhile, the order of facilities that the robot must use can be determined under the control of the cloud server 20. Furthermore, the order of facilities that the robot must use may be included in the information about the movement path received from the cloud server 20.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 7, the building 1000 includes robot-specific facilities (201, 202, 204, 208, 209, 211) that are exclusively used by robots and public facilities (205, 206) that are jointly used by people. , 207, 213) may be included.

Robot-specific facilities used exclusively by robots include facilities that provide functions necessary for the robot (ex: charging function, cleaning function, standby function) (208, 209) and facilities used for robot movement (201, 202, 204). , 211).

When creating a movement path for the robot, if a robot-specific facility exists on the path from the mission performance start location to the destination, the cloud server 20 allows the robot to move (or pass) using the robot-specific facility. You can create a movement path. In other words, the cloud server 20 can create a movement path by prioritizing robot-specific facilities. This is to increase the efficiency of the robot's movement. For example, if both the robot-only elevator 204 and the public elevator 213 exist on the movement path to the destination, the cloud server 20 may create a movement path including the robot-only elevator 204. there is.

As seen above, the robot traveling in the building 1000 according to the present invention can travel in the indoor space of the building 1000 to perform its mission using various facilities provided in the building 1000.

For smooth movement of the robot, the cloud server 20 may communicate with a control system (or control server) of at least one facility that the robot uses or is scheduled to use. As previously seen with FIG. 4, unique control systems for controlling facilities communicate with at least one of the cloud server 20, the robot (R), and the building 1000, so that the robot (R) uses the facility. Appropriate control of each facility can be performed to ensure that

Meanwhile, the cloud server 20 has a need to secure location information of the robot within the building 1000. In other words, the cloud server (200) can monitor the positions of robots traveling around the building 1000 in real time or at preset time intervals. The cloud server (1000) provides location information on all of the plurality of robots running around the building (1000). You can monitor or, if necessary, selectively monitor the location information only for a specific robot. The location information of the monitored robot can be stored in a database where the robot's information is stored, and the location information of the robot can be stored over time. It can be continuously updated accordingly.

Methods for estimating the location information of a robot located in the building 1000 can be very diverse. Hereinafter, we will look at an embodiment of estimating the location information of the robot.

9 to 11 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a method of estimating the position of a robot traveling in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 9, the cloud server 20 according to the present invention receives an image of the space 10 using a camera (not shown) provided on the robot R, and receives Visual localization is performed to estimate the location of the robot from the image. At this time, the camera is configured to capture (or sense) an image of the space 10, that is, an image of the surroundings of the robot R. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the image acquired using the camera provided on the robot R will be referred to as “robot image.” And, the image acquired through the camera placed in the space 10 will be called “spatial image.”

The cloud server 20 is configured to acquire the robot image 910 through a camera (not shown) provided on the robot R, as shown in (a) of FIG. 9. And, the cloud server 20 can estimate the current location of the robot R using the acquired robot image 910.

The cloud server 20 compares the robot image 910 with the map information stored in the database and provides location information (e.g., “3rd floor area A (3, 1, 1)”) can be extracted.

As discussed above, in the present invention, the map of the space 10 may be a map created in advance by at least one robot moving the space 10 based on SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping). In particular, the map for the space 10 may be a map generated based on image information.

In other words, the map for space 10 may be a map generated by vision (or visual)-based SLAM technology.

Therefore, the cloud server 20 provides coordinate information (e.g., (3rd floor, area A (3, 1) ,1,)) can be specified. In this way, the specified coordinate information can become the current location information of the robot (R).

At this time, the cloud server 20 estimates the current location of the robot (R) by comparing the robot image 910 acquired from the robot (R) with the map generated by vision (or visual)-based SLAM technology. You can. In this case, the cloud server 20 uses i) image comparison between the robot image 910 and the images constituting the previously generated map to specify the image most similar to the robot image 910, and ii) the specified The location information of the robot (R) can be specified by obtaining location information matched to the image.

In this way, as shown in (a) of FIG. 9, when the robot image 910 is acquired from the robot R, the cloud server 20 uses the acquired robot image 910 to determine the current location of the robot. can be specified. As seen above, the cloud server 20 receives location information (e.g., coordinates) corresponding to the robot image 910 from map information previously stored in the database (e.g., may also be called a “reference map”). information) can be extracted.

Meanwhile, in the above description, an example of estimating the position of the robot (R) in the cloud server 20 has been described. However, as seen above, the position estimation of the robot (R) can be made in the robot (R) itself. . In other words, the robot R can estimate its current location in the manner described above, based on the image received from the robot R itself. And, the robot R can transmit the estimated location information to the cloud server 20. In this case, the cloud server 20 may perform a series of controls based on the location information received from the robot.

In this way, when the location information of the robot R is extracted from the robot image 910, the cloud server 20 can specify at least one camera 121 placed in the indoor space 10 corresponding to the location information. You can. The cloud server 20 may specify the camera 121 placed in the indoor space 10 corresponding to the location information from matching information related to the camera 121 stored in the database.

