KR20210008903A - Artificial intelligence lawn mower robot and controlling method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present specification relates to an artificial intelligence moving robot, and a method for controlling the same. The artificial intelligence moving robot controls driving thereof by corresponding to a sensed object when sensing the object of which a position is changed in a driving area as a result of determining a state of the driving area based on a capturing result of a capturing unit while driving in the driving area.

Description

Artificial intelligence mobile robot and its control method {ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LAWN MOWER ROBOT AND CONTROLLING METHOD FOR THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a mobile robot for autonomous driving in a travel area and a control method thereof.

In general, a mobile robot is a device that automatically performs a predetermined operation while traveling in a predetermined area without user's manipulation. The mobile robot detects an obstacle installed in the area and approaches or avoids the obstacle and performs an action.

Such a mobile robot may include a cleaning robot that performs cleaning while driving the area, as well as a mobile robot that mows the grass on the floor of the area. In general, a lawn mower is a riding-type device that mows the grass on the floor while moving according to the user's driving, and a walk-behind-type or hand-type that mows the lawn by manually dragging or pushing the user. There is a device of. Such a lawn mower is moved by a user's direct manipulation, and it mows the lawn, which is inconvenient to operate the user's own device. Accordingly, a mobile robot-type lawn mower having a means for mowing the lawn in a mobile robot is being studied.

In the case of such a lawn mowing mobile robot (grass mowing), since it operates outdoors rather than indoors, there are many restrictions on driving. For example, dynamic obstacles such as pets and other mobile robots may exist outdoors, and such dynamic obstacles may interfere with the traveling or weeding motion of the mobile robot due to the flow. Alternatively, in the mobile robot, a sharp blade that cuts the grass rotates and weeds the grass in the driving area, and a pet or baby whose recognition ability of an object is not developed compared to the user of the mobile robot exists on the driving area. In this case, there is a fear that an accident may occur due to the weeding means of the mobile robot because the mobile robot cannot be avoided. That is, the mobile robot is subject to restrictions on driving and securing safety due to dynamic obstacles on the driving area.

On the other hand, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2018-0023303 (published date: March 7, 2018) (hereinafter referred to as prior literature) discloses an electric fan or a mobile robot that detects and avoids a person's foot. The mobile robot disclosed in such prior literature is limited to a mobile robot running in an indoor environment, and it is difficult to apply to a mobile robot for lawn mowing that runs in an outdoor environment. That is, the prior literature does not take into account factors and constraints according to the outdoor environment, and thus cannot propose driving control in consideration of dynamic obstacles in the outdoor environment.

As a result, in the conventional mobile robot technology for lawn mowing, driving constraints and safety problems caused by dynamic obstacles in the outdoor environment have been followed, and thus the accuracy, stability, reliability, utility and utility of the mobile robot's driving and operation are guaranteed. There was a limit that could not be done. In addition, even in the overall mobile robot technology, a technology capable of improving this limitation has not been proposed, and thus the limitation due to dynamic obstacles has not been solved.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to improve the limitations of the prior art as described above.

Specifically, it is intended to provide a mobile robot capable of detecting a dynamic obstacle existing in a driving area and controlling driving according to the detection result, and a control method thereof.

In addition, it is intended to provide a mobile robot capable of accurately detecting a dynamic obstacle existing in a driving area and a control method thereof.

In addition, it is intended to provide a mobile robot and a control method thereof capable of performing appropriate response driving according to a detected dynamic obstacle.

In the mobile robot and its control method according to the present invention for solving the above-described problems, a dynamic obstacle is sensed through a photographing means for photographing a traveling area, and the driving is controlled accordingly.

Specifically, by utilizing/applying artificial intelligence technology, an object whose position change is detected among objects on the driving area photographed by the photographing unit is detected as a dynamic obstacle, and the driving of the main body is controlled according to the detection result.

That is, the mobile robot and its control method according to the present invention, when the state of the driving area is determined based on the photographing result of the photographing unit while driving the driving area, and detects a sensing object whose position is changed on the driving area. , As a solution means to control the driving in response to the sensing object.

Through such a solution means, the mobile robot and its control method according to the present invention detects a dynamic obstacle existing in a driving area, and a corresponding driving is performed according to the detection result, thereby solving the above-described problem.

The above technical features include a control means for controlling a mobile robot, a method for controlling a mobile robot and a mobile robot, and a dynamic obstacle detection method/control method according to dynamic obstacle detection, or a mobile robot to which artificial intelligence is applied. It may be implemented by a method of detecting a dynamic obstacle using intelligence, and the present specification provides an embodiment of a mobile robot and a control method thereof using the above technical characteristics as a task solution.

