KR20180098040A - Moving robot and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A moving robot according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a main body; a driving portion moving the main body; and a status alerting light outputting light indicating a current status of the moving robot, thereby operating the moving robot safely in a public space.

Description

[0001] Moving robot and control method [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile robot and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a mobile robot and a control method thereof that can be safely operated in a public place.

Robots have been developed for industrial use and have been part of factory automation. In recent years, medical robots, aerospace robots, and the like have been developed, and household robots that can be used in ordinary homes are being developed. Among these robots, mobile robots capable of traveling by magnetic force are called mobile robots.

A representative example of the mobile robot is a robot cleaner. The robot cleaner is a device for cleaning a corresponding area by sucking dirt or foreign matter around the robot while running a certain area by itself.

The mobile robot is capable of moving by itself, is free to move, and is equipped with a plurality of sensors for avoiding obstacles during traveling, so that it can travel without obstacles.

In general, an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor is used to detect an obstacle of a mobile robot. The infrared sensor senses the presence and distance of the obstacle through the amount of reflected light or the time of reflected light reflected by the obstacle, and when the ultrasonic sensor emits an ultrasonic wave having a predetermined period and there is an ultrasonic wave reflected by the obstacle, And the distance between the obstacle and the obstacle is determined using the time difference between the moment when the obstacle is reflected and the time when the obstacle is reflected.

On the other hand, mobile robots operating in public places such as airports, train stations, department stores, and harbors where many people stay or move may be more exposed to safety accidents or cause safety accidents.

Accordingly, there is a need for a method that enables people to easily grasp the traveling state of a mobile robot in order to ensure the safety of people in a public place, as well as a method in which the mobile robot recognizes an obstacle and automatically runs while ensuring safety.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile robot and a control method thereof that can be safely operated in a public place.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile robot and a control method thereof that can easily grasp the traveling state of a mobile robot and reduce the risk of an accident of a person and a mobile robot.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile robot and its control method capable of performing obstacle recognition and avoidance operations by determining an attribute of an obstacle and adjusting a traveling pattern according to an obstacle property.

In order to achieve the above or other objects, a mobile robot according to an aspect of the present invention includes a main body, a traveling part for moving the main body, and a status notification for outputting light representing the current state of the mobile robot, Can be safely operated.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile robot including: a main body; a traveling unit for moving the main body; a status notification for outputting light representing a current state of the mobile robot; A front direction indicator which is turned on in accordance with the traveling direction of the mobile robot and a rear direction indicator which is disposed on the rear surface of the main body and is turned on in accordance with the traveling direction of the mobile robot.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a mobile robot including the steps of moving a main body, outputting light indicative of a current state of the mobile robot, And turning on the front direction indicator light and the backward direction indicator light for a predetermined time based on the direction.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide a mobile robot and its control method that can be safely operated in a public place.

In addition, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, people can easily grasp the traveling state of the mobile robot, thereby reducing the risk of an accident of a person and a mobile robot.

In addition, according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to determine the property of the obstacle and adjust the traveling pattern according to the obstacle property, thereby performing highly reliable obstacle recognition and avoidance operations.

Meanwhile, various other effects will be directly or implicitly disclosed in the detailed description according to the embodiment of the present invention to be described later.

1 is a front view of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a rear view of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.
3 is a block diagram illustrating a control relationship between the main components of the mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a front view of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a method of controlling a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and can be modified into various forms.

In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used for the same or similar parts throughout the specification.

The suffix "module" and " part "for components used in the following description are given merely for convenience of description and do not give special significance or role in themselves. Accordingly, the terms "module" and "part" may be used interchangeably.

The mobile robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention refers to a robot that can move by itself using wheels or the like, and may be a robot cleaner or the like. Hereinafter, a robot cleaner having a cleaning function of a mobile robot will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a rear view of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a control relationship between the main components of the mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 3, the mobile robot 100 may include a main body 101 and a traveling unit 160 for moving the main body 101.

The portion facing the ceiling in the running zone is defined as the upper surface portion, the portion facing the floor in the running zone is defined as the bottom portion, and the main body 101 is defined between the upper surface portion and the bottom surface portion. , A portion facing the running direction is defined as a front portion, and a portion facing the opposite direction of the front portion is defined as a rear portion.

The mobile robot (100) includes a traveling unit (160) for moving the main body (101). The driving unit 160 includes at least one driving wheel 136 for moving the main body 101. The driving unit 160 includes a driving motor (not shown) connected to the driving wheels 136 to rotate the driving wheels. The driving wheels 136 may be provided on the left and right sides of the main body 101, respectively, and are hereinafter referred to as left and right wheels, respectively.

The left wheel and the right wheel may be driven by a single drive motor, but may be provided with a left wheel drive motor for driving the left wheel and a right wheel drive motor for driving the right wheel, respectively, if necessary. The running direction of the main body 101 can be switched to the left or right side by making a difference in the rotational speeds of the left and right wheels.

A suction port (not shown) for sucking air can be formed on the bottom surface of the main body 101. A suction device (not shown) for providing a suction force to suck air through the suction port is provided in the main body 101 , And a dust container (not shown) for collecting the dust sucked together with the air through the suction port. In addition, a dust container cover (not shown) may be provided in the dust container to discard the dust therein.

The main body 101 includes a body part 102 forming a space for accommodating various components constituting the mobile robot 100 and a head part 110 disposed on the upper side of the body part 102 so as to be openable and closable .

The head unit 110 may include a head 111 that can be opened and closed and a coupling unit 112 coupled to the head 111 so as to be openable and closable.

In addition, according to the embodiment, a switch or a sensor for detecting whether the head 111 is open or closed may be disposed on the head 111 and / or the coupling part 112.

In addition, the mobile robot 100 may include a display 182 housed in the main body 101.

