KR20130125932A - Remote portable robot system for monitoring and lighting, and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a small telerobotic system for monitoring and lighting and a control method thereof. The small telerobotic system includes a box-shaped housing unit (100); wheels (200) which are installed on both sides of the underside of the housing unit (100) and move a robot; step motors (250) which drive the wheels (200); an LED (400) installed on an outer side of the housing unit (100); a main control unit (500) which is installed inside the housing unit and controls a camera (300), the LED (400), and the step motors (250); the small robot which is installed inside the housing unit (100) and composed of a local area wireless communication device (600) for communicating control signals of the main control unit (500); and a remote control terminal (700) for remotely communicating the control signals with the local area wireless communication device (600). The present invention prevents accidents, easily secures a clear view, and precisely performs a movement control by being utilized in a narrow and dark industrial site, thereby easily being applicable for various purposes on an industrial site.

Description

Remote portable robot system for monitoring and lighting, and control method

The present invention relates to a robotic system, and more particularly, to a small remote robotic system for monitoring and lighting that can be precisely and easily controllable and a control method thereof.

When working in confined, dark or contaminated spaces in industrial sites, it is important to have visibility through lighting. Small work robots are manufactured and put into the field to perform welding and cleaning.

1 is a perspective view of a conventional cleaning robot, 2 and 3 show the same side view and back view. The conventional air duct cleaning robot has a left and right symmetrical view from the front, and includes a base 2 on which wheels 1 and the like are mounted, a lower frame 3 and a brush 4 connected to the base 2. The upper frame 5 is mounted, and the height adjusting means 6 is mounted between the upper and lower frames 5 and 3 to adjust the height thereof.

In the base 2 again, the wheel 1 is driven to increase the driving force at the time of movement and to be driven by four motors 12 to perform the steering function, and a line box 7 is installed at the rear end of the connector. Power cord and air line can be connected through

And on the base (2), the lower frame (3), on which the guide rails (8) are mounted, is attached and attached on both sides of the front, and the upper side is combined with several links (9) to operate as an air cylinder (10). Is equipped with a height adjustment means 6, the front lower end of the link (9) is attached to the roller 11 is to be able to slide on the guide rail (8) of the lower frame (3), the rear lower end Is fixed to the lower frame (3).

On the other hand, on the upper side of the height adjusting means 6 is a known brush shaft 4 ', the reducer 12', the motor 12, the lighting device 13 and the camera 14 to which the brush 4 is attached. The attached upper frame 5 is provided. The guide rails 15 are attached to both rear surfaces of the bottom of the upper frame 5 so that the roller 16 attached to the rear upper end of the link 9 of the height adjusting means 6 is in sliding contact. The front upper end of 9) is fixed to the bottom of the upper frame 5.

Such a conventional working robot has a structure in which a lighting lamp is installed at the front side and a work tool is mounted to perform work in a narrow and dark space. There is a limitation that it can be applied only in the work area moving along.

In addition, in order to easily work in a narrower or darker space, a compact robot can be manufactured with a simple configuration, and the operation of the robot can be precisely controlled remotely, and there is a need for an apparatus that can easily control the robot.

The problem of the present invention to solve the above problems can be used in narrow and dark industrial sites, it is possible to prevent accidents in advance, easy to secure the field of view, and precisely and easily move control to various uses in industrial sites It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote miniature robot system and its method for monitoring and lighting.

A first feature of the present invention for solving the above problems is a remote miniature robot system, the box-shaped housing; Both wheels mounted under the housing to move the robot; Both stepping motors driving each of the two wheels; A camera installed outside the housing; An LED installed outside the housing; A central control unit (MCU) installed in the housing to control the camera, the LED, and the step motor; And a small robot installed inside the housing and configured as a short range wireless communication device for communicating a control signal of the central control unit. And a remote control terminal for remotely communicating the control signal with the short range wireless communication device.

Here, at least one of the camera and the LED is preferably installed on at least one of the front, rear, and top of the housing, and preferably further includes an obstacle sensor or a motion sensor installed on the front of the housing.

