KR20070116535A - Method for estimating position of moving robot and apparatus thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for estimating a position of a moving robot, and a device thereof are provided to increase position estimating accuracy of the moving robot by detecting a signal generated by a signal generating unit, accurately and to detect an obstacle by the moving robot as the moving rotor is moved to a target point accurately. A method for estimating a position of a moving robot includes a step of receiving first and second signals sent from a predetermined signal generating unit, by a sensor detecting the first signal and by at least three sensors sensing the second signal; a step of calculating a sending distance to each sensor receiving the second signal, by using time information detected by the first signal(310); and a step of computing a position of the signal generating unit from the sending distance(320). The second signal is sent at least twice from the signal generating unit. The sensor detecting the second signal computes an amplifying condition of the second signal sent later according to a measuring result of the second signal which is sent firstly. The sending distance is computed by using information about difference of a receiving field for the first and second signals.

Description

Method and apparatus for estimating position of moving robot and apparatus

1 is a view showing a configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a view showing the interworking of a signal and a moving function according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a view showing the interaction between the remote control and the robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a diagram illustrating a method of receiving a second signal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 illustrates amplification of a second signal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a diagram illustrating a process of determining whether to amplify based on a signal level according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a waveform detection process of a received signal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a process of estimating h using t1 and t2 calculated through the processes of FIGS. 6 and 7.

9 is a view illustrating a process of measuring a reception time of a measurement signal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a diagram illustrating a process of determining a situation using distance information according to a result of sensing by a sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a region divided according to the position of the sensor of FIG. 10.

12 illustrates a process of calculating a position of a remote control when there is no obstacle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates a process of calculating a position of a remote control using two sensors when there is an obstacle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

14 is a flowchart according to an embodiment of the present invention.

15 is a view showing the components of the robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

510: level measurement unit 520: amplification value determination unit

530: measurement signal detection unit 540: time calculation unit

900: peak time measurement unit 910: envelope detection unit

920: differentiator 930: comparator

1500: robot 1505: first signal receiving unit

1510, 1511, and 1512: second signal receiver 1520: distance calculator

1530: amplification value determination unit 1540: peak time measurement unit

1550: obstacle determination unit 1560: moving unit

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for estimating a position of a mobile robot, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for estimating a position of a mobile robot using a signal transmitted through a signal generator.

Many devices perform their functions in fixed locations. However, when not fixed, the function may not be exhibited efficiently. Recently, as the development of a moving robot progresses, interest and research on the movement of the robot are increasing.

By the way, in the operation of moving the robot, it is difficult to accurately display the position desired by the user, but it is also difficult to move the robot to the position. In the related art, a method of manually moving a robot or manipulating it with a remote controller has been proposed to move the robot.

When using a remote control, there is an advantage that the user can control the robot remotely, but it has been difficult to automatically control the robot to accurately grasp the position of the robot to avoid obstacles or to move to the desired position. Looking at Korean Laid-Open Patent No. 2002-0049784, the cleaning robot is controlled through a remote control, but it is complicated to implement a calculation process by attaching a separate sensor to avoid obstacles. It also happens that the signal is obscured by obstacles and cannot be extracted properly.

Therefore, there is a need for a method that enables accurate detection of signals in order to accurately locate the robot when using a remote control.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to accurately detect a signal transmitted by a signal generator and to increase the accuracy of position estimation of a mobile robot.

Still another object of the present invention is to make it possible to determine the obstacle while moving accurately to the target point in the movement of the robot.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for estimating a position of a mobile robot includes a sensor for receiving the first signal and a second signal, which are provided in a mobile robot and a first signal and a second signal transmitted from a predetermined signal transmission device. Receiving the first and second signals by at least three receiving sensors; Calculating a transmission distance to each sensor that receives the second signal using the time information extracted from the first signal; Calculating a position of the mobile robot from the transmission distance, wherein the second signal is transmitted from the signal transmission device two or more times, and each sensor detecting the second signal is configured to receive the first received second signal. The amplification of the second signal to be received later is calculated according to the measurement result.