The user can open the head 111 and insert and remove the dust container in the main body 101. [

In some embodiments, the head portion 110 may be openable and closable in a plurality of ways or may include one or more opening and closing mechanism structures.

For example, when the head 111 is opened by lifting the head 111, a button is provided on the head 110, and a predetermined cover is opened toward the user when the user presses a button, Can be implemented.

In this case, the display 182 may be arranged in a predetermined area partitioned in the inner storage space, and the opening / closing mechanism structure opened by the user's button operation may be configured with a dedicated opening / closing structure of the area where the display 182 is disposed . Accordingly, when the user presses a button, the display 182 can be configured to protrude toward the user.

The mobile robot 100 includes a brush-type brush (not shown) having a brush which is exposed through a suction port, a brush (not shown) located on the front side of the bottom surface of the main body 101, The auxiliary brush 135 may be provided. By the rotation of the brushes 135, the dusts are separated from the floor in the traveling zone, and the dusts separated from the floor are sucked through the suction port and collected in the dustbin.

Meanwhile, the mobile robot 100 may include a power supply unit (not shown) provided with a rechargeable battery (not shown) to supply power to the mobile robot 100.

The power supply unit supplies driving power and operating power to the respective components of the mobile robot 100 and can be charged by receiving a charging current from a charging stand (not shown) when the remaining power is insufficient.

The mobile robot 100 may further include a battery sensing unit (not shown) that senses a charged state of a battery (not shown) and transmits the sensed result to the control unit 140. The battery is connected to the battery sensing unit, and the battery remaining amount and the charging state are transmitted to the control unit 140. The battery remaining amount may be displayed on the display 182 of the output unit 180. [

The battery (not shown) supplies not only the drive motor but also the power required for the overall operation of the mobile robot 100. The body 102 may include an openable cover 103 for battery checking and / or replacement. The user can open the cover 103 to check or replace the battery condition.

When the battery is discharged, the mobile robot 100 can return to the charging stand (not shown) for charging. During the return travel, the mobile robot 100 can detect the position of the charging stand by itself .

The charging stand may include a signal transmitting unit (not shown) for transmitting a predetermined return signal. The return signal may be an ultrasonic signal or an infrared signal, but is not limited thereto.

The mobile robot 100 may include a signal sensing unit (not shown) for receiving a return signal. The charging unit may transmit an infrared signal through a signal transmission unit, and the signal sensing unit may include an infrared sensor that senses an infrared signal. The mobile robot 100 moves to the position of the charging base according to the infrared signal transmitted from the charging base and docks with the charging base. (Not shown) of the mobile robot 100 and the charging terminal (not shown) of the charging base by such docking.

The image acquiring unit 120 photographs the periphery of the main body 101, a traveling zone, an external environment, and the like, and may include a camera module. The camera module may include a digital camera. A digital camera includes an image sensor (e.g., a CMOS image sensor) configured with at least one optical lens, and a plurality of photodiodes (e.g., pixels) that are formed by light passing through the optical lens, And a digital signal processor (DSP) that forms an image based on signals output from the photodiodes. The digital signal processor is capable of generating moving images composed of still frames as well as still images.

Several cameras may be installed for each part of the camera for photographing efficiency. For example, the image acquisition unit 120 may include an upper camera for capturing an image of the ceiling in the driving area by photographing the image of the upper side of the main body 101, a front camera provided for acquiring images of the front of the main body 101, And a depth camera. However, the number, arrangement, type, and photographing range of the cameras provided in the image obtaining unit 120 are not necessarily limited to these.

The image captured by the camera can be used to identify the kind of material such as dust, hair, floor, etc. present in the space, whether it is cleaned, or to confirm the cleaning time.

The image acquiring unit 120 may acquire an image by photographing the periphery of the main body 101, and the acquired image may be stored in the storage unit 130. [

In addition, the mobile robot 100 may include a sensor unit 170 including sensors for sensing various data related to the operation and state of the mobile robot.

For example, it may include a sensor (not shown) for detecting whether the head 111 is open or closed. The sensors for detecting whether the head 111 is opened or closed can be various known sensors.

Meanwhile, the sensor unit 170 may include an obstacle detection sensor 131 for sensing an obstacle ahead. In addition, the sensor unit 170 may further include a cliff detection sensor (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of a cliff on the floor in the driving area, and a lower camera sensor (not shown) for acquiring a bottom image.

According to an embodiment, the obstacle detection sensor 131 may include a plurality of sensors installed on the outer circumferential surface of the mobile robot 100 at regular intervals.

For example, the sensor unit 170 may include a first sensor and a second sensor disposed on the front surface of the main body 101 so as to be spaced left and right.

The obstacle detection sensor 131 may include an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an RF sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a position sensitive device (PSD) sensor, and the like.

Meanwhile, the position and type of the sensor included in the obstacle detection sensor 131 may vary depending on the type of the mobile robot, and the obstacle detection sensor 131 may include more various sensors.

Also, the sensor unit 170 may include light detection and ranging (Lidar) 132a and 132b.

The lidarities 132a and 132b transmit the object such as an obstacle based on the TOF (Time of Flight) of the transmission signal and the reception signal or the phase difference between the transmission signal and the reception signal through the laser light Can be detected.

The plurality of Ladas 132a and 132b may be provided. For example, the lidarities 132a and 132b are a first ray 132a for detecting an object located in front of the mobile robot 100 and a first ray 132a for detecting an object located behind the mobile robot 100 And a second RL 132b.

In addition, the RLAs 132a and 132b can detect the distance to the object, the relative speed with the object, and the position of the object.

The lines 132a and 132b may be provided as part of the configuration of the obstacle detection sensor 131. [

Also, the RLAs 132a and 132b may be provided as a sensor for creating a map.