These images can be used not only to estimate the location of the robot, but also to control the robot. For example, in order to control the robot R, the cloud server 20 obtains the robot image 910 from the robot R itself and the camera 121 placed in the space where the robot R is located. The image can be output together with the display unit of the control system. Accordingly, an administrator who remotely manages and controls the robot (R) within or outside the building (1000) may view not only the robot image (910) acquired from the robot (R), but also the image of the space where the robot (R) is located. Considering this, remote control of the robot (R) can be performed.

As another example, the location of the robot traveling in the indoor space 10 may be estimated based on the tag 1010 provided in the indoor space 10, as shown in (a) of FIG. 10.

Referring to FIG. 10, the tag 1010 may have matching location information corresponding to the point where the tag 1010 is attached, as shown in (b) of FIG. 10. That is, tags 1010 having different identification information may be provided at a plurality of different points in the indoor space 10 of the building 1000. The identification information of each tag and the location information of the point where the tag is attached may be matched with each other and exist in a database.

Furthermore, the tags 1010 may include location information matched to each tag 1010.

The robot R can recognize the tag 1010 provided in the space 10 using a sensor provided on the robot R. Through this recognition, the robot (R) can determine the current location of the robot (R) by extracting the location information included in the tag (1010). This extracted location information may be transmitted from the robot R to the cloud server 20 through the communication unit 110. Accordingly, the cloud server 20 can monitor the positions of robots running around the building 20 based on the position information received from the robot R that senses the tag.

Furthermore, the robot R may transmit identification information of the recognized tag 1010 to the cloud server 20. The cloud server 20 may extract location information matching the identification information of the tag 1010 from the database and monitor the location of the robot within the building 1000.

Meanwhile, the terminology for the tag 1010 described above may be named in various ways. For example, this tag 1010 can be variously named QR code, bar code, identification mark, etc. Meanwhile, the tag terminology discussed above can be replaced with “marker.”

In the following, among the methods of monitoring the position of the robot (R) located in the indoor space (10) of the building (1000), we will look at a method of monitoring the robot (R) using the identification sign provided on the robot (R). see.

Previously, we saw that various information about the robot (R) can be stored in the database. Various information about the robot R may include identification information (eg, serial number, TAG information, QR code information, etc.) for identifying the robot R located in the indoor space 10.

Meanwhile, identification information of the robot R may be included in an identification sign (or identification mark) provided on the robot R, as shown in FIG. 11. These identification marks can be sensed or scanned by the building control system 1000a and the facility infrastructure 200. As shown in Figures 11 (a), (b), and (c), the identification marks 1101, 1102, and 1103 of the robot R may include identification information of the robot. As shown, the identification marks (1101, 1102, 1103) include a barcode (1101), serial information (or serial information 1102), QR code (1103), RFID tag (not shown), or NFC tag (not shown). ) can be expressed as, etc. A barcode (1101), serial information (or serial information, 1102), QR code (1103), RFID tag (not shown), or NFC tag (not shown) is provided with (or attached to) an identification mark. It may be made to include identification information of the robot.

The identification information of the robot is information for distinguishing each robot, and even robots of the same type may have different identification information. Meanwhile, the information constituting the identification mark may be composed of various types of information in addition to the barcode, serial information, QR code, RFID tag (not shown), or NFC tag (not shown) discussed above.

The cloud server 20 extracts identification information of the robot R from images received from a camera placed in the indoor space 10, a camera installed in another robot, or a camera installed in the facility infrastructure, and extracts identification information of the robot R from the image received from a camera installed in the indoor space 10 ), you can identify and monitor the location of the robot. Meanwhile, the means for sensing the identification mark is not necessarily limited to a camera, and a sensing unit (for example, a scanning unit) may be used depending on the type of the identification mark. This sensing unit may be installed in at least one of the indoor space 10, robots, and facility infrastructure 200.

As an example, when an identification mark is sensed from an image captured by a camera, the cloud server 20 can determine the location of the robot R from the image received from the camera. At this time, the cloud server 20 is based on at least one of the location information where the camera is placed and the location information of the robot in the image (more precisely, the location information of the graphic object corresponding to the robot in the image captured with the robot as the subject). Thus, the location of the robot (R) can be determined.

On the database, identification information about the camera placed in the indoor space 10 may be matched with location information about the place where the camera is placed. Accordingly, the cloud server 20 can extract the location information of the robot R by extracting the location information matched with the identification information of the camera that captured the image from the database.

As another example, when an identification mark is sensed by the scanning unit, the cloud server 20 can determine the location on the robot R from the scan information sensed by the scanning unit. On the database, identification information on the scanning unit placed in the indoor space 10 may be matched with location information on the place where the scanning unit is placed. Accordingly, the cloud server 20 can extract the location information of the robot R by extracting location information matched to the scanning unit that scanned the identification mark provided on the robot from the database.

As seen above, in the building according to the present invention, it is possible to extract and monitor the location of the robot using various infrastructures provided in the building. Furthermore, the cloud server 20 monitors the location of the robot, making it possible to efficiently and accurately control the robot within the building.

Before explaining the robot control method according to the present invention, the robot included in the robot system according to the present invention will be described in more detail.

Figure 12 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the robot included in the robot system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 12, the robot may include a communication unit 1201, a storage unit 1202, a traveling unit 1203, a control unit 1204, and a sensor unit. Since the communication unit 1201 and the storage unit 1202 have been previously described, detailed descriptions will be omitted.