The mobile robot according to the present invention having the above technical characteristics as a problem solving means includes a main body, a driving unit for moving the main body, a photographing unit for generating image information on a traveling area of the main body by photographing the surroundings of the main body, and And a control unit configured to control the driving of the main body by controlling the driving unit, and to determine a state of the driving area based on the image information, wherein the control unit includes a driving area of the driving area while the main body is driving the driving area. As a result of determining the state, when a sensing object whose position is changed on the driving area is detected, the traveling of the main body is controlled in response to the sensing object.

In addition, the control method of a mobile robot according to the present invention having the above technical characteristics as a problem solving means includes a main body, a driving unit for moving the main body, a photographing unit for photographing the surroundings of the main body, and the driving unit to control A control method of a mobile robot comprising a control unit for controlling the driving of the vehicle and determining a state of the driving area of the main body based on a photographing result of the photographing unit, wherein the surrounding of the main body is photographed while driving the driving area. And generating image information on a driving area, detecting a sensing object whose position is changed on the driving area based on the image information, and controlling the driving of the main body according to a detection result.

The mobile robot and its control method according to the present invention detect a dynamic obstacle through a photographing means for photographing a driving area, and control the driving accordingly, to detect a dynamic obstacle existing in the driving area, and according to the detection result. There is an effect that can control the driving.

In addition, the mobile robot and its control method according to the present invention can accurately detect a dynamic obstacle existing on a driving area, and have an effect of performing appropriate corresponding driving according to the detected dynamic obstacle.

In addition, the mobile robot and the control method thereof according to the present invention have an effect of improving the safety risk of the user due to the driving restriction of the mobile robot due to dynamic obstacles and the driving and weeding operations of the mobile robot.

As a result, the mobile robot and its control method according to the present invention not only improves the limitations of the prior art, but also improves accuracy, reliability, stability, utility, and utility in the field of mobile robot technology for lawn mowing that utilizes/applies artificial intelligence. There is an effect that can be increased.

1A is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a mobile robot according to the present invention a.
Figure 1b is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a mobile robot according to the present invention b.
Figure 1c is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a mobile robot according to the present invention c.
2 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of a travel area of a mobile robot according to the present invention.
3A is a conceptual diagram showing a driving principle of a mobile robot according to the present invention.
3B is a conceptual diagram showing a signal flow between devices for determining the position of a mobile robot according to the present invention.
4 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of a mobile robot according to the present invention.
5A is an exemplary view showing an example of a sensing object on a traveling area of a mobile robot according to the present invention a.
5B is an exemplary view showing an example of a sensing object on a traveling area of a mobile robot according to the present invention b.
6 is a flowchart showing an operation process according to an embodiment of the mobile robot according to the present invention.
7 is an exemplary view showing an example of corresponding driving to a sensing object according to an embodiment of the mobile robot according to the present invention.
8A is an exemplary view showing a specific example of a corresponding driving to a sensing object according to an embodiment of the mobile robot according to the present invention a.
8B is an exemplary view showing a specific example of a corresponding driving to a sensing object according to an embodiment of the mobile robot according to the present invention b.
8C is an exemplary view showing a specific example of a corresponding driving to a sensing object according to an embodiment of the mobile robot according to the present invention c.
9 is a flow chart showing the sequence of a method for controlling a mobile robot according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a mobile robot and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are assigned the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof are I will omit it.

In addition, in describing the technology disclosed in the present specification, when it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the technology disclosed in the present specification, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings are for easy understanding of the spirit of the technology disclosed in the present specification, and should not be construed as limiting the spirit of the technology by the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a mobile robot (hereinafter referred to as a robot) according to the present invention will be described.

The robot may refer to a robot capable of autonomous driving, a lawnmower mobile robot, a lawnmower robot, a lawnmower, or a lawnmower mobile robot.

The robot 100, as shown in Fig. 1A, the main body 10, the driving unit 11 for moving the main body 10, the movement of the main body 10 by photographing the periphery of the main body 10 The driving of the main body 10 is controlled by controlling the photographing unit 12 and the driving unit 11 that generate image information for the area 1000, and the state of the driving area 1000 based on the image information It includes a control unit 20 to determine.

The control unit 20 controls the driving of the main body 10 by determining the current position of the main body 10 and controlling the driving unit 11 to travel in the driving area 1000, and While (10) is driving the driving area 1000, the photographing unit 12 is controlled to photograph the periphery of the main body 10, and based on the image information generated by the photographing unit 12, the The state of the driving area 1000 may be determined.