For example, the map generation module 143 may generate a map of the running area. The map generation module 143 can generate a map by processing the image acquired through the image acquisition unit 120 and supplementarily or independently generate the map on the basis of the sensing data of the lines 132a and 132b Can be created.

The obstacle detection sensor 131 senses an object, particularly an obstacle, existing in a traveling direction (movement direction) of the mobile robot, and transmits the obstacle information to the control unit 140. That is, the obstacle detection sensor 131 can sense the moving path of the mobile robot 100, protrusions existing on the front or side of the mobile robot 100, household appliances, furniture, walls, wall corners, etc. and transmit the information to the control unit have.

At this time, the controller 140 detects the position of the obstacle based on at least two signals received through the ultrasonic sensor, and controls the movement of the mobile robot 100 according to the position of the detected obstacle.

According to an embodiment, the obstacle detection sensor 131 provided on the outer surface of the main body 101 may include a transmitting unit and a receiving unit.

For example, the ultrasonic sensor may be provided such that at least one transmitting portion and at least two receiving portions are staggered from each other. Also, it is possible to radiate signals at various angles and to receive signals reflected from obstacles at various angles.

According to an embodiment, the signal received by the obstacle detection sensor 131 may undergo signal processing such as amplification, filtering, and the like, and then the distance and direction to the obstacle may be calculated.

The sensor unit 170 may further include a motion detection sensor for detecting motion of the mobile robot 100 according to driving of the main body 101 and outputting motion information. For example, a gyro sensor, a wheel sensor, an acceleration sensor, or the like can be used as the motion detection sensor.

The gyro sensor senses the direction of rotation and detects the rotation angle when the mobile robot 100 moves according to the operation mode. The gyro sensor detects the angular velocity of the mobile robot 100 and outputs a voltage value proportional to the angular velocity. The control unit 140 calculates the rotation direction and the rotation angle using the voltage value output from the gyro sensor.

The wheel sensor is connected to the left and right wheels to detect the number of revolutions of the wheel. Here, the wheel sensor may be a rotary encoder. The rotary encoder detects and outputs the number of rotations of the left and right wheels.

The control unit 140 can calculate the rotational speeds of the left and right wheels using the number of rotations. Also, the control unit 140 can calculate the rotation angle using the difference in the number of rotations of the left and right wheels.

The acceleration sensor senses a change in the speed of the mobile robot 100, for example, a change in the mobile robot 100 due to a start, a stop, a change of direction, a collision with an object or the like. The acceleration sensor is attached to the main wheel or the adjoining positions of the auxiliary wheels, so that the slip or idling of the wheel can be detected.

In addition, the acceleration sensor is built in the control unit 140 and can detect a speed change of the mobile robot 100. [ That is, the acceleration sensor detects the amount of impact according to the speed change and outputs a corresponding voltage value. Thus, the acceleration sensor can perform the function of an electronic bumper.

The control unit 140 can calculate the positional change of the mobile robot 100 based on the operation information output from the motion detection sensor. Such a position is a relative position corresponding to the absolute position using the image information. The mobile robot can improve the performance of the position recognition using the image information and the obstacle information through the relative position recognition.

In addition, the mobile robot 100 may display the reservation information, the battery status, the operation mode, the operation status, the error status, and the like, including the output unit 180, or may output it as an audio.

The output unit 180 may include a display 182 for displaying the user interface screen such as the reservation information, the battery status, the operation mode, the operation status, and the error status as an image.

The display 182 may be slid or pushed to the front to allow the user to more easily recognize the user interface screen provided through the display 182 can do.

Also, the display 182 may be configured as a touch screen by forming a mutual layer structure with the touch pad. In this case, the display 182 may be used as an input device capable of inputting information by a user's touch in addition to the output device.

The output unit 180 may further include an audio output unit 181 for outputting an audio signal. The sound output unit 181 can output a sound message such as a warning sound, an operation mode, an operation state, an error state, etc., under the control of the control unit 140. [ The sound output unit 181 can convert an electric signal from the control unit 140 into an audio signal and output it. To this end, the sound output section 181 may include a speaker or the like.

Referring to FIG. 3, the mobile robot 100 includes a controller 140 for processing and determining various information such as recognizing a current position, and a storage unit 130 for storing various data. The mobile robot 100 may further include a communication unit 190 for transmitting and receiving data with the portable terminal.

The mobile terminal has an application for controlling the mobile robot 100. The mobile terminal 100 displays a map of a traveling area to be cleaned by the mobile robot 100 through the execution of the application and can designate a region for cleaning a specific area on the map have. Examples of the portable terminal include a remote controller, a PDA, a laptop, a smart phone, and a tablet on which an application for setting a map is mounted.

The portable terminal communicates with the mobile robot 100 to display the current position of the mobile robot together with the map, and information about a plurality of areas can be displayed. Further, the portable terminal updates its position and displays it according to the running of the mobile robot.

The control unit 140 controls the overall operation of the mobile robot 100 by controlling the image acquisition unit 120, the driving unit 160, the display 182, and the like, which constitute the mobile robot 100.

The storage unit 130 records various kinds of information required for controlling the mobile robot 100, and may include a volatile or nonvolatile recording medium. The storage medium stores data that can be read by a microprocessor, and includes a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state disk (SSD), a silicon disk drive (SDD), a ROM, a RAM, a CD- Tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like.

In addition, the storage unit 130 may store a map of a driving area. The map may be input by a mobile terminal, a server or the like capable of exchanging information with the mobile robot 100 through wired or wireless communication, or may be one generated by the mobile robot 100 itself.

The map can display the location of the rooms in the driving area. In addition, the current position of the mobile robot 100 can be displayed on the map, and the current position of the mobile robot 100 on the map can be updated in the course of travel. The portable terminal can store the same map as the map stored in the storage unit 130. [

The storage unit 130 may store cleaning history information. Such cleaning history information can be generated each time cleaning is performed.