The traveling unit 1203 is configured to move the robot within space. The traveling unit 1203 is configured to control at least one of the moving direction and moving speed of the robot, and the control unit 1204 controls the traveling unit 1203 to allow the robot to travel along a set movement path.

The traveling unit 1203 can be controlled by the control unit 1204 and the cloud server 20 included in the robot. Unless otherwise limited in this specification, control of the robot by one of the control unit 1204 and the cloud server 20 included in the robot is also possible by the other.

Next, the control unit 1204 may be configured to control the overall operation of the robot related to the present invention. The control unit 1204 can process signals, data, information, etc. input or output through the components discussed above, or provide or process appropriate information or functions to the user. Unless otherwise defined herein, the control unit 1204 refers to a control unit provided in the robot.

Meanwhile, the control unit 1204 generates a control command based on the occurrence of a failure event related to an obstacle in the present invention, and uses at least one of the control command received from the server and the control command generated within the robot to create an avoidance path. creates . Unless otherwise specified herein, the second control command and avoidance path generation are performed by the control unit 1204 provided in the robot.

Meanwhile, each robot may include at least one sensor, and the at least one sensor periodically senses the surrounding environment and generates sensing information. The robot transmits the generated sensing information to the server.

The present invention can provide a robot control method and system that allows the robot to effectively cope with obstacles when performing control related to the running of the robot. Below, this will be looked at in more detail along with the attached drawings. Figure 13 is a flowchart for explaining the robot control method according to the present invention, and Figures 14 and 15 are conceptual diagrams showing the robot control method according to the present invention.

First, a step of receiving a first control command from the server proceeds (S110).

In this specification, unless otherwise specified, server refers to the cloud server 20. Meanwhile, the map refers to map information stored in the cloud server 20. The server transmits control commands related to the robot's driving to the robot.

The server generates a first control command that allows the robot to travel through the space within the building. For example, when a mission is assigned to a robot, the server generates a first control command that allows the robot to reach a destination in the building to perform the mission.

Control commands related to the robot's driving may include a driving path. The driving path may include path information defining the space within the building that the robot must pass through to reach the destination, and information related to at least one of the robot's driving direction, driving speed, rotation direction, and rotation speed.

For example, when a mission is assigned to a robot, the server specifies a destination in the building for the robot to perform the mission and sets a path for the robot to move to the destination. In addition, while the robot is traveling along the path, at least one of the traveling direction, traveling speed, rotation direction, and rotation speed of the robot is set according to the robot's position. At least one of the robot's traveling direction, traveling speed, rotation direction, and rotation speed may vary depending on the robot's location within the building. When setting a path for the robot to move to the destination, the server can also set the traveling direction, traveling speed, rotation direction, and rotation speed for each location of the robot. In contrast, the server can set only the path for the robot to move to the destination with priority, and then set the driving direction, driving speed, rotation direction, and rotation speed of the robot in real time according to the robot's location and transmit them to the robot.

Unless otherwise specified herein, the robot's control command includes path information, traveling direction information, traveling speed information, rotation direction information, and It may include at least one of rotation speed information.

In this specification, the first control command refers to a control command generated by the server and transmitted to the robot, and may include a driving path for the robot to reach the destination. However, the first control command is not limited to this, and may include all command information related to the running of the robot that is generated in the server and transmitted to the robot.

After receiving the first control command from the server, the robot travels in space based on the first control command. While a specific robot is traveling in the space, a step of performing sensing of the space may be performed. Based on this, a step of determining whether a failure event related to an obstacle located in the space has occurred based on the sensing information sensed by the specific robot is performed (S120).

The specific robot can travel in the space according to the first control command or an avoidance control command to be described later. That is, the control command that causes the specific robot to travel in the space may be a control command received from a server or a control command generated by the robot.

The specific robot is equipped with at least one sensor, and the at least one sensor can collect environmental information around the robot. The control unit included in the robot can determine whether a failure event related to an obstacle has occurred based on sensing information generated by the sensor unit included in the robot.

Robots and people coexist in the space within the building according to the present invention. Accordingly, from the robot's perspective, various obstacles exist in the space within the building. Specifically, people moving within a building, cargo carried by people, structures installed by people, etc. are obstacles that impede the robot's driving. In this specification, the type of obstacle is not specifically limited, and all objects that interfere with the robot's driving are referred to as obstacles.

However, if relevant information is registered on the server or an object can be controlled by the server, it is not defined as an obstacle. For example, the server may store structural information within a building and environmental information defining the location and size of infrastructure deployed within the building. Objects defined by the environment information are not defined as obstacles. Meanwhile, in the case of other running robots, they are not defined as obstacles because they are objects that can be controlled by the server.

Meanwhile, whether a failure event related to the obstacle occurs may be determined by the server. Specifically, the robot transmits sensing information generated by the sensor unit included in the robot to the server, and the server can determine whether a failure event has occurred based on the received sensing information.

In this specification, an obstacle-related obstacle event refers to a situation in which a robot cannot drive according to the first control command due to an obstacle placed in space.

For example, the obstacle event may mean a situation in which a collision between the robot and the obstacle is expected when an obstacle is detected on the robot's movement path and the robot travels along the robot's movement path.