In addition, the near-early wireless communication device may be a Bluetooth or Zigbee communication device, the remote control terminal device may be any one of a PC, a tablet PC, a PDA and a smart phone, In addition, the direction control of the robot may be controlled through a difference in rotation directions or rotation speeds of the step motors 250.

The second aspect of the present invention provides a method of controlling a moving direction of the robot system, the method comprising: (a) setting a moving direction and a moving speed of the robot at the remote control terminal; (b) calculating rotation directions and rotation speeds of each of the two wheels according to the set movement direction and the movement speed; (d) transmitting a driving signal according to the rotation direction and rotation speed to the central control unit; And (e) driving both wheels in accordance with the drive signal at both step motors.

Here, the step of measuring the moving speed and the moving direction of the robot by the motion sensor according to the calculated rotation direction and rotation speed in the remote control terminal; Storing the measured moving speed and moving direction data; In the case of selecting the moving speed and the moving direction of the robot, the method may further include determining the rotation direction and the rotation speed according to the stored movement speed and transmitting a driving signal to the central control unit.

Since the present invention can be used in a narrow and dark industrial site, it is possible to prevent accidents in advance, easy to secure the field of view, and can be applied to various applications in the industrial site precisely and easily.

In addition, it is easy to control the direction and speed of the robot, and it is possible to set the rotation and the radius of rotation freely, so that it can be used in various areas without limiting the movement of the robot even in a narrow space, and calculates the proper rotation and movement speed of the robot. There is an advantage to increase the driving efficiency.

1 is a perspective view of a conventional cleaning robot,
2 is a side view of a conventional cleaning robot,
3 is a rear view of a conventional cleaning robot,
4 is a photograph showing a rear internal configuration of a small remote robot system for monitoring and illumination according to an embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a photograph showing a front surface of a small remote robot system for monitoring and lighting according to an embodiment of the present invention,
6 is a photograph showing the side of a small remote robot system for monitoring and lighting according to an embodiment of the present invention,
7 is a schematic block diagram of a small remote robot system for monitoring and lighting according to an embodiment of the present invention,
8 is a photograph showing an example of the use of a small remote robot system for monitoring and lighting according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a small remote robot for monitoring and lighting as another embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention, and how to accomplish it, will be described with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. The embodiments are provided so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the technical idea of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

In the drawings, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the specific forms shown and are exaggerated for clarity. In addition, parts denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the specification represent the same components.

The expression "and / or" is used herein to mean including at least one of the components listed before and after. Also, singular forms include plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, components, steps, operations and elements referred to in the specification as " comprises "or" comprising " refer to the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations, elements, and / or devices.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 4 shows the rear internal configuration of a small remote robot system for monitoring and lighting according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is a front view, Figure 6 is a side view. As shown in Figures 4 to 6, a small remote robot system for monitoring and lighting according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a box-shaped housing (100); Both wheels 200 mounted below the housing 100 to move the robot; Both step motors 250 driving each of the wheels 200; A camera installed outside the housing (100); LED installed outside the housing (100); A central controller 500 installed in the housing 100 to control the camera 300, the LED 400, and the step motor 250; And a small robot installed in the housing 100 and configured as a short range wireless communication device 600 for communicating a control signal of the central control unit 500. And a remote control terminal 700 for remotely communicating the short range wireless communication device 600 with the control signal.

Such an embodiment of the present invention is a small remote remote robot system, which is easy to work in a dark and narrow industrial site, can move freely in a convenient and narrow space, and various industrial sites with precise and convenient control. Provides a small remote robotic system for monitoring and lighting that can be applied in.

It is preferable to use the box-shaped housing 100 as a case for supporting and protecting the entire robot, and the housing 100 is made of a material made of plastic, so that it is light and easy to process.