An apparatus for estimating a position of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a first signal receiver configured to receive a first signal transmitted from a predetermined signal transmitter; Three or more second signal receivers for receiving a second signal transmitted from the signal transmitter; A distance calculator configured to calculate a transmission distance to each sensor that receives the second signal using the time information extracted from the first signal; And a position calculator for calculating a position of the mobile robot from the transmission distance, wherein the second signal is transmitted two or more times from the signal transmission device, and the distance calculator is a second signal first received by the second signal receiver. And an amplifying value determination unit calculating whether to amplify a second signal to be received later according to the measurement result of the signal.

Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and the drawings.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but can be implemented in various different forms, and only the embodiments make the disclosure of the present invention complete, and the general knowledge in the art to which the present invention belongs. It is provided to fully inform the person having the scope of the invention, which is defined only by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings for a block diagram or a processing flowchart for explaining a method and apparatus for estimating a position of a mobile robot according to embodiments of the present invention. At this point, it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and combinations of flowchart illustrations may be performed by computer program instructions. Since these computer program instructions may be mounted on a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, those instructions executed through the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment may be described in flow chart block (s). It creates a means to perform the functions. These computer program instructions may be stored in a computer usable or computer readable memory that can be directed to a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to implement functionality in a particular manner, and thus the computer usable or computer readable memory. It is also possible for the instructions stored in to produce an article of manufacture containing instruction means for performing the functions described in the flowchart block (s). Computer program instructions may also be mounted on a computer or other programmable data processing equipment, such that a series of operating steps are performed on the computer or other programmable data processing equipment to create a computer-implemented process to create a computer or other programmable data. Instructions for performing the processing equipment may also provide steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block (s).

In addition, each block may represent a portion of a module, segment, or code that includes one or more executable instructions for executing a specified logical function (s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, the two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the corresponding function.

1 is a view showing a configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the signal generator 110 transmits two kinds of signals 130 to the robot 120. The signal generator 110 may generate a signal at a fixed position such as a wall surface, but preferably, from the signal generator 110 capable of moving, such as a remote controller 110 operable by a user as shown in FIG. 1. Generate a signal. The two kinds of signals can be divided by speed. For example, in the case of an RF signal, it takes little time from transmission to reception. And other types, for example, signals such as ultrasonic signals having a time difference enough to measure a distance. By generating two types of signals, the robot 120 may move by detecting the position of the remote control 110.

In addition, by transmitting signals from a plurality of locations using the remote control 110, the mobile robot 120 may store the location of the remote control 110 for each. The mobile robot 120 moves from the plurality of stored positions in accordance with the movement path pattern formed by forming the movement path pattern. For example, in the case of the cleaning robot 120, the user sends a signal from the remote control 110 at each corner point for the area to be cleaned. Then, the position of each point calculated by the above-described method is stored in the cleaning robot. A cleaning path pattern of the cleaning robot 120 may be formed from the stored positions, and cleaning may be performed while moving the cleaning robot according to the cleaning path pattern. The movement path pattern may be formed in a closed curve connecting the positions of the plurality of signal generators. For example, when a carpet is to be cleaned by a cleaning robot, the user sends signals sequentially using the remote control at four corner positions of the carpet. At this time, the mobile robot calculates and stores four positions of the remote control from the signal transmitted from each position. In this case, a rectangular closed curve having a shape of a carpet may be formed from four positions, and a moving path of the cleaning robot may be generated in a zigzag or spiral shape within the formed closed curve. At this time, the movement path should be created in the closed curve so that the entire area of the carpet can be cleaned.

2 is a view showing the interworking of a signal and a moving function according to an embodiment of the present invention. The remote control 230 generates two kinds of signals and transmits them to the robot 250. The sensors 251, 252, 254, and 256 of the robot 250 may include a signal 262 generated by the first signal generator 210 and a signal 264 generated by the second signal generator 220 of the remote control. 266). For example, when the first signal generator 210 generates a radio frequency (RF) or infrared (IR) signal and at the same time the second signal generator 220 generates an ultrasonic signal, the first signal generator 210 generates an RF signal. Due to the characteristics of the signal, the first signal generator 210 transmits a signal and the robot 250 detects the first signal, while the second signal arrives at the sensor of the robot 250 after a predetermined time in the case of ultrasound. Therefore, the distance and position of the remote control can be calculated by calculating the time point at which the first signal is received and the time point at which the second signal is received. Meanwhile, in FIG. 2, two ultrasonic signals are transmitted to improve reception accuracy of the ultrasonic signal, and whether the ultrasonic signal is amplified through an AGC (Auto Gain Control) signal, that is, the ultrasonic signal 264 transmitted first. Alternatively, the amplification magnitude may be set, and then the measurement signal, which is the ultrasonic signal 266 that is sensed, may be detected.