The map of the traveling area stored in the storage unit 130 may include a navigation map used for traveling during cleaning, a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) map used for location recognition, A learning map used for learning cleaning, a global position map used for global position recognition, an obstacle recognition map for recording information on the recognized obstacle, and the like.

Meanwhile, as described above, the maps can be stored and managed in the storage unit 130 separately for each use. However, the maps may not be clearly classified for each use. For example, a plurality of pieces of information may be stored in one map for use in at least two applications.

The control unit 140 may include a travel control module 141, a location recognition module 142, a map generation module 143, and an obstacle recognition module 144.

1 to 3, the travel control module 141 controls the travel of the mobile robot 100, and controls the travel of the travel unit 160 according to the travel setting. In addition, the travel control module 141 can grasp the travel path of the mobile robot 100 based on the operation of the travel unit 160. [ For example, the travel control module 141 can grasp the current or past traveling speed and the traveling distance of the mobile robot 100 based on the rotational speed of the driving wheel 136, The current or past redirection process can also be identified. Based on the travel information of the mobile robot 100, the position of the mobile robot 100 on the map can be updated.

The map generating module 143 may generate a map of the running area. The map generation module 143 can process the image acquired through the image acquisition unit 120 to generate a map. That is, a cleaning map corresponding to the cleaning area can be created.

Also, the map generation module 143 can process the image acquired through the image acquisition unit 120 at each position and recognize the global position in association with the map.

The position recognition module 142 estimates and recognizes the current position. The position recognition module 142 grasps the position in cooperation with the map generation module 143 by using the image information of the image acquisition unit 120 so that even if the position of the mobile robot 100 suddenly changes, .

The mobile robot 100 is capable of recognizing the position during the continuous running through the position recognition module 142 and is capable of recognizing the map through the map generation module 143 and the obstacle recognition module 144 without the position recognition module 142 You can learn and estimate your current location.

During traveling of the mobile robot 100, the image acquisition unit 120 acquires images around the mobile robot 100. Hereinafter, the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 120 is defined as an 'acquired image'.

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

The map generation module 143 detects the feature from each of the acquired images. Various methods for detecting features from an image in the field of Computer Vision (Feature Detection) are well known. Several feature detectors suitable for detecting these features are known. For example, Canny, Sobel, Harris & Stephens / Plessey, SUSAN, Shi & Tomasi, Level curve curvature, FAST, Laplacian of Gaussian, Difference of Gaussians, Determinant of Hessian, MSER, PCBR and Gray-level blobs detector.

The map generation module 143 calculates a descriptor based on each minutiae point. The map generation module 143 may convert a feature point into a descriptor using a Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) technique for feature detection. The descriptor may be denoted by an n-dimensional vector.

The SIFT can detect unchanging features with respect to the scale, rotation, and brightness change of the object to be photographed. Even if the same region is photographed with a different attitude of the mobile robot 100 (i.e., -invariant) can be detected. Of course, various other techniques (e.g., HOG: Histogram of Oriented Gradient, Haar feature, Fems, Local Binary Pattern (LBP), Modified Census Transform (MCT)) may be applied.

The map generation module 143 classifies at least one descriptor for each acquired image into a plurality of groups according to a predetermined lower classification rule on the basis of the descriptor information obtained through the acquired image of each position, Can be converted into lower representative descriptors, respectively.

As another example, it is also possible to classify all descriptors gathered from acquired images in a predetermined area, such as a room, into a plurality of groups according to a predetermined sub-classification rule, and write descriptors included in the same group according to the predetermined lower representative rule, . ≪ / RTI >

The map generation module 143 can obtain the feature distribution of each position through such a process. Each position feature distribution can be represented as a histogram or an n-dimensional vector. As another example, the map generation module 143 can estimate an unknown current position based on descriptors calculated from each feature point, without going through a predetermined lower classification rule and a predetermined lower representative rule.

In addition, when the current position of the mobile robot 100 becomes an unknown state due to a positional jump or the like, the current position can be estimated based on data such as a previously stored descriptor or a lower representative descriptor.

The mobile robot 100 acquires an acquired image through the image acquisition unit 120 at an unknown current position. Through the image, various features such as lights, edges, corners, blobs, ridges, etc., are found on the ceiling.

The position recognition module 142 detects the features from the acquired image. Various methods of detecting features from an image in the field of computer vision technology and descriptions of various feature detectors suitable for detecting these features are as described above.

The position recognition module 142 calculates the recognition descriptor through the recognition descriptor calculation step based on each recognition feature point. Herein, the recognition minutiae and the recognition descriptor are used to describe the process performed by the position recognition module 142, and are intended to distinguish the terms used to describe the process performed by the map generation module 143. [ However, the characteristics of the external world of the mobile robot 100 are merely defined by different terms.

The location recognition module 142 may convert the recognized minutiae point into the recognition descriptor using the Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) technique for detecting the feature. The recognition descriptor may be denoted by an n-dimensional vector.

As described above, the SIFT selects characteristic points that are easily distinguishable, such as corner points, from the acquired image, and then determines the distribution characteristics of the brightness gradient of pixels belonging to a certain region around each characteristic point ) Is an image recognition technique that obtains an n-dimensional vector (vector) in which the degree of change in each direction is a numerical value for each dimension.

Based on at least one recognition descriptor information obtained through an acquired image of an unknown current position, the position recognition module 142 generates position information (for example, feature distribution of each position) (Lower recognition feature distribution).

According to a predetermined lower comparison rule, each position feature distribution can be compared with each recognition feature distribution to calculate each similarity. The similarity degree (probability) is calculated for each position corresponding to each position, and the position where the greatest probability is calculated can be determined as the current position.

In this way, the control unit 140 can recognize the current location of the main body 101 based on the pre-stored map, or can generate a map composed of a plurality of regions by distinguishing the travel regions.