It is preferable to install at least one of the LED 400 and the camera 300 on the outer surface, that is, the top, the side, the front, and the rear of the housing 100, which is a region where the camera 300 is photographed while the small robot moves. In order to secure the field of view, the LED 400 lamp is installed on the same surface, the field of view is secured through the LED 400 lamp in a dark space, and the camera 300 captures and monitors the area of view secured. Structure.

Here, it is possible to install a plurality of LED (400) or the camera 300 on a multi-sided. Conventional luminaires are unidirectional or have a very narrow range angle. For example, in the case of the LED 400 flash, the brightness is excellent and it is very easy to secure a straight line of vision, but there is a disadvantage that the illumination light does not reach the surroundings properly. Thus, in the embodiment of the present invention by attaching the LED 400 to the outer three surfaces (top, bottom and rear) of the housing 100 of the robot it is possible to ensure a wide and accurate field of view of the area where the robot moved.

In addition, the small robot according to the embodiment of the present invention for free movement is mounted on the lower portion of the housing 100, and both wheels 200 for moving the robot and both step motors 250 for driving each of the wheels 200 respectively. Is installed. The circumferential surface of the wheel 200 forms a pad of rubber material to form a constant friction surface to promote the movement of the robot according to the rotation of the wheel 200 without slipping, and each step of the wheels 200 has a respective step. The motor 250 is installed separately and proposes a structure that can drive the wheels 200 accurately and easily.

Here, the step motor 250 is a digital actuator that rotates or linearly moves at a predetermined angle. In general, the step motor 250 is called a step motor 250 when the rotary motion is performed, and a linear step motor 250 when the linear motion is performed. .

Step motor 250 is mainly adopted in the same part as the joint mechanism of the industrial robot, because the rotor is rotated by a predetermined angle per one input pulse given from the outside is suitable for automatic control. In addition, since the output shaft rotates only in proportion to the number of pulse signals, unlike the DC motor, the feedback of the position is unnecessary, and since the self supporting torque is formed, it has its own positioning capability even without a brake mechanism.

For example, a step motor 250 that rotates once per 200 pulses basically rotates the motor shaft by 1.8 degrees (360 degrees / 200 pulses) per step. Therefore, the rotation angle of the motor is controlled according to the number of pulses given to the motor. In other words, positioning control of an open loop can be performed. In addition, the rotational speed is controlled by the pulse frequency (digital signal), and the driving circuit also operates digitally, so it is easy to combine with a microprocessor.

The step motor 250 has the following features and advantages. 1) The rotation angle is determined in proportion to the number of input pulse signals. 2) The rotation speed is proportional to the input pulse rate (pulse frequency). 3) Using a permanent magnet on the rotor generates self-holding torque (dente torque) even in the absence of magnetic force. 4) High torque, high speed response, small size and light weight. 5) It is incinerated, high precision and low price. 5) Since there is no damage caused by mechanical friction by brush of DC motor, no repair is required.

The central controller 500 is a microcontroller unit (MCU) 550, which is installed inside the housing 100 to control the camera 300, the LED 400, and the step motor 250. In addition, a control signal or a driving signal is communicated with an external remote control terminal through a short range wireless communication device 600 to control the movement of the robot, the operation of the LED 400 and the camera 300.

In this case, the short range wireless communication device 600 preferably uses a Bluetooth communication device. Bluetooth refers to a standard that enables real-time communication in two directions by wirelessly connecting a computer, a mobile terminal device, and a home appliance that is located at a short distance, or a product that meets the standard.

Generally applied to mobile phones and notebook computers, mobile phone applications include wireless headsets, Internet access, intercom, cordless phones, and phones with a combination of functions. In the case of the combined function, it is automatically switched to the wireless telephone mode at home, and can be used as an intercom by connecting to a private switching network in the office. In the case of wireless headsets, you can make or receive calls without removing your phone. In addition, it can be applied to electronic commerce using a mobile phone, such as using a vending machine with a mobile phone or automatically paying a fare when riding a subway.