In this way, in the robot 100 including the main body 10, the driving unit 11, the photographing unit 12 and the control unit 20, the control unit 20, the main body 10 As a result of determining the state of the driving area 1000 while driving the area, when detecting an object to be detected whose position is changed on the driving area 1000, the driving of the main body 10 is controlled in response to the detection object do.

That is, the robot 100 is characterized in that the control unit 20 detects the sensing object present on the travel area 1000 while driving, and controls the movement of the main body 10 according to the detection result. To do.

The robot 100 may be an autonomous driving robot including the main body 10 that is provided to be movable as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C and that can cut grass. The main body 10 forms the exterior of the robot 100, and is provided with one or more means for performing operations such as running of the robot 100 and cutting grass. The main body 10 is provided with the driving unit 11 capable of moving and rotating the main body 10 in a desired direction. The driving unit 11 may include a plurality of rotatable driving wheels, and each wheel may be rotated individually, so that the main body 10 may be rotated in a desired direction. More specifically, the driving unit 11 may include at least one main driving wheel 11a and an auxiliary wheel 11b. For example, the main body 10 may include two main driving wheels 11a, and the main driving wheels may be installed on the rear bottom surface of the main body 10.

The robot 100 may travel by itself within the travel area 1000 as shown in FIG. 2. The robot 100 may perform a specific operation while driving. Here, the specific operation may be an operation of cutting grass in the driving area 1000. The driving area 1000 is an area corresponding to a driving and operating target of the robot 100, and a predetermined outdoor/outdoor area may be formed as the driving area 1000. For example, a garden or a yard for the robot 100 to cut grass may be formed as the driving area 1000. A charging device 500 for charging driving power of the robot 100 may be installed in the driving area 1000, and the robot 100 may be installed in the charging device 500 installed in the driving area 1000. It can be docked to charge the driving power.

As shown in FIG. 2, the driving area 1000 may be formed as a certain boundary area 1200. The boundary area 1200 corresponds to a boundary line between the driving area 1000 and the external area 1100, so that the robot 100 travels within the boundary area 1200 so as not to deviate from the external area 1100. Can be done. In this case, the boundary area 1200 may be formed as a closed curve or a closed loop. Also, in this case, the boundary area 1200 may be defined by a closed curve or a wire 1200 formed of a closed loop. The wire 1200 may be installed in an arbitrary area, and the robot 100 may travel within the driving area 1000 of a closed curve formed by the installed wire 1200.

In addition, one or more transmitters 200 may be disposed in the driving area 1000 as shown in FIG. 2. The transmitter 200 is a signal generating means for transmitting a signal for the robot 100 to determine location information, and may be distributed and installed in the driving area 1000. The robot 100 may receive a signal transmitted from the transmitter 200 and determine a current position based on a reception result, or may determine position information on the driving area 1000. In this case, the robot 100 may receive the signal through a receiving unit that receives the signal. The transmitter 200 may be preferably disposed in the driving area 1000 in the vicinity of the boundary area 1200. In this case, the robot 100 may determine the boundary area 1200 based on an arrangement position of the transmitter 200 disposed in the vicinity of the boundary area 1200.

The robot 100, which cuts grass while traveling in the driving area 1000 as shown in FIG. 2, can operate according to the driving principle as shown in FIG. 3A, and the position as shown in FIG. 3B Signal flow between devices for determination can be made.

The robot 100 communicates with the terminal 300 moving a predetermined area, as shown in FIG. 3A, and tracks the location of the terminal 300 based on the data received from the terminal 300. I can. The robot 100 sets a virtual boundary in a predetermined area based on the location information received from the terminal 300 or collected while driving by following the terminal 300, and internally formed by the boundary An area may be set as the driving area 1000. When the boundary area 1200 and the driving area 1000 are set, the robot 100 may travel within the driving area 1000 so as not to deviate from the boundary area 1200. In some cases, the terminal 300 may set the boundary area 1200 and transmit it to the robot 100. When the area is changed or expanded, the terminal 300 may transmit the changed information to the robot 100 to allow the robot 100 to travel in a new area. In addition, the terminal 300 may monitor the operation of the robot 100 by displaying data received from the robot 100 on a screen.