When the map is generated, the control unit 140 can transmit the generated map to the portable terminal, the server, and the like through the communication unit 190. [ Also, as described above, the control unit 140 can store the map in the storage unit when the map is received from the portable terminal, server, or the like.

Also, when the map is updated while the vehicle is running, the controller 140 transmits the updated information to the portable terminal so that the map stored in the portable terminal and the mobile robot 100 are the same. As the map stored in the portable terminal and the mobile robot 100 are kept the same, the mobile robot 100 can clean the designated area with respect to the cleaning command from the mobile terminal, and the current position of the mobile robot So that it can be displayed.

At this time, the map is divided into a plurality of areas for the cleaning area, and includes a connection path for connecting the plurality of areas, and may include information about the obstacles in the area.

When the cleaning command is inputted, the control unit 140 determines whether or not the position on the map matches the current position of the mobile robot. The cleaning command may be input from a remote controller, a display, or a portable terminal.

If the current position does not coincide with the current position on the map or the current position can not be confirmed, the controller 140 recognizes the current position and restores the current position of the mobile robot 100, The traveling section 160 can be controlled to move to the designated area.

If the current position does not coincide with the position on the map or the current position can not be confirmed, the position recognition module 142 analyzes the acquired image input from the image obtaining unit 120 and estimates the current position based on the map can do. In addition, the obstacle recognition module 144 or the map generation module 143 may also recognize the current position in the same manner.

After recognizing the position and restoring the current position of the mobile robot 100, the travel control module 141 calculates the travel route from the current position to the designated area and controls the travel unit 160 to move to the designated area.

In the case of receiving the cleaning pattern information from the server, the travel control module 141 can divide the entire traveling area into a plurality of areas and set one or more areas as designated areas according to the received cleaning pattern information.

Also, the travel control module 141 may calculate the travel route in accordance with the received cleaning pattern information, travel along the travel route, and perform cleaning.

The control unit 140 may store the cleaning history in the storage unit 130 when the cleaning of the designated area is completed.

The control unit 140 may transmit the operation state or the cleaning state of the mobile robot 100 to the portable terminal and the server through the communication unit 190 at predetermined intervals.

Accordingly, based on the received data, the mobile terminal displays the position of the mobile robot together with the map on the screen of the application being executed, and also outputs information about the cleaning state.

The mobile robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention moves until an obstacle or a wall surface is sensed in one direction and when the obstacle is recognized through the sensor unit 170 and the obstacle recognition module 144, It is possible to determine a running pattern such as a straight run or a rotation.

For example, if the recognized obstacle is an obstacle of a kind that can be passed over, the mobile robot 100 can continue to go straight. Alternatively, if the recognized obstacle is an obstacle of a type that can not be surpassed, the mobile robot 100 rotates and moves a certain distance, moves to a distance in which the obstacle is sensed in the direction opposite to the initial moving direction, and is moved in a zigzag . ≪ / RTI >

The mobile robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can perform obstacle recognition and avoidance based on machine learning.

The control unit 140 includes an obstacle recognition module 144 for recognizing an obstacle learned through machine learning in the input image and a driving unit for driving the driving unit 160 based on the recognized obstacle characteristics And a travel control module 141 for controlling the vehicle.

The mobile robot 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include an obstacle recognition module 144 in which an attribute of an obstacle is learned by machine learning.

Machine learning means that the computer learns from the data through the computer, and the computer takes care of the problem, even though the computer does not instruct the person directly with the logic.

Deep Learning (Deep Learning). It is based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for constructing artificial intelligence. It is an artificial intelligence technology that allows a computer to learn like a human being without learning it as a way of teaching people how to think.

The ANN may be implemented in a software form or a hardware form such as a chip.

The obstacle recognition module 144 may include an artificial neural network (ANN) in the form of software or hardware in which the property of the obstacle is learned.

For example, the obstacle recognition module 144 may include a Deep Neural Network (DNN) such as CNN (Convolutional Neural Network), RNN (Recurrent Neural Network), DBN (Deep Belief Network) . ≪ / RTI >

The obstacle recognition module 144 may determine an attribute of the obstacle included in the input image data based on the weights among the nodes included in the DNN.

If the sensor unit 170 senses an obstacle while the mobile robot 100 is moving, the control unit 140 determines whether the image acquisition unit 120 acquires the obstacle according to the direction of the obstacle detected by the sensor unit 170 It is possible to control to extract a partial area of the image.

The image obtaining unit 120 may obtain an image within a predetermined angle range in the moving direction of the mobile robot 100. [

The obstacle recognition module 144 can recognize the obstacle based on the data learned by the machine learning in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 120. [

1 to 3, a mobile robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 101 having a storage space therein, a traveling unit 160 for moving the main body 101, And a lamp unit 150 having various lamps having a signal function for informing people of the traveling state of the mobile robot 100. [

The lamp unit 150 includes a status notification lamp 151 for outputting light representing the current state of the mobile robot 100 and a status notification lamp 151 disposed on the front surface of the main body 101, And a backward direction indicator 153 disposed on the rear surface of the main body 101 and turned on according to the traveling direction of the mobile robot 100. [

The lamps 151, 152, and 153 of the lamp unit 150 may include one or more light sources. For example, the status notification light 151, the forward direction indicator 152, and the backward direction indicator 153 may include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs).

Conventional analog lighting has a limitation in precisely controlling the illuminance, but the light emitting diode (LED) can precisely control the illuminance by adjusting the amount of current applied and the width of the driving pulse. Also, when the light emitting diodes (LEDs) of R, G, and B colors are provided in combination, the light of a specific color can be provided and the adjustment of the color temperature can be facilitated.