When transmitting two signals as shown in Figure 2, it can be a standard for determining how to amplify when the ultrasonic signal is distorted or the waveform is lowered. In addition, by transmitting two different signals, distance information can be accurately calculated by increasing the accuracy of signal detection. When detecting the signal generated by the second signal generator 220, the robot 250 uses a plurality of sensors 252, 254, and 256 for accurate determination of the distance information. As described above, the time required to receive the second signal through the first signal can be calculated. As a result, each sensor 252, 254, and 256 can determine the length L1, L2, L3 to the remote control. Can be calculated Calculate the location of the remote control by calculating the distance between the sensors and L1, L2, L3. Three sensors can be used, and as the number of sensors increases, the accuracy of the distance can be proportional. However, the increase in the number of sensors and the amount of calculation may be a trade off. In the present specification, a case in which three sensors receive the second signal and one sensor receive the first signal will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A method of measuring distance using a plurality of sensors will be described later.

3 is a view showing the interaction between the remote control and the robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The remote control 310 transmits a first signal and a second signal when the user presses a button of the remote control. The first signal and the second signal may be transmitted simultaneously or sequentially. The first signal and the second signal may be transmitted in a manner previously agreed with the robot 320.

The robot 320 receives the first signal and records t which is the received time. Then, the reception time of the received second signal is measured. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the received time may vary according to a sensor. 3 illustrates a case where a1, a2, and a3, which are reception times of a second signal, are measured using three sensors. Then, the distance to the remote control is calculated using the reception time t and a1, a2, a3 of the previously recorded first signal. In addition, the position of the robot may be calculated based on the remote control by calculating distance and angle information (R, θ) which are positions of the remote control.

4 is a diagram illustrating a method of receiving a second signal according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the conventional method 410, when a sensor generates a signal equal to or greater than a threshold, the sensor determines that a new signal is generated and detects the corresponding signal. However, in this case, when the signal size decreases due to various factors such as a change in the distance between the transmitter and the receiver or a change in the direction of the transmitter, the signal may be detected at a lower level than the reference value. In this case, the signal may not be detected. . Therefore, the present specification proposes one example for detecting a signal.

In operation 450, the second signal illustrated in FIG. 2 is divided into two signals. If the AGC signal 452 is detected after the first signal, the amount of amplification required to detect the second signal can be calculated. According to the calculated degree of amplification, the received measurement signal 454 may be amplified and detected.

5 illustrates amplification of a second signal according to an embodiment of the present invention. This amplification mechanism can be implemented in the sensors 252, 254, 256 of FIG. 2. The second signal is received through the amplifier 550. The first received signal becomes an AGC signal. The level measuring unit 510 detects the magnitude and saturation degree (the degree of reaching the threshold value) of the received AGC signal. The amplification value determination unit 520 determines the amplification value for the measurement signal to be received in the future by using the data determined by the level measurement unit 510. This decision is fed back to the amplifier 550.

If the measurement signal is received after a predetermined time, the amplifier 550 amplifies the signal according to the determined amplification value. The amplified signal is determined by the measurement signal detector 530 to determine whether it is a measurement signal. When the signal is determined to be a measurement signal, the time signal received by the time calculator 540 is detected. The detected time may be a1, a2, a3 as shown in FIG. 3, and the position of the remote control may be calculated by comparing the reception time of the measurement signal measured by each sensor.

6 is a diagram illustrating a process of determining whether to amplify based on a signal level according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 shows amplification when the threshold is not reached.