The robot 100 or the terminal 300 may receive location information and determine a current location. The robot 100 and the terminal 300 may determine the current position based on location information transmitted from the transmitter 200 disposed in the driving area 1000 or a GPS signal using a GPS satellite 400. I can. The robot 100 and the terminal 300 may determine the current position by comparing the signals by receiving signals transmitted from the three transmitters 200, preferably. That is, three or more transmitters 200 may be preferably disposed in the driving area 1000.

The robot 100 sets any one point in the travel area 1000 as a reference position, and then calculates the position during movement as a coordinate. For example, the initial start position and the position of the charging device 500 may be set as a reference position, and the coordinates for the driving area 1000 may be set using any one of the transmitters 200 as a reference position. Can be calculated. In addition, the robot 100 may set an initial position as a reference position during each operation, and then travel to determine the position. Based on a reference position, the robot 100 calculates a travel distance based on the number of rotations, rotation speed, and rotation direction of the main body 10 of the drive wheel 11, and accordingly, the travel area 1000 ) You can determine the current location within. Even in the case of determining a location using the GPS satellite 400, the robot 100 may determine a location using any one point as a reference location.

As shown in FIG. 3, the robot 100 may determine a current location based on location information transmitted from the transmitter 200 or the GPS satellite 400. The location information may be transmitted in the form of a GPS signal, an ultrasonic signal, an infrared signal, an electromagnetic signal, or a UWB (Ultra Wide Band) signal. The signal transmitted from the transmitter 200 may be preferably an UWB (Ultra Wide Band) signal. Accordingly, the robot 100 may receive a UWB (Ultra Wide Band) signal transmitted from the transmitter 200 and determine a current location based on this.

The robot 100 operating in this manner includes the main body 10, the driving unit 11, the photographing unit 12, and the control unit 20, as shown in FIG. 4, and the driving area While driving 1000, the detection object existing on the driving area 1000 may be detected, and the driving area 1000 may be driven according to a detection result. The robot 100 may also include a communication unit 13, an output unit 14, a storage unit 15, a sensing unit 16, a receiving unit 17, an input unit 18, an obstacle detecting unit 19, and a weeding unit. It may further include one or more of (30).

The driving part 11 is a driving wheel provided under the main body 10 and may be rotated to move the main body 10. That is, the driving unit 11 may be driven so that the main body 10 travels through the travel area 1000. The driving unit 11 may include at least one driving motor to move the main body 10 so that the robot 100 travels. For example, it may include a left wheel drive motor to rotate the left wheel and a right wheel drive motor to rotate the right wheel.

The driving unit 11 may transmit information on a driving result to the control unit 20 and receive a control command for an operation from the control unit 20. The driving unit 11 may operate according to a control command received from the control unit 20. That is, the driving unit 11 may be controlled by the control unit 20.

The photographing unit 12 may be a camera that photographs the periphery of the main body 10. The photographing unit 12 may sense an obstacle existing around the main body 10 and on the driving area 1000 by photographing the front side of the main body 10. The photographing unit 12 is a digital camera and may include an image sensor (not shown) and an image processing unit (not shown). The image sensor is a device that converts an optical image into an electrical signal, and is composed of a chip in which a plurality of photo diodes are integrated, and the photodiode may be a pixel. Charges are accumulated in each of the pixels by an image deposited on the chip by light passing through the lens, and charges accumulated in the pixels are converted into electrical signals (eg, voltage). As image sensors, CCD (Charge Coupled Device), CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), etc. are well known. In addition, the photographing unit 12 may include an image processing unit (DSP) for generating the image information by image processing the photographed result.

The photographing unit 12 may transmit a photographing result to the control unit 20 and receive a control command for an operation from the control unit 20. The photographing unit 12 may operate according to a control command transmitted from the control unit 20. That is, the photographing unit 12 may be controlled by the control unit 20.

The communication unit 13 may communicate with one or more communication target means for communicating with the robot 100. The communication unit 13 may communicate with the transmitter 200 and the terminal 300 through a wireless communication method. The communication unit 13 may also communicate with an external server or the terminal 300 controlling the robot 100 by being connected to a predetermined network. When communicating with the terminal 300, the communication unit 13 transmits the generated map to the terminal 300, receives a command from the terminal 300, and provides information on the operation state of the robot 100. Data can be transmitted to the terminal 300. The communication unit 13 may transmit and receive data by including a communication module such as Wi-Fi and WiBro, as well as short-range wireless communication such as ZigBee and Bluetooth.

The communication unit 13 may transmit information on a communication result to the control unit 20 and receive a control command for an operation from the control unit 20. The communication unit 13 may operate according to a control command received from the control unit 20. That is, the communication unit 13 may be controlled by the control unit 20.