For another example, the obstacle event may mean a situation in which a collision between the robot and the obstacle is expected when the obstacle moves in the direction where the robot is located and the robot does not avoid the moving obstacle.

However, it is not limited to this, and a failure event related to an obstacle refers to any situation in which the robot cannot perform control according to the first control command received from the server due to the obstacle.

Based on the occurrence of the failure event, a step of generating a second control command related to the failure event is performed (S130).

The second control command refers to a control command generated by a control unit included in the robot. That is, when a failure event occurs in the robot, the control unit included in the robot can generate a new control command that is different from the first control command.

The second control command may be a control command that causes the robot to be driven differently from at least one of the traveling direction, traveling speed, rotation direction, and rotation speed according to the first control command. The second control command may include a driving path, and the driving path included in the second control command may be path information defining a space within the building that the robot must pass through in order to reach the destination within the building. , may include at least one of driving direction information, driving speed information, rotation direction information, and rotation speed information.

For example, the first control command may be a control command that causes the robot to travel in the first direction for 3 seconds. The second control command may be a control command that causes the robot to travel in a second direction opposite to the first direction for 1 second.

Meanwhile, the destination included in the driving path corresponding to the first control command may be different from the destination included in the driving path corresponding to the second control command. For example, the destination included in the driving path corresponding to the first control command may be a point in a building where the robot must move to perform the mission, and the destination included in the driving path corresponding to the second control command may be a point in the building where the robot must move to perform the mission. It may be a point in the building that can be completely avoided.

The second control command generated within the robot may be a control command generated through a simple algorithm. Specifically, the control unit included in the robot can generate a simple control command to avoid the obstacle when an obstacle-related failure event occurs.

For example, a control unit included in the robot may generate a control command that allows the robot to travel in a direction opposite to the direction in which the obstacle is detected.

For another example, the control unit included in the robot may generate a control command to stop the robot for a preset time when an obstacle is detected.

For another example, the control unit included in the robot may generate a control command to reduce the traveling speed by 50% when an obstacle is detected.

Meanwhile, the control unit included in the robot can create a driving path that can avoid the failure event. Accordingly, the second control command may include information related to the driving path.

As described above, when a failure event occurs, the control unit included in the robot can generate control commands to quickly avoid the failure event by minimizing the amount of calculation.

Next, based on the first and second control commands, a step of generating an avoidance path for the failure event (S140) is performed, and a step of controlling the specific robot to move along the avoidance path. (S150) is performed.

The control unit included in the robot generates an avoidance path based on at least one of the driving paths corresponding to each of the first and second control commands.

Here, the avoidance path can be created in two major ways.

First, it can be generated by combining the first and second control commands. Specifically, the control unit included in the robot may generate an avoidance control command by combining a first control command received from the server and a second control command generated within the robot. Specifically, the first and second control commands may include information related to at least one of the robot's traveling speed, traveling direction, traveling distance, and traveling path. The server can control at least one of the robot's traveling speed, traveling direction, traveling distance, and traveling path by transmitting a control command to the robot.

In one embodiment, when each of the first and second control commands includes information related to the traveling speed and direction of the robot, the avoidance control command generated by combining the first and second control commands is the It may include a driving speed and a driving path that combine the driving speed and driving direction included in each of the first and second control commands.

In another embodiment, when each of the first and second control commands includes information related to the driving path of the robot, the control unit included in the robot controls one of the driving paths corresponding to each of the first and second control commands. An avoidance route can be created based on at least one.

As described above, the control unit included in the robot combines the first and second control commands to generate an avoidance control command including at least one of the robot's travel speed, travel direction, travel distance, and travel path. . For convenience of explanation, in this specification, ‘the control unit included in the robot generates an avoidance control command’ and ‘the control unit included in the robot generates an avoidance path’ can be used interchangeably with the same meaning. Accordingly, the expression ‘the control unit included in the robot creates an avoidance path’ can be interpreted as ‘the control unit included in the robot generates an avoidance control command.’

Referring to FIG. 14, when the robot (R) detects an obstacle (1401) that appears around the robot, the control unit included in the robot (R) moves in a second direction (1423) different from the first direction (1421) in which the robot was traveling. ) can generate a second control command to drive. The control unit included in the robot may consider both the existing robot's driving path 1410 and the second control command and generate an avoidance path 1411.

However, the avoidance path 1411 is not limited to this, and the avoidance path 1411 may not be generated by the control unit, but may be a driving trajectory of the robot as a result of avoidance control to avoid the obstacle 1401. Specifically, when the robot (R) detects an obstacle (1401) that appears around the robot, the control unit included in the robot (R) moves the robot in a second direction (1423) different from the first direction (1421) in which the robot was traveling. A second control command to do so can be generated. The control unit included in the robot may consider both the existing robot's travel path 1410 and the second control command and generate an avoidance control command including the robot's travel speed and travel direction for obstacle avoidance. After the robot completely avoids the obstacle, the control unit included in the robot may perform control to return the robot to its existing travel path 1410. Accordingly, the robot's traveling trajectory can be formed as shown in 1411.

Meanwhile, the control unit included in the robot combines information related to at least one of the traveling direction, traveling speed, rotation direction, and rotation speed corresponding to each of the first and second control commands, and performs traveling corresponding to the first and second control commands. You can create a driving route by combining routes.