As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the Bluetooth 610 wireless communication device can be easily connected to various devices, and the robot can be easily and precisely controlled at a short distance. In addition, as a remote control terminal wirelessly connected to the Bluetooth 610 wireless communication device and transmitting a control signal to the central control unit 500, various mobile devices such as a tablet PC, a smartphone, a PDA, etc. may be applied. It is possible.

7 is a schematic block diagram of a small remote robot system for monitoring and lighting according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 8 is a photograph showing an example of the use of a small remote robot system for monitoring and lighting according to an embodiment of the present invention. to be. As shown in FIG. 7, the robot system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a robot including a step motor 250, an LED 400, a camera 300, a Bluetooth 610, and an MCU 550, and the brush. It consists of a remote control terminal (PC) 700 to adjust the.

Theory of Operation and Theoretical Background

The operation principle uses a step motor 250, a Bluetooth 610, a camera 300, and an LED 400 to control a mobile robot to search a dark space or area. That is, it is possible to control the fine movement of 1.8 ° using the step motor 250 and to control the LED 400 lighting using the port of the MCU 550 through the MOSFET amplification.

Since it is basically 1: 1 communication, it uses a single Bluetooth 610 communication, which can of course be applied as 1: N. However, since the basic program is a single communication for 1: 1, it is necessary to change it to array communication. The control of the MCU 550 does not use a different sensor, so no ADC is used, and basic motor drive control and LED 400 lighting control are performed. However, since the motor drive requires precise control of 1.8 ° through keyboard control, an algorithm for this is necessary. This is based on the USART communication interrupt and if statements, and the algorithm using the conditional while statement allows the MCU 550 to respond as soon as possible while the keyboard is pressed. As shown in FIG. 8, it is possible to illuminate a wide range in a dark and narrow space or area, and to search or monitor through the camera 300. In addition, it can be easily and precisely controlled using the algorithm described above in a mobile device such as a smartphone, a tablet PC and a PDA.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a small remote robot for monitoring and lighting as another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 9, the control method of the small remote robot according to an embodiment of the present invention (a) setting the moving direction and the moving speed of the robot in the remote control terminal 700 (S100); (b) calculating the rotation direction and the rotation speed of each wheel 200 according to the set movement direction and the movement speed (S200); (d) transmitting a driving signal according to the rotation direction and the rotation speed to the central controller 500 (S300); And (e) driving both wheels 200 in accordance with the drive signal at both step motors 250 (S400).

As such, when the user sets the moving direction and the moving speed of the robot through the remote control terminal device, the system calculates the rotating direction and the rotating speed of each wheel 200 accordingly. Independent rotational direction and rotational speed of both wheels 200 determines the moving direction and the moving speed of the robot. That is, if the rotation directions of the two wheels 200 are different from each other, the robot rotates, and even if the rotation speeds of the two wheels 200 are different, the robot rotates. Do.

As such, since the rotation direction of the robot can be freely set according to the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the wheel 200, precise control is possible for both a wide space and a narrow space. When the step motor 250 is independently installed on the wheels 200, and the user sets the moving direction and the moving speed, the rotating direction and the rotating speed of each wheel 200 are calculated accordingly, and the calculated rotation The driving signal of the step motor 250 is determined according to the direction and the rotation speed, and the remote control terminal device transmits the driving signal to the central control unit 500, and the central control unit 500 sends the driving signal to each step motor 250. Will drive the movement of.

In addition, the robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the step of measuring the moving speed and the moving direction of the robot with the motion sensor according to the rotation direction and the rotation speed calculated in the remote control terminal 700 (S230) ; Storing the measured movement speed and movement direction data (S250); In the case of selecting the moving speed and the moving direction of the robot, the method may further include the step of determining the rotation direction and the rotation speed according to the stored movement speed and transmitting a driving signal to the central controller 500 (S500). desirable.

In this embodiment, since the moving direction and the moving speed of the robot are not completely determined in proportion to the rotating direction and the rotating speed of the wheel 200, the most static rotational direction and the rotating speed are necessary according to the environment and conditions. . In the embodiment of the present invention, while driving the robot by the rotational direction and the rotational speed, at the same time to measure the movement direction and the movement speed of the robot through the motion sensor, and stores the data corresponding to each.