The output unit 14 is an output means for outputting information on the state of the robot 100 in the form of a voice, and may include, for example, a speaker. When an event occurs during the operation of the robot 100, the output unit 14 may output an alarm related to the event. For example, when the driving power of the robot 100 is exhausted, an impact is applied to the robot 100, or an accident occurs in the driving area 1000, an alarm voice is generated so that information about this is transmitted to the user. Can be printed.

The output unit 14 may transmit information on an operation state to the control unit 20 and receive a control command for an operation from the control unit 20. The output unit 14 may operate according to a control command transmitted from the control unit 20. That is, the output unit 14 may be controlled by the control unit 20.

The storage unit 15 is a storage means for storing data that can be read by a micro processor, and includes a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state disk (SSD), a silicon disk drive (SDD), a ROM, It may include RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device. In the storage unit 15, a received signal may be stored, reference data for determining an obstacle may be stored, and obstacle information regarding the detected obstacle may be stored. In addition, the storage unit 15 includes control data for controlling the operation of the robot 100, data according to the operation mode of the robot 100, location information to be collected, the driving area 1000, and the boundary ( 1200) may be stored.

The sensing unit 16 may include one or more sensors for sensing information on the posture and motion of the body 10. The sensing unit 16 may include at least one of a tilt sensor for detecting the movement of the main body 10 and a speed sensor for detecting a driving speed of the driving unit 11. The tilt sensor may be a sensor that senses posture information of the body 10. The tilt sensor may sense posture information of the main body 10 by calculating an inclined direction and an angle when the main body 10 is inclined in a front, rear, left, or right direction. The tilt sensor, an acceleration sensor, and the like may be used as the tilt sensor, and any of a gyro type, an inertial type, and a silicon semiconductor type may be applied in the case of the acceleration sensor. In addition, in addition, various sensors or devices capable of detecting the movement of the main body 10 may be used. The speed sensor may be a sensor that senses a driving speed of a driving wheel provided in the driving unit 11. When the driving wheel rotates, the speed sensor may sense the driving speed by sensing the rotation of the driving wheel.

The sensing unit 16 may transmit information on a sensing result to the controller 20 and receive a control command for an operation from the controller 20. The sensing unit 16 may operate according to a control command received from the control unit 20. That is, the sensing unit 16 may be controlled by the control unit 20.

The receiving unit 17 may include a plurality of sensor modules for transmitting and receiving location information. The receiving unit 17 may include a position sensor module receiving the signal from the transmitter 200. The position sensor module may transmit a signal to the transmitter 200. When the transmitter 200 transmits a signal in any one of ultrasonic, UWB (Ultra Wide Band), and infrared, the receiver 17 includes a sensor module for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic, UWB, and infrared signals corresponding thereto. It can be provided. The receiving unit 17 may preferably include a UWB sensor. For reference, UWB radio technology refers to using a very wide frequency band of several GHz or more in a baseband without using a radio carrier (RF carrier). UWB radio technology uses very narrow pulses of several nanoseconds or several picoseconds. Since the pulses emitted from such a UWB sensor are several nanometers or several picos, penetrability is good, and accordingly, very short pulses emitted from other UWB sensors can be received even if there are obstacles around them.

When the robot 100 follows the terminal 300 and travels, the terminal 300 and the robot 100 may each include a UWB sensor and transmit and receive UWB signals to and from each other through the UWB sensor. have. The terminal 300 transmits a UWB signal through an equipped UWB sensor, and the robot 100 determines the location of the terminal 300 based on the UWB signal received through the UWB sensor, and the terminal 300 ) To follow and move. In this case, the terminal 300 operates as a transmission side and the robot 100 operates as a reception side. When the transmitter 200 is equipped with a UWB sensor to transmit a signal, the robot 100 or the terminal 300 may receive a signal transmitted from the transmitter 200 through the provided UWB sensor. In this case, the signal method of the transmitter 200 and the signal method of the robot 100 and the terminal 300 may be the same or different.

The receiving unit 17 may include a plurality of UWB sensors. When two UWB sensors are included in the receiving unit 17, for example, they are provided on the left and right sides of the main body 10, respectively, and by receiving signals respectively, it is possible to compare a plurality of received signals to calculate an accurate position. Can be done. For example, according to the positions of the robot 100 and the transmitter 200 or the terminal 300, when the distance measured by the left sensor and the right sensor is different, the robot 100 and the The relative position of the transmitter 200 or the terminal 300 and the direction of the robot 100 may be determined.