More specifically, referring to (a) of FIG. 15, the first control command is composed of a first vector 1521a that defines the traveling direction and traveling speed of the robot, and the second control command is configured to define the traveling direction and traveling speed of the robot. When comprised of a second vector 1522a defining speed, the avoidance path may be defined as a composite vector 1523a of the first and second vectors.

Meanwhile, in generating an avoidance path by combining the first and second control commands, the control unit included in the robot applies weight to each of the first and second control commands based on sensing information generated by the sensor unit included in the robot. can be set. Accordingly, the avoidance path can be created considering the weights set for each of the first and second control commands.

The weight given to each of the first and second control commands is the location related to the failure event, the distance between the specific robot and the location related to the failure event, the time for the specific robot to reach the location related to the failure event, It can be set based on at least one of the type of failure event, the movement speed of the object related to the failure event, the movement direction of the object related to the failure event, and whether the first control command is generated in consideration of the failure event. .

In one embodiment, the control unit included in the robot may calculate the distance between the robot and the obstacle based on the sensing information, and set a weight for each of the first and second control commands based on the distance. Specifically, the controller may set the weight for the first control command to be large and the weight for the second control command to be small as the distance between the robot and the obstacle is long. Furthermore, if the distance between the robot and the obstacle exceeds a predetermined distance, the controller may control the robot according to the first control command without generating the second control command.

Referring to (b) of FIG. 15, when the distance d2 between the robot R and the obstacle 1501 is within the reference distance, the weight of the vector 1522b corresponding to the second control command is added to the first control command. It is set larger than the weight of the corresponding vector (1521b). Accordingly, the composite vector 1523b is generated similarly to the vector 1522b corresponding to the second control command.

On the other hand, referring to (c) of FIG. 15, when the distance d3 between the robot R and the obstacle 1501 exceeds the reference distance, the weight of the vector 1522c corresponding to the second control command is It is set larger than the weight of the vector 1521c corresponding to 1 control command. Accordingly, the composite vector 1523c is generated similarly to the vector 1521c corresponding to the first control command.

In another embodiment, the control unit included in the robot may set a weight for each of the first and second control commands based on the speed at which the obstacle moves in the direction of the robot. Specifically, the controller may set the weight for the first control command to be small and the weight for the second control command to be large as the speed of the obstacle is fast.

In another embodiment, the control unit included in the robot calculates the expected collision time between the robot and the obstacle based on the speed of the robot, the speed of the obstacle, and the distance between the obstacle and the robot, and the expected collision time Based on , weights can be set for each of the first and second control commands. Specifically, the shorter the expected collision time, the control unit may set the weight for the first control command to be small and the weight for the second control command to be large.

Meanwhile, if the sensing information satisfies a preset condition, avoidance of the failure event may be performed based on the second control command.

In one embodiment, when the distance between the robot and the obstacle is within a preset range, the control unit included in the robot controls at least one of the traveling path, traveling direction, traveling speed, rotation direction, and rotation speed included in the second control command. Avoidance of obstacles can be performed using related information.

In another embodiment, when at least one of the speed of the robot and the speed of the obstacle moves faster than the reference speed, avoidance may be performed only with the second control command.

In another embodiment, the control unit included in the robot calculates the expected collision time between the robot and the obstacle based on the speed of the robot, the speed of the obstacle, and the distance between the obstacle and the robot, and the expected collision time is If it is less than the reference time, avoidance can be performed only with the second control command.

According to the present invention, when an unexpected situation (for example, an obstacle suddenly appears) occurs while the robot is running, a control command received in advance from the server that does not take into account the unexpected situation and a command to avoid the obstacle detected by the robot are provided. By proposing a method that considers all control commands, the robot can avoid failure events due to various unexpected situations. At this time, the present invention can set the weights of the control command generated by the server and the control command generated by the robot differently in consideration of the time available to deal with the obstacle. Through this, the robot controlled by the present invention prioritizes quick avoidance of obstacles when there is not enough time to deal with obstacles, and when there is enough time to deal with obstacles, it minimizes deviation from the preset driving path. By allowing the robot to cope with obstacles, it is possible to respond appropriately to the robot's situation.

Meanwhile, the server may modify the first control command based on the occurrence of the failure event and transmit the modified first control command to the robot. In this case, the avoidance path may be created by combining the driving path corresponding to the modified first control command and the driving path corresponding to the second control command.

Figure 16 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of avoiding obstacles using control commands modified by the server and control commands generated within the robot.

At this time, the weight given to the unmodified first control command is higher than the weight given to the modified first control command, and the weight given to the modified first control command is higher than the weight given to the second control command. It can be high. In other words, the control unit included in the robot can create an avoidance route by giving priority to the modified control command received from the server.

Referring to FIG. 16, when a failure event occurs, the server generates a correction vector 1624 by correcting the traveling speed and direction included in the vector 1621 that defines the conventional traveling speed and direction. The control unit may generate a composite vector 1623 by combining the correction vector 1624 and the vector 1622 corresponding to the second control command.

As described above, the present invention can avoid failure events by utilizing both control commands generated from the server and control commands generated within the robot.

Meanwhile, as a second method of generating an avoidance path, the present invention can generate an avoidance path by utilizing only one of a control command generated from a server and a control command generated within the robot.