The light emitting diode (LED) may be a single color light emitting diode (LED) such as Red, Blue, Green, and White. According to an embodiment, the light emitting diode (LED) may be a multicolor light emitting diode (LED) capable of reproducing a plurality of colors.

The status indicator 151 may include a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), and the plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) may emit white light to provide white light. Red, Blue, and Green light emitting diodes (LEDs) may be combined to provide a particular color of illumination or white light.

For example, the status notification light 151 may include a first color (Yellowish White) indicating a standby / stop state, a second color (Blueish Green) indicating a cleaning in progress state, a third It is possible to output light of a color (Red).

Meanwhile, the status notification light 151 may be turned off after a predetermined time period after outputting light of a first color indicating a standby / stop state.

In a case where the status notification light 151 includes a plurality of light emitting diodes, a plurality of light emitting diodes may be turned on simultaneously, and then a plurality of light emitting diodes may be sequentially turned off at regular intervals.

In addition, at the start of the initial cleaning, all the light emitting diodes of the status notification light 151 blink at the same time and can output light of the second color indicating the cleaning in progress status.

The status notification light 151 may display a current progress state of the output light through color, and may serve as a kind of signal light for notifying stop, avoidance, and state change for avoiding the human body.

For example, upon a pause / error, the status notification light 151 may provide red light.

In addition, when avoiding a human body, the state notifying light 151 may blink light of a specific color to notify people of the avoidance driving.

The mobile robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be set to avoid an obstacle immediately when a human body is sensed or to avoid obstacles depending on whether a person is moving after waiting for a predetermined time. The state notifying lamp 151 can output light of a predetermined color constantly for a predetermined time before blinking and during avoidance running, or blink.

In addition, when a human body is detected, the sound output unit 181 can output and provide voice reminders to people such as " Please take a moment. "

The forward direction indicator 152 and the backward direction indicator 153 may indicate direction indication and emergency stop.

The forward direction indicator 152 and the backward direction indicator 153 may be turned on and blink according to the traveling direction of the mobile robot 100. [ In addition, the forward direction indicator 152 and the backward direction indicator 153 may be synchronized with each other and turned on or blink together.

The front direction indicator light 152 and the rear direction indicator light 153 may include indicator lamps corresponding to the left and right directions, respectively.

2, the backward direction indicator 153 may include a leftward direction indicator 153L and a rightward direction indicator 153R. When the mobile robot 100 changes its direction to the right or left while driving, The direction indicator lamps 153L and 153R corresponding to the direction can be turned on or blinked.

Referring to FIG. 1, the forward direction indicator 152 may include an indicator light corresponding to the left direction and an indicator light corresponding to the right direction arranged adjacent to each other.

Alternatively, the forward direction indicator light 152 may also be arranged such that the indicator light corresponding to the left direction and the indicator light corresponding to the right direction are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

For example, the forward direction indicator 152 and the backward direction indicator 153 may output light of a predetermined color, for example, orange, corresponding to the direction of rotation when rotating left / right.

Also, depending on the embodiment, the forward direction indicator 152 and the backward direction indicator 153 may be configured to output light of various colors.

In this case, the forward direction indicator light 152 and the backward direction indicator light 153 can also output red light in case of a pause / error.

Further, at the avoidance traveling, the forward direction indicator light 152 and the rearward direction indicator light 153 can also notify the area departure as an emergency flashing.

In addition, the controller 140 may control the lamp unit 150.

For example, the control unit 140 may control the status notification light 151 to output lights of different colors according to the current state of the mobile robot 100. Also, the controller 140 may control the status notification lamp 151 to blink at predetermined intervals for a predetermined period of time.

The control unit 140 may control the forward direction indicator 152 and the backward direction indicator 153 to be turned on according to the traveling direction of the mobile robot 100. In addition, the controller 140 may control the forward direction indicator 152 and the backward direction indicator 153 to flicker at predetermined intervals for a predetermined time.

Meanwhile, the forward direction indicator 152 and the backward direction indicator 153 may be synchronously driven.

That is, the controller 140 can control the forward direction indicator 152 and the backward direction indicator 153 to turn on or blink in the same manner as the left / right rotation.

The control unit 140 controls the forward direction indicator 152 and the backward direction indicator 153 to output light having the same color as the light output from the status indicator 151 in a specific situation Can be controlled.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 1, the status indicator light 151 may have a circular ring shape. In addition, the status notification light 151 may be in the shape of a circular ring disposed along the outer edge of the front surface of one of the cameras included in the image acquisition unit 120. [

Meanwhile, as described above, the controller 140 can recognize the attribute of the obstacle based on the image acquired by the image acquiring unit 120. [0034] FIG.

In addition, the controller 140 may control driving of the driving unit 160 based on the recognized property of the obstacle.

For example, the control unit 140 may control the movement of the main body 101 to stop when the recognized obstacle is at least a part of the human body.

In this case, the controller 140 may control to resume the existing movement when the recognized movement of the body is detected within a predetermined waiting time. In addition, the control unit 140 may control to avoid the recognized body if the recognized movement of the body is not detected within a predetermined waiting time.

Also, the controller 140 may control the sound output unit 181 to output a predetermined sound when the recognized obstacle property is at least a part of the human body.

Even when a user touches the mobile robot 100 in proximity to the mobile robot 100 for information confirmation, setting input, or other manipulation or when a child or the like touches the mobile robot 100 when the mobile robot 100 moves (travels) When the robot 100 continues to run, a collision safety accident may occur.

Especially, public places such as airports, railway stations, terminals, department stores, and marts have a large number of floating population, and there are many unexpected variables that lead to a higher risk of safety accidents.

Therefore, the mobile robot 100 according to the present invention outputs light indicating the current state of the mobile robot 100 through the frontal status notification 151 during the cleaning operation in a public place, It is possible to provide signal information that allows a large number of people to easily recognize the current state of the mobile robot 100. [

The state notification light 151, the forward direction indicator light 152 and the rearward direction indicator light 153 output light of a predetermined color according to the rotation travel and avoidance travel of the mobile robot 100, Direction information, whether or not the vehicle is running away, and the like.