The stored data generates the rotation direction and the rotation speed of each wheel 200 which determine the most appropriate direction of movement and the movement speed of the robot, and drives the movement of the robot according to the generated driving signal, thereby providing a stable and accurate robot. It is possible to drive the movement.

As such, the robot designed in the embodiment of the present invention can be rotated at a desired angle in place by a simple method. That is, the rotation of the right wheel 200 and the left wheel 200 is reversed during rotation to enable the in-situ rotation. Therefore, there is an advantage that the body can be rotated in place to minimize the trajectory used when changing the direction, thereby improving the rotational capacity in a narrow space.

In addition, the control of the rotation angle sets the rotation speed and the number of rotations of the left and right step motors 250 to be the same, and during the rotation, the user adjusts the number of rotations using the operation button. That is, the left / right rotation angle of the body can be adjusted by the following [Equation 1].

Here, N is the rotational speed of the motor for driving the wheel 200, the value is + means left turn,-means a right turn. The wheel 200 of the mobile robot rotates in one rotation of the motor, and the actual mobile robot rotates. For example, when the desired rotation angle of the robot is 45 ° to the left, that is, N = 25 if θ = 45, the robot can be rotated to the left by using an algorithm using Equation 1.

While the invention has been shown and described with respect to the specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Anyone with it will know easily.

100: housing, 200: wheels, 250: step motor, 300: camera,
400: LED, 500: central control unit, 550: MCU, 600: short-range wireless communication device,
610: Bluetooth, 700: remote control terminal

Claims (8)

A box-shaped housing 100; Both wheels 200 mounted below the housing 100 to move the robot; Both step motors 250 driving each of the wheels 200; A camera 300 installed outside the housing 100; An LED 400 installed outside the housing 100; A central controller 500 (MCU) installed in the housing 100 to control the camera 300, the LED 400, and the step motor 250; And a small robot installed in the housing 100 and configured as a short range wireless communication device 600 for communicating a control signal of the central control unit 500. And
Small remote robot system for monitoring and lighting, characterized in that it comprises a remote control terminal (700) for communicating with the short-range wireless communication device 600 and the control signal remotely.
The method of claim 1,
The camera 300 and LED 400 is a small remote robot system for monitoring and lighting, characterized in that at least one of the front, rear, top of the housing 100 is installed.
3. The method of claim 2,
Small remote robot system for monitoring and illumination, characterized in that it further comprises an obstacle sensor or a motion sensor installed in the front of the housing (100).
The method of claim 1,
The near-frost wireless communication device 600,
Compact remote robotic system for monitoring and lighting, characterized in that the Bluetooth (zigbee) communication device.
The method of claim 1,
Remote control terminal 700 machine,
Small remote robotic system for monitoring and lighting, characterized in that any one of PC, tablet PC, PDA and smartphone.
7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6,
The direction control of the robot,
Small remote robot system for monitoring and lighting, characterized in that the control via the difference in the rotational direction or the rotational speed of the step motor (250).
In the method of controlling the movement direction of the monitoring small robot of claim 3,
(a) setting a moving direction and a moving speed of the robot in the remote control terminal 700;
(b) calculating the rotation direction and the rotation speed of each wheel 200 according to the set movement direction and the movement speed;
(d) transmitting a driving signal according to the rotation direction and the rotation speed to the central controller 500; And
(e) controlling the small remote robot for monitoring and lighting, comprising driving both wheels according to the driving signal at both step motors (250).
The method of claim 7, wherein
Measuring the moving speed and the moving direction of the robot with the motion sensor according to the calculated rotation direction and rotation speed in the remote control terminal 700;
Storing the measured moving speed and moving direction data;
When the moving speed and the moving direction of the robot is selected, determining the rotation direction and the rotation speed according to the stored moving speed, and further comprising transmitting a drive signal to the central control unit 500, characterized in that Control method of small remote robot for monitoring and lighting.

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