Figure 17 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of avoiding an obstacle by selecting one of a control command modified by the server and a control command generated within the robot.

Specifically, the control unit included in the robot sets priorities to each of the first and second control commands, and the avoidance path is formed according to the priorities set to each of the first and second control commands. One of the driving paths corresponding to each of the two control commands may be selected.

In one embodiment, referring to (a) of FIG. 17, the control unit included in the robot calculates the distance between the robot and the obstacle based on the sensing information, and performs the first and second controls based on the distance. You can set priorities for each command. Specifically, if the distance d1 between the robot R and the obstacle 1601 is within the reference distance, the control unit determines the priority for the second control command 1622b to the first control command 1621a. It can be set higher than the priority. In contrast, referring to (b) of FIG. 17, when the distance d2 between the robot R and the obstacle 1601 exceeds the reference distance, the control unit determines the priority for the first control command 1621b. can be set higher than the priority for the second control command 1622b.

In another embodiment, the control unit included in the robot may set priorities to each of the first and second control commands based on the current speed of the robot or the speed at which the obstacle moves in the direction of the robot. Specifically, when either the speed of the robot or the speed of the obstacle is within the reference speed, the control unit may set the priority of the first control command to be higher than the priority of the second control command. In contrast, when either the speed of the robot or the speed of the obstacle exceeds the reference speed, the control unit may set the priority of the second control command to be higher than the priority of the first control command. .

In another embodiment, the control unit included in the robot calculates the expected collision time between the robot and the obstacle based on the speed of the robot, the speed of the obstacle, and the distance between the obstacle and the robot, and the expected collision time Based on this, priorities can be set for each of the first and second control commands. Specifically, if the expected collision time is within the reference time, the control unit may set the priority for the first control command to be higher than the priority for the second control command. Alternatively, if the expected collision time exceeds the reference time, the control unit may set the priority of the first control command to be higher than the priority of the second control command.

When the priority corresponding to the first control command is set high among the priorities of each of the first and second control commands, the control unit maintains the driving path according to the first control command, and the fault is transmitted from the server. Receive new control commands related to event avoidance. Thereafter, the controller may perform control related to avoidance of the failure event based on the new control command.

As described above, according to the present invention, when an obstacle suddenly appears while the robot is running, the obstacle is removed based on either a control command generated by the server or a control command generated by the robot, taking into account the time available to deal with the obstacle. Avoid. Through this, if there is not enough time to deal with an obstacle, quick avoidance of the obstacle is prioritized, and if there is enough time to deal with the obstacle, the preset driving path is maintained and new control commands are received from the server at the same time. Allows you to avoid events.

Meanwhile, the present invention controls the robot to move along the avoidance path and then allows the robot to return to the existing path.

Figure 18 is a conceptual diagram showing a robot returning to an existing path after avoiding an error event.

The control unit or server generates a return path so that the specific robot returns to the driving path corresponding to the first control command after traveling along the avoidance path, and the specific robot performs the first control along the return path. Control related to the specific robot may be performed to return to the driving path corresponding to the command.

When an avoidance path is created by combining the first control command and the second control command, or an obstacle event is avoided based on the second control command, the existing robot deviates from the travel path on which it was traveling. The control unit or server can create a return path that allows the robot to return to its existing driving path.

For example, referring to FIG. 18, after the robot R travels along the avoidance path 1823 to avoid the obstacle 1801, the server returns to the original path 1810 of the robot R. A route 1825 can be created.

As described above, the present invention generates only a short return path that allows the robot to return to the existing driving path to the robot's destination after avoiding a suddenly appearing obstacle, thereby creating a new path to the destination each time the robot avoids an obstacle. Avoid creating driving routes. Through this, the present invention can prevent the server's computational resources from being consumed unnecessarily, enhance the stability of the robot, and improve the performance of the robot.

Meanwhile, the present invention can track specific obstacles in space and set a driving path for specific obstacles. In this case, avoid creating an avoidance path related to a specific obstacle.

Figure 19 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment in which obstacles are tracked and reflected in the robot driving path.

Specifically, the server specifies an obstacle to be tracked based on sensing information received from the robot and generates the first control command based on information related to the obstacle to be tracked. In other words, the server can continuously track a specific obstacle and create the robot's driving path by considering the obstacle being tracked.

At this time, tracking the obstacle may be performed using not only the sensor provided in at least one robot deployed in the building, but also the infrastructure deployed in the building. For example, the server can detect obstacles in video information collected through CCTV placed on the inside walls of a building and continuously track the location of the detected obstacles. Through this, the present invention can utilize the infrastructure within the building to prevent obstacles that the server does not recognize from suddenly interfering with the robot's driving.

In this case, the control unit or server determines whether a failure event has occurred based on information related to obstacles other than the obstacle to be tracked. That is, the control unit or server may not create an avoidance path for the obstacle being tracked.

For example, referring to FIG. 19, the robot R travels along a path 1911 different from the existing path 1910a to avoid the first obstacle 1901, and then returns to the conventional driving path 1910b. Come back. The server performs tracking of the second obstacle 1902 based on the sensing information received from the robot R. The server sets the driving paths 1910a and 1910b in consideration of the obstacle being tracked, and does not create a separate avoidance path for the second obstacle 1902.