The sensed signal satisfies one of several regions within the signal level as shown in FIG. 6. In this case, the determination basis may be the height h of the envelope 610 of the signal. In the case of a signal that does not reach the threshold region 620, a voltage level comparator is used to adjust the output to the expected region using the respective comparator outputs. For example, a signal such as 630 is amplified to be included in the expected area because the height of the envelope is low and not included in the expected area.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a waveform detection process of a received signal according to an embodiment of the present invention. 7 shows amplification when the threshold is reached.

The maximum amplitude h of the received signal is predicted using the time t1 when the first signal passes the specific voltage level V1 and the time t2 after passing the specific voltage level V2 from the waveform detection point of the input signal 710. Use H to adjust the gain of the current amplifier. For example, the gain adjustment ratio may be 1/2 * 1 / h = 1 / (2h).

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a process of estimating h using t1 and t2 calculated through the processes of FIGS. 6 and 7.

Through experiments, the relationship between the input values of t1 and t2 and h can be stored in a table or can be found recursively. As shown in 810 of FIG. 8, a ratio between a difference between two voltages V1 and V2 and a difference between t1 and t2 may be obtained, and thus a predetermined peak value may be calculated.

The slope x may be calculated through t1 and t2 input in FIG. 8 and V1 and V2 predefined. The peak value peak (h) can be predicted by substituting P1 and P2 for the slope x. 810 is a graph comparing the actual value and the predicted value calculated through the above process.

Referring to the graph 820 of FIG. 8, it can be seen that the arithmetic calculated value (or predicted value) increases constantly, while the original value, that is, the actual peak value, exists around the calculated value. By feeding back these results, it is possible to adjust the values of P1 and P2 when the difference between the actual peak value and the calculated value is large.

When measuring the AGC signal through the process of Figures 6 to 8 it is necessary to process the measurement signal which is the second received signal.

9 is a diagram illustrating a process of measuring a reception time of a measurement signal according to an embodiment of the present invention. When the second signal (measurement signal 950) is input to the peak time measuring unit 900, the envelope detecting unit 910 detects the envelope. The result is a waveform like 952. This is input to a differentiator 920, and through the differentiation, a differential result of the signal, such as 954, is calculated. Using the differentiated result, the comparator 930 generates a signal peaked like 956 in comparison with a specific level. The time at which the signal arrives is measured. The measured time ta may be compared with the reception time of the previously received first signal to measure the position of the remote control. The peak time measuring unit 900 may be included in each sensor that receives the second signal.

The measurement of the distance is made by calculating the distance to the remote control by measuring the peak time of the measurement signal among the second signals sensed by each of the plurality of sensors receiving the second signal. One embodiment for calculating is shown in Equation 1.

L = v * T (m), v = 0.61 * (temperature) + 331.5 (m / s), T = time difference of the signal

The distance may be obtained by substituting the time difference T between the time points at which the first signal and the second signal are received in Equation 1.

10 is a view illustrating a process of situation determination using distance information according to a result of sensing by a sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The second signal transmitted from the remote control 1010 is detected by three sensors 1001, 1002, and 1003, and the remote control 1010 is detected by the distance information L ₁ , L ₂ , and L ₃ detected and calculated by each sensor. I can figure out the position of. On the other hand, in addition to such positioning, it is possible to determine what other obstacles exist between the remote control and the sensor.

First, based on the theorem that the sum of the lengths of two sides of a triangle is longer than the length of one side, Equations 2, 3, and 4 are derived. In this case, since two sensors may exist in a straight line, the following equation may be developed based on the assumption that the sum of the lengths of the two sides may be longer than or equal to the length of one side.

L ₁ ≤ L ₂ + d ₁ , | L ₁ -L ₂ | ≤ d ₁

L _{1 -} L ₂ | ≤ d ₁ + Δ (first condition)

L ₂ ≤ L ₃ + d ₂ , | L _{2 -} L ₃ | ≤ d ₂

L _{2 -} L ₃ | ≤ d ₂ + Δ (second condition)

L ₃ ≤ L ₁ + d ₃ , | L _{3 -} L ₁ | ≤ d ₃

L _{3 -} L ₁ | ≤ d ₃ + Δ (third condition)

When all of the first, second, and third conditions are satisfied, it is determined as a normal state without an obstacle. On the other hand, when only one of the above three conditions are satisfied, that is, when the distance of one sensor is too long or short, the following determination is possible.