Accordingly, the probability of an accident between a person and the mobile robot 100 in a public place can be reduced.

4 is a front view of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile robot illustrated in FIG. 4 is generally similar to the front view of the mobile robot illustrated in FIG. 1, so that the differences will be mainly described.

4, the forward direction indicator 152 may include a leftward direction indicator 152L and a rightward direction indicator 152R which are disposed at a predetermined distance apart from each other. When the mobile robot 100 is turned to the right The direction indicator lamps 152L and 152R corresponding to the direction in which the direction is to be turned on may turn on or blink.

The forward direction indicator light 152 of the mobile robot 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an indicator light corresponding to the left direction and an indicator light corresponding to the right direction disposed adjacent to each other in the predetermined panel.

The forward direction indicator light 152 of the mobile robot 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 may also be disposed in a predetermined panel such that the forward direction indicator light 152 is separated from the indicator light corresponding to the left direction and the indicator light corresponding to the right direction .

4, the image acquisition unit 120 includes an upper camera 120a that captures an image of the upper side of the main body 101 in front of the main body 101 to acquire an image of the ceiling within the traveling area, A front camera 120b, and a depth camera 120c, which are provided to acquire the image data. However, the number, arrangement, type, and photographing range of the cameras provided in the image obtaining unit 120 are not necessarily limited to these.

The upper camera 120a can acquire an image of the ceiling in the travel zone and the mobile robot 100 can use the image acquired by the upper camera 120a for SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping).

The front camera 120b can photograph an image of a user, a situation of an obstacle, a cleaning area, or the like existing in the front of the mobile robot 100 in the traveling direction.

In this case, the status notification light 151 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be embodied as a circular ring that surrounds the upper camera 120a.

Although the front camera 120b and the depth camera 120c are not shown in FIG. 1, the front camera 120b and the depth camera 120c may be disposed in a predetermined panel, May be provided.

2 and 4, the forward direction indicator lights 152L and 152R and the backward direction indicator lights 153L and 153R are disposed on the right and left front and rear sides of the mobile robot 100 so that when the mobile robot 100 rotates, Thereby informing people in the public place of the change of the traveling direction of the mobile robot 100.

Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a collision by allowing the people in the public place to know the change of the traveling direction of the mobile robot 100.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method of controlling a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 and 5, first, the mobile robot 100 moves according to an instruction or a setting and performs cleaning (S510).

The mobile robot (100) includes a traveling unit (160) for moving the main body (101). The traveling unit 160 can travel while moving the main body 101 (S510).

The state notification lamp 151 disposed on the front surface of the mobile robot 100 may output light indicating the current state of the mobile robot (S510).

For example, the status notification light 151 may include a first color (Yellowish White) indicating a standby / stop state, a second color (Blueish Green) indicating a cleaning in progress state, a third It is possible to output light of a color (Red).

People in a public place can see the color of light output by the status notification light 151, know the current state of the mobile robot 100, and can move while preparing for it. This can reduce the likelihood of an accident.

On the other hand, based on the running direction of the main body 101 (S530), the forward direction indicator 152 and the backward direction indicator 153 may turn on or blink for a predetermined time (S540).

For example, if the main body 101 is rotated to the left (S530), the left turn indicator lights of the forward turn indicator 152 and the backward turn indicator 153 may turn on or blink from a predetermined time before the rotation.

Referring to FIG. 6, if the mobile robot 100 rotates to the right, the rear right direction indicator 153R may flicker from a predetermined point before the rotation.

Further, the lamp or the front rightward direction indicator 152R corresponding to the right direction included in the forward direction indicator light 152 can be flashed synchronously with the rear rightward direction indicator 153R.

On the other hand, after the rotation is completed, the right turn indicator lights of the front turn signal lamp 152 and the back turn signal lamp 153 can be turned off.

Accordingly, people in a public place can know the rotation direction and the rotation direction of the mobile robot 100 in advance.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 illustrates a method of controlling a mobile robot when an obstacle is detected during movement. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a mobile robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Which is referenced in the description of the control method.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 and 7, the mobile robot 100 may move the main body 101 and perform cleaning according to an instruction or setting (S710).

The controller 170 may detect an obstacle during movement in step S720 and if an obstacle is sensed through the sensor unit 170 in step S720, Thereby recognizing the attribute of the detected obstacle (S740).

If an obstacle is detected through the sensor unit 170 during movement (S720), the image acquisition unit 120 may acquire an image in front of the main body 110 (S730).

Alternatively, the image corresponding to the time point when the sensor unit 170 detects the obstacle among the images continuously acquired by the image acquisition unit 120 or the image before the point when the sensor unit 170 detects the obstacle is selected And may be used as an image for obstacle recognition.

Preferably, the obstacle recognition module 144 may recognize the obstacle based on the data learned by the machine learning in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 120 (S740).

The obstacle recognition module 144 may include an artificial neural network that is learned to recognize attributes such as the type of the obstacle by machine learning, and may recognize the attribute of the obstacle based on the learned data. For example, CNN (Convolutional Neural Network), which is one of the deep learning structures, is installed in the obstacle recognition module 144, and CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) learned the attributes of the obstacles included in the input data, Can be output.

On the other hand, the travel control module 141 can control the driving of the travel unit 160 based on the recognized attribute of the obstacle (S790).

For example, the travel control module 141 can control to travel by bypassing the obstacle when the recognized obstacle is an obstacle of a height not exceedable.

In addition, the travel control module 141 can be controlled so as to continuously travel straight ahead in the case of an obstacle of a height such that the recognized obstacle can pass, such as a low-level barrier.