As described above, the present invention tracks a specific obstacle and sets the robot's driving path in consideration of the obstacle being tracked, thereby minimizing sudden changes in the robot's driving path to avoid obstacles.

Meanwhile, the present invention discussed above can be implemented as a program that is executed by one or more processes on a computer and can be stored in a medium that can be read by such a computer.

Furthermore, the present invention discussed above can be implemented as computer-readable codes or instructions on a program-recorded medium. That is, various control methods according to the present invention may be provided in the form of programs, either integrated or individually.

Meanwhile, computer-readable media includes all types of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable media include HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Disk), SDD (Silicon Disk Drive), ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, etc. There is.

Furthermore, the computer-readable medium may be a server or cloud storage that includes storage and can be accessed by electronic devices through communication. In this case, the computer can download the program according to the present invention from a server or cloud storage through wired or wireless communication.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the computer described above is an electronic device equipped with a processor, that is, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and there is no particular limitation on its type.

Meanwhile, the above detailed description should not be construed as restrictive in all respects and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (21)

In a method of controlling the movement of a robot traveling in space,
Receiving a first control command related to driving of the robot from a server;
performing sensing of the space while the robot is traveling in the space;
generating, at the robot, a second control command related to avoidance of the obstacle based on information related to an obstacle located in the space among sensing information sensed by the robot;
Generating an avoidance control command for the obstacle based on at least one of the first and second control commands; and
And performing control on the robot to move according to the avoidance control command,
The step of generating the avoidance control command is,
Setting weights for each of the first and second control commands based on the sensing information; and
Considering the weights set for each of the first and second control commands, generating the avoidance control command in which the first and second control commands are combined,
When receiving a modified first control command from the server based on the occurrence of a failure event related to the obstacle, the weight assigned to the modified first control command is higher than the weight assigned to the second control command. Characterized robot control method. According to paragraph 1,
Further comprising determining whether the failure event has occurred based on sensing information sensed by the robot,
The step of generating an avoidance control command for the failure event includes:
A robot control method, characterized in that it is performed based on at least one of the first and second control commands. According to paragraph 2,
The avoidance control command is,
A robot control method characterized in that it is generated by combining information related to at least one of the traveling direction, traveling speed, rotation direction, and rotation speed corresponding to each of the first and second control commands. delete According to paragraph 3,
The weight given to each of the first and second control commands is the location related to the failure event, the distance between the robot and the location related to the failure event, the time for the robot to reach the location related to the failure event, and the failure event. Characterized in that it is set based on at least one of the type, the movement speed of the object related to the failure event, the movement direction of the object related to the failure event, and whether the first control command is generated in consideration of the failure event. How to control a robot. According to paragraph 3,
Further comprising calculating an expected collision time between the robot and the obstacle based on the sensing information,
A robot control method characterized in that, when the expected collision time satisfies a preset condition, avoidance of the failure event is performed based on the second control command. According to paragraph 1,
When receiving the modified first control command, the avoidance control command is:
A robot control method characterized in that it is generated by combining a driving path corresponding to the modified first control command and a driving path corresponding to the second control command. delete In a method of controlling the movement of a robot traveling in space,
Receiving a first control command related to driving of the robot from a server;
performing sensing of the space while the robot is traveling in the space;
generating, at the robot, a second control command related to avoidance of the obstacle based on information related to an obstacle located in the space among sensing information sensed by the robot;
Based on at least one of the first and second control commands, generating an avoidance control command for an obstacle event related to the obstacle; and
And performing control on the robot to move according to the avoidance control command,
The step of generating the avoidance control command is,
Setting priorities to each of the first and second control commands; and
Comprising: selecting one of the driving paths corresponding to each of the first and second control commands, according to the priorities set for each of the first and second control commands,
When the priority corresponding to the first control command is set high among the priorities of each of the first and second control commands, the control related to avoidance of the failure event is,
A robot control method, characterized in that it is performed based on a new control command related to the failure event received from the server. According to clause 9,
The above priorities are:
The location associated with the failure event, the distance between the robot and the location associated with the failure event, the time for the robot to reach the location associated with the failure event, the type of the failure event, the movement speed of the object associated with the failure event, the A robot control method characterized in that it is set based on at least one of the movement direction of an object related to a failure event and whether the first control command is generated in consideration of the failure event. delete According to paragraph 1,
After the robot travels according to the avoidance control command, generating a return path that allows the robot to return to the travel path corresponding to the first control command; and
A robot control method further comprising performing control related to the robot so that the robot returns to a travel path corresponding to the first control command along the return path. According to paragraph 2,
Further comprising specifying an obstacle to be tracked based on the sensing information received from the robot,
The first control command is generated based on information related to the obstacle to be tracked,
The step of determining whether a failure event occurs based on sensing information sensed by the robot while the robot is traveling based on the first control command includes:
A robot control method characterized in that it is performed based on information related to obstacles other than the obstacle to be tracked. In a system for controlling the movement of a robot traveling in space,
a communication unit that receives a first control command related to driving of the robot from a server; and
While the robot is traveling in the space, sensing the space is performed,
Based on information related to an obstacle located in the space among the sensing information sensed by the robot, generate a second control command related to avoidance of the obstacle,