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a divided area according to the position of the sensor of FIG. 10.

(1) If the distance of one sensor is too long, only one sensor is covered by obstacles.

For example, if only the second condition is satisfied and the length L _{1 of} the sensor is longer than the length of the other two sensors, it is divided into three cases. First | L _{2 -} L ₃ | If <Δ is satisfied, it indicates that the transmitter of the remote control exists in the area (a) of FIG. In the case of (L ₂ >> L ₃ ), the transmitter exists in the 0 degree direction, and when (L ₂ << L ₃ ), the transmitter exists in the 180 degree direction.

On the other hand, if only the second condition is satisfied and the length L _{1 of} the sensor is shorter than the other two sensor lengths, it is divided into two cases. First | L _{2 -} L ₃ | If <Δ is satisfied, there is a transmitter in area (b). In other cases, only the presence of obstacles can be checked.

(2) If the distance of one sensor is too short, the two sensors are often covered by obstacles.

On the other hand, if only two of the three conditions (Equation 2, 3, 4) is satisfied, only the presence of the obstacle can be confirmed.

12 illustrates a process of calculating a position of a remote control when there is no obstacle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Since the location information of each sensor and the distance information L ₁ , L ₂ , and L ₃ to the remote control are known, the solution of Equation 5 can be obtained to obtain x, y, and z. Coordinates (x, y, z) represent the position of the remote control and (0, 0, 0) represents the center coordinates of the robo.

The solution of the equation is to find x, y, z and the user's position. Then, the distance R and the angle Θ to the user's remote control can be obtained as shown in Equation 6.

FIG. 13 illustrates a process of calculating a position of a remote control using two sensors when there is an obstacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this case, only one sensor is covered by an obstacle among the three sensors, and the other two sensors are not covered.

Since the location information of each sensor and the distance information L ₁ , L ₃ to the remote control are known, the solution of Equation 7 can be obtained to obtain x, y, and z.

The distance and direction of the two-dimensional image can be obtained using a formula such as Equation 8.

14 is a flowchart according to an embodiment of the present invention. The robot receives the signal from the signal transmission device, calculates the distance and direction, checks the presence of obstacles, and shows the process of moving.

The first signal and the second signal are received from the signal generator (S1410). As described above, the first signal may adopt a signal having little time difference from transmission to reception, such as an RF / IR signal, and the second signal may be an ultrasonic wave or the like as a signal having a property of being transmitted later than the first signal. Can be. The second signal may be transmitted two or more times for accuracy of signal reception. The robot calculates an amplification amount of the second signal from the first received second signal (for example, the AGC signal described above) (S1420). The arrival time of the second second signal (e.g., the measurement signal described above) is measured according to the calculated amount of amplification. In this case, as an example of measuring the arrival time, a peak time point of a signal is obtained. At this time, a time point at which the peak is reached is calculated by calculating a difference between the time at which the predetermined voltage is reached and the voltage.

The distance and the direction are calculated based on the signal transmission device based on the difference in the reception time of the first signal and the calculated second signal (S1440). In addition, it is determined whether the obstacle based on the distance result (S1450). Determination of whether or not an obstacle has been described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 13. As a result of the determination, if there is an obstacle (S1460), the robot is moved toward the signal transmission device by predicting or determining the position of the signal transmission device (S1470). If an obstacle exists but the position can be measured using both sensors, the robot moves to the calculated position. If the position cannot be measured, the robot moves to the position where the obstacle does not exist. On the other hand, if there is no obstacle, it moves by the distance calculated in the direction calculated in step S1440 (S1480).

15 is a view showing the components of the robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Each component may refer to software or hardware such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). However, the components are not limited to software or hardware, and may be configured to be in an addressable storage medium and may be configured to execute one or more processors. The functions provided in the above components may be implemented by more subdivided components, or may be implemented by combining a plurality of components to perform a specific function. In addition, the components may be implemented to execute one or more computers in a system.

The robot 1500 includes a plurality of signal receivers 1505, 1510, 1511, and 1512, a distance calculator 1520, and a position calculator 1545. In addition, the obstacle determination unit 1550 may further include a moving unit 1560. The first signal and the second signal transmitted from the signal transmitter such as the remote control are respectively received at the corresponding signal receiver. In this case, the second signal is received by the plurality of signal receivers 1510, 1511, and 1512.