In addition, the travel control module 141 can control the obstacle to travel while bypassing the obstacle if a high-risk or high-risk obstacle is detected.

If the recognized obstacle is at least a part of the human body (S750), the control unit 140 may control the sound output unit 181 to output a predetermined sound (S770).

The predetermined sound may be a warning sound or a message for guiding the movement of the movable obstacle. For example, the control unit 140 may control the sound output unit 181 to output a warning message when at least a part of the human body such as a foot, a hand, etc. is recognized.

Referring to FIG. 8, when a person is detected, the sound output unit 181 of the mobile robot 100 can output and provide voice notifications to the people such as " Please take a moment away. &Quot; 100) recognize the person, and the reliability of the mobile robot 100 can be enhanced.

The control unit 140 may control the driving unit 160 to stop the movement of the main body 101 and wait for the movement of the main body 101 when the recognized obstacle is at least a part of the body of the user (S750) .

In FIG. 7, the order of outputting sound after S760 (S760) is illustrated (S770), but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it is possible to output sound, stop the movement of the main body, or output sound while stopping the movement.

Alternatively, depending on the embodiment, the control unit 140 may output the sound (S770) and control to avoid the sound immediately.

Meanwhile, the sensor unit 170 may detect whether the recognized body moves within the predetermined waiting time (S780). When the human body is sensed, the control unit 140 determines whether the person is moving during a predetermined waiting time, and controls the vehicle to travel accordingly.

If the recognized movement of the body is sensed within a predetermined waiting time (S780), the controller 140 may control to stop the movement of the main body (S760) without any change.

That is, when the person moves within the predetermined waiting time, the movement of the mobile robot 100 is not restricted, and the movement according to the existing travel pattern can be resumed.

If the movement of the recognized body is not sensed within a predetermined waiting time (S780), the controller 140 may control to perform avoidance travel for the recognized body (S790).

That is, if the person does not move within the predetermined waiting time, the mobile robot 100 can perform the avoidance driving for the person.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide a mobile robot and its control method that can be safely operated in a public place.

In addition, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, people can easily grasp the traveling state of the mobile robot, thereby reducing the risk of an accident of a person and a mobile robot.

In addition, according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to determine the property of the obstacle and adjust the traveling pattern according to the obstacle property, thereby performing highly reliable obstacle recognition and avoidance operations.

The mobile robot according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration and method of the embodiments described above, but the embodiments may be modified such that all or some of the embodiments are selectively combined .

Meanwhile, the control method of the mobile robot according to the embodiment of the present invention can be implemented as a code that can be read by a processor on a recording medium readable by the processor. The processor-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by the processor is stored. Examples of the recording medium that can be read by the processor include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like, and may also be implemented in the form of a carrier wave such as transmission over the Internet . In addition, the processor-readable recording medium may be distributed over network-connected computer systems so that code readable by the processor in a distributed fashion can be stored and executed.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It should be understood that various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Mobile Robot: 100
Body: 101
Control section: 140
Status notifications: 151
Front turn indicator: 152
Rear turn indicator: 153
Driving section: 160

Claims (20)

main body;
A traveling part for moving the main body; And
And a state notification for outputting light representing the current state of the mobile robot. The method according to claim 1,
And a controller for controlling the state notifier to output lights of different colors according to a current state of the mobile robot. The method according to claim 1,
A front direction indicator disposed on a front surface of the main body and turned on in accordance with a traveling direction of the mobile robot; And
And a backward direction indicator disposed on a rear surface of the main body, the backward direction indicator being lit according to the traveling direction of the mobile robot. The method of claim 3,
And a controller for controlling the forward direction indicator and the backward direction indicator to be turned on according to the traveling direction of the mobile robot. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the forward direction indicator and the backward direction indicator output light of the same color as the light output by the status notification. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the forward direction indicator and the backward direction indicator are synchronously driven. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the state notification is a circular ring shape. The method according to claim 1,
And an image acquisition unit including at least one camera for acquiring an image around the main body. 9. The method of claim 8,
And a controller for recognizing an attribute of the obstacle based on the image acquired by the image acquiring unit. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the control unit controls driving of the traveling unit based on the recognized attribute of the obstacle. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the control unit controls to stop the movement of the main body when the recognized obstacle has at least a part of the body of the person. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the control unit resumes the movement of the body when the recognized movement of the body is detected within a predetermined waiting time. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the control unit controls to avoid the recognized body if movement of the recognized body is not detected within a predetermined waiting time. 10. The method of claim 9,
And an acoustic output unit outputting a predetermined sound when the recognized obstacle property is at least a part of a human body. The method according to claim 1,
And a sensor unit including at least one sensor for detecting an obstacle during movement of the main body. Moving the main body;
Outputting light indicating a current state of the mobile robot; And
And turning on the front direction indicator and the backward direction indicator for a predetermined time based on the traveling direction of the main body. 17. The method of claim 16,
Sensing an obstacle while moving through the sensor unit;
Recognizing an attribute of the detected obstacle based on an image acquired by the image acquisition unit when the sensor unit detects the obstacle;
Outputting a predetermined sound based on an attribute of the recognized obstacle; And
And controlling the driving of the traveling section based on the recognized attribute of the obstacle. 18. The method of claim 17,
And stopping movement of the main body when the recognized obstacle property is at least a part of a human body. 19. The method of claim 18,
Further comprising: detecting whether the recognized body moves within the predetermined waiting time,
Wherein when the detected movement of the body is detected within the predetermined waiting time, control is performed so as to resume the movement of the main body before stopping. 19. The method of claim 18,
Further comprising: detecting whether the recognized body moves within the predetermined waiting time,
And controlling the driving of the driving unit based on the recognized attribute of the obstacle when the recognized movement of the recognized body is not detected within a predetermined waiting time, Control method of mobile robot.

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