Based on at least one of the first and second control commands, generate an avoidance control command for the obstacle,
It includes a control unit that controls the robot to move according to the avoidance control command,
The control unit,
Based on the sensing information, set a weight for each of the first and second control commands,
Considering the weights set for each of the first and second control commands, generating the avoidance control command in which the first and second control commands are combined,
When receiving a modified first control command from the server based on the occurrence of a failure event related to the obstacle, the weight assigned to the modified first control command is higher than the weight assigned to the second control command. Characterized by a robot control system. A program that is executed by one or more processes in an electronic device and stored on a computer-readable medium,
The above program is,
Receiving a first control command related to driving of the robot from a server;
With the robot traveling in space, performing sensing of the space;
generating, at the robot, a second control command related to avoidance of the obstacle based on information related to an obstacle located in the space among sensing information sensed by the robot;
Generating an avoidance control command for the obstacle based on at least one of the first and second control commands; and
Includes instructions for performing the step of controlling the robot to move according to the avoidance control command,
The step of generating the avoidance control command is,
Setting weights for each of the first and second control commands based on the sensing information; and
Considering the weights set for each of the first and second control commands, generating the avoidance control command in which the first and second control commands are combined,
When receiving a modified first control command from the server based on the occurrence of a failure event related to the obstacle, the weight assigned to the modified first control command is higher than the weight assigned to the second control command. A program stored on a computer-readable medium characterized by: In a building where a robot controlled by a cloud server runs,
The building is,
A communication unit that receives a first control command related to the driving of the robot from the cloud server and transmits it to the robot,
The cloud server is,
While the robot is traveling in a space within the building, it performs sensing of the space,
Generating a second control command related to avoidance of the obstacle based on information related to an obstacle located in the space among the sensing information sensed by the robot,
Based on at least one of the first and second control commands, generate an avoidance control command for the obstacle and control the robot to move according to the avoidance control command,
Based on the sensing information, set a weight for each of the first and second control commands,
Considering the weights set for each of the first and second control commands, generating the avoidance control command in which the first and second control commands are combined,
When receiving a modified first control command from the cloud server based on the occurrence of a failure event related to the obstacle, the weight assigned to the modified first control command is higher than the weight assigned to the second control command. A building characterized by the following. According to clause 16,
The cloud server is,
Based on the sensing information sensed by the robot, determine whether a failure event related to the obstacle has occurred,
After the robot travels according to the avoidance control command, a return path is generated so that the robot returns to the travel path corresponding to the first control command,
A building, characterized in that performing control related to the robot so that the robot returns to a travel path corresponding to the first control command along the return path. According to clause 17,
The cloud server generates an avoidance control command for the failure event based on at least one of the driving paths corresponding to each of the first and second control commands. In a system for controlling the movement of a robot traveling in space,
a communication unit that receives a first control command related to driving of the robot from a server; and
While the robot is traveling in the space, sensing the space is performed,
Based on information related to an obstacle located in the space among the sensing information sensed by the robot, generate a second control command related to avoidance of the obstacle,
Based on at least one of the first and second control commands, generate an avoidance control command for an obstacle event related to the obstacle,
It includes a control unit that controls the robot to move according to the avoidance control command,
The control unit,
Setting priorities for each of the first and second control commands,
According to the priority set for each of the first and second control commands, select one of the driving paths corresponding to each of the first and second control commands,
When the priority corresponding to the first control command is set high among the priorities of each of the first and second control commands, the control related to avoiding the failure event is,
A robot control system, characterized in that it is performed based on a new control command related to the failure event received from the server. A program that is executed by one or more processes in an electronic device and stored on a computer-readable medium,
The above program is,
Receiving a first control command related to driving of the robot from a server;
With the robot traveling in space, performing sensing of the space;
generating, at the robot, a second control command related to avoidance of the obstacle based on information related to an obstacle located in the space among sensing information sensed by the robot;
Based on at least one of the first and second control commands, generating an avoidance control command for an obstacle event related to the obstacle; and
Includes instructions for performing the step of controlling the robot to move according to the avoidance control command,
The step of generating the avoidance control command is,
setting priorities to each of the first and second control commands; and
Comprising: selecting one of the driving paths corresponding to each of the first and second control commands, according to the priorities set for each of the first and second control commands,
When the priority corresponding to the first control command is set high among the priorities of each of the first and second control commands, the control related to avoiding the failure event is,
A program stored on a computer-readable medium, characterized in that it is executed based on a new control command related to the failure event received from the server. In a building where a robot controlled by a cloud server runs,
The building is,
A communication unit that receives a first control command related to the driving of the robot from the cloud server and transmits it to the robot,
The cloud server is,
While the robot is traveling in a space within the building, it performs sensing of the space,
Generating a second control command related to avoidance of the obstacle based on information related to an obstacle located in the space among the sensing information sensed by the robot,
Based on at least one of the first and second control commands, generate an avoidance control command for an obstacle event related to the obstacle, and control the robot to move according to the avoidance control command,
Setting priorities for each of the first and second control commands,
According to the priority set for each of the first and second control commands, select one of the driving paths corresponding to each of the first and second control commands,
When the priority corresponding to the first control command is set high among the priorities of each of the first and second control commands, the control related to avoiding the failure event is,
A building, characterized in that it is performed based on a new control command related to the failure event received from the server.

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