The distance calculator 1520 calculates a distance to the signal transmission device based on the reception result of the first signal and the second signal. At this time, in the distance calculation, the amplification value determiner 1530 calculates whether to amplify a signal to be transmitted later using the second signal to be transmitted first. In more detail, as shown in FIG. 5, if the amplification value determination unit does not satisfy a predetermined threshold value by using a result of the level measurement unit measuring the magnitude of the signal of the first transmitted second signal, whether or not the signal to be transmitted is amplified later. Calculate and feed back the amount of amplification

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the peak time measuring unit 1540 calculates the time t1 at which the magnitude of the second signal satisfies the first measurement value and the time t2 at which the second measurement value satisfies the envelope of the second signal. Calculate the height of and calculate the time when the envelope becomes the peak.

The position calculator 1545 calculates the position of the mobile robot based on the signal transmitter or the position of the signal transmitter based on the mobile robot based on the distance to each sensor calculated by the distance calculator 1520. .

In addition, the position estimation device of the mobile robot of the present invention may include an obstacle determination unit 1550, and determines the obstacle between the signal transmission device and the robot. The process of determining the obstacle is shown in FIG. 11.

The distance calculator 1520 transmits the calculated distance and direction to the moving unit 1560, and the moving unit 1560 moves the robot 1500.

In addition, the position estimation apparatus of the mobile robot of the present invention may further include a storage unit for storing the position of the signal generator or the mobile robot calculated from the position calculator.

The apparatus may further include a movement path pattern forming unit configured to form a movement path pattern of the mobile robot from positions of the plurality of signal generators stored in the storage unit. The moving unit may move the mobile robot according to the moving path of the robot formed by the moving path pattern forming unit.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the following claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and the equivalent concept are included in the scope of the present invention. Should be interpreted.

By implementing the present invention, it is possible to provide a method and apparatus for estimating the position of a mobile robot using a signal generator.

By implementing the present invention it is possible to improve the signal detection capability to improve the accuracy of the position estimation of the robot.

By implementing the present invention it is possible to determine the obstacle between the signal transmission device and the mobile robot.

Claims (30)

The first signal and the second signal by a sensor for receiving the first signal and the second signal transmitted from a predetermined signal transmitting device and the three or more sensors for receiving the second signal provided in the mobile robot; Receiving; Calculating a transmission distance to each sensor that receives the second signal using the time information extracted from the first signal; Calculating a position of the signal generator from the transmission distance; The second signal is transmitted two or more times from the signal transmission device, and each sensor detecting the second signal calculates whether or not to amplify the second signal to be received according to the measurement result of the first received second signal. Position estimation method of mobile robot. The method of claim 1, The calculating of the transmission distance may include calculating the transmission distance by using information about a difference between reception times of the first signal and the second signal. The method of claim 2, And the second signal is transmitted at a predetermined time interval from the first signal. The method of claim 1, Whether the amplification is And calculating the amplification of the signal to be transmitted after the first signal transmitted from the second signal does not satisfy a predetermined threshold value and feeds back the amplification amount to the sensor. The method of claim 1, The step of calculating the transmission distance Compute the time t1 when the magnitude of the second signal satisfies the first measurement and the time t2 that satisfies the second measurement, calculate the height of the envelope of the second signal, and the height of the envelope becomes the highest. Calculating the position by using the time. The method of claim 5, Calculating the time when the height of the envelope is the highest Calculating a ratio between the ratio of t1 and t2 and the value V1 of the voltage at the first measurement and the value V2 of the voltage at the second measurement. The method of claim 1, Generating a signal when a predetermined sensor does not receive the second signal or when the transmission distance calculated by receiving the second signal does not satisfy a mathematical relation in comparison with the transmission distance detected by another sensor And determining that an obstacle exists between the device and the mobile robot. The method of claim 7, wherein Three sensors for detecting the second signal, The determining step The distances to the locations where the second signal is received and calculated by the sensor are called L1, L2 and L3, respectively, and when the distance between the three sensors is d1, d2 and d3, respectively, the L1, L2, Constructing a triangle according to a predetermined combination of L3, d1, d2, and d3; And And substituting the length of each side of the constructed triangle into the mathematical relation that the sum of the lengths of the two sides of the triangle is greater than the length of the other side, and determining that an obstacle exists. The method of claim 1, And moving the mobile robot to the position of the signal generator. The method of claim 1, The signal transmission device is a remote control, location estimation method of a mobile robot. The method of claim 1, Wherein the first signal is a radio frequency (RF) or an infrared (red) (IR). The method of claim 1, And the second signal is an ultrasonic wave. The method of claim 1, And storing the position of the signal generator. The method of claim 13, Forming a movement path pattern of the mobile robot from positions of a plurality of stored signal generators; And And moving the mobile robot according to the movement path pattern. The method of claim 14, And the movement path pattern is formed in a closed curve connecting the positions of the plurality of signal generators. A first signal receiver configured to receive a first signal transmitted from a predetermined signal transmitter; Three or more second signal receivers for receiving a second signal transmitted from the signal transmitter; A distance calculator configured to calculate a transmission distance to each sensor that receives the second signal using the time information extracted from the first signal; And It includes a position calculation unit for calculating the position of the signal generator from the transmission distance, The second signal is transmitted from the signal transmitting device two or more times, and the distance calculating unit calculates whether to amplify the second signal to be subsequently received according to the measurement result of the second signal initially received by the second signal receiving unit. An apparatus for estimating position of a mobile robot, comprising a tooth deciding unit. The method of claim 16, And the distance calculator comprises a time calculator configured to calculate the transmission distance by using information on a difference between reception times of the first signal and the second signal. The method of claim 17, And the second signal is transmitted at a predetermined time interval from the first signal. The method of claim 16, The distance calculator includes a level measuring unit measuring a magnitude of a signal of the first transmitted second signal, and when the level measuring unit does not satisfy a predetermined threshold, the amplifying unit determines a A position estimation device for a mobile robot configured to calculate whether or not to amplify and feed back an amplification amount. The method of claim 16, The distance calculation unit calculates a time t1 at which the magnitude of the second signal satisfies a first measurement value and a time t2 at a time satisfying a second measurement value, calculates a height of an envelope of the second signal, and the height of the envelope is the highest. An apparatus for estimating the position of a mobile robot, comprising a peak time measuring unit for calculating a time point. The method of claim 20, The peak time measuring unit And a ratio between the ratio of t1 and t2 and the value V1 of the voltage at the first measured value and the value V2 of the voltage at the second measured value. The method of claim 16, When the predetermined sensor does not detect the second signal or the transmission distance calculated by receiving the second signal does not satisfy the mathematical relation by comparing with the transmission distance calculated by other sensors, And an obstacle determining unit which determines that an obstacle exists between the mobile robots. The method of claim 22, Three sensors for detecting the second signal, Wherein the distance to the position where the second signal received and calculated by the sensor is called L1, L2, L3, respectively, and the distance between the three sensors is d1, d2, d3, respectively, the obstacle determination unit A triangle is formed according to a predetermined combination of L1, L2, L3, d1, d2, and d3, and the length of each side of the constructed triangle is substituted into the mathematical relation that the sum of the lengths of the two sides of the triangle is greater than the length of the other side. An apparatus for estimating the position of a mobile robot that determines that an obstacle exists as a result of the calculation. The method of claim 16, And a moving unit for moving the mobile robot to the position of the signal generator. The method of claim 16, The signal generator is a remote control, the position estimation device of the mobile robot. The method of claim 16, The first signal is a radio frequency (RF) or IR (infra-red), location estimation apparatus of the mobile robot. The method of claim 16, And the second signal is an ultrasonic wave. The method of claim 16, And a storage unit for storing the position of the signal generator. The method of claim 28, A movement path pattern forming unit forming a movement path pattern of the mobile robot from positions of the plurality of signal generators stored in the storage unit; And And a moving unit which moves the mobile robot according to the movement path pattern. The method of claim 29, And the movement path pattern is formed in a closed curve connecting the positions of the plurality of signal generators.

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