The receiving unit 17 may further include a GPS module for transmitting and receiving a GPS signal from the GPS satellite 400.

The receiving unit 17 may transmit a signal reception result to the control unit 20 and receive a control command for an operation from the control unit 20. The receiving unit 17 may operate according to a control command received from the control unit 20. That is, the receiving unit 17 may be controlled by the control unit 20.

The input unit 18 may receive a user command including input means such as at least one button, switch, and touch pad, and an output means such as a display unit, and output an operation state of the robot 100. .

The input unit 18 may display a state of the robot 100 through the display unit and display a control screen on which a control operation of the robot 100 is performed. The control screen may refer to a user interface screen in which a driving state of the robot 100 is displayed and output, and a command for a driving operation of the robot 100 is input from a user. The control screen is displayed on the display unit through the control of the control unit 20, and a display and input command on the control screen may be controlled by the control unit 20.

The input unit 18 may transmit information on an operation state to the control unit 20 and receive a control command for an operation from the control unit 20. The input unit 18 may operate according to a control command transmitted from the control unit 20. That is, the input unit 18 may be controlled by the control unit 20.

The obstacle detecting unit 19 includes a plurality of sensors to detect an obstacle present in the driving direction. The obstacle detecting unit 19 may detect an obstacle in the front of the main body 10, that is, in a driving direction, using at least one of laser, ultrasonic, infrared, and 3D sensors. The obstacle detection unit 19 may further include a cliff detection sensor installed on the rear surface of the main body 10 to detect a cliff.

The obstacle detection unit 19 may transmit information on a detection result to the control unit 20 and receive a control command for an operation from the control unit 20. The obstacle detection unit 19 may operate according to a control command transmitted from the control unit 20. That is, the obstacle detection unit 19 may be controlled by the control unit 20.

The weeding unit 30 mows the lawn on the floor while driving. The weeding unit 30 may be provided with a brush or blade for mowing the grass, and may mow the grass on the floor through rotation.

The weeding unit 30 may transmit information on an operation result to the control unit 20 and receive a control command for an operation from the control unit 20. The weeding unit 30 may operate according to a control command received from the control unit 20. That is, the weeding unit 30 may be controlled by the control unit 20.

The controller 20 may perform overall operation control of the robot 100 including a central processing unit. The control unit 20 determines the state of the driving area 1000 while driving the driving area 1000 through the main body 10, the driving unit 11, and the photographing unit 12, and Controls the driving of (10), the communication unit 13, the output unit 14, the storage unit 15, the sensing unit 16, the receiving unit 17, the input unit 18, the obstacle It is possible to control the function/operation of the robot 100 to be performed through the sensing unit 19 and the weeding unit 30.

The control unit 20 may control input/output of data and control the driving unit 11 so that the main body 10 travels according to a setting. The controller 20 controls the driving unit 11 to independently control the operation of the left wheel drive motor and the right wheel drive motor, thereby controlling the main body 10 to travel straight or rotated.

The control unit 20 sets the boundary 1200 for the driving area 1000 based on the location information received from the terminal 300 or the location information determined based on the signal received from the transmitter 200. I can. The control unit 20 may also set the boundary 1200 for the driving area 1000 based on the location information collected during driving. The control unit 20 may set any one of the areas formed by the set boundary 1200 as the driving area 1000. The controller 20 may set the boundary 1200 in the form of a closed loop by connecting discontinuous position information with a line or a curve, and set an inner area as the driving area 1000. When the driving area 1000 and the boundary 1200 according thereto are set, the control unit 20 controls the driving of the main body 10 so as not to deviate from the set boundary 1200 while driving within the driving area 1000 can do. The control unit 20 determines the current position based on the received position information, and controls the driving unit 11 so that the determined current position is located within the driving area 1000 to control the driving of the main body 10. I can.

In addition, the controller 20 controls the traveling of the main body 10 to avoid obstacles and travel according to obstacle information input by one or more of the photographing unit 12 and the obstacle detecting unit 19 can do. In this case, the control unit 20 may modify the driving area 1000 by reflecting the obstacle information to the previously stored area information for the driving area 1000.

When the robot 100 configured as shown in FIG. 4 determines the state of the driving area 1000 based on the image information by the control unit 20 and detects the detection object as a result of the determination In response to the object to be detected, driving of the main body 10 may be controlled.

The robot 100 may perform a set operation while traveling in the travel area 1000. For example, while driving the driving area 1000 photographed on the image information as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, grass existing on the bottom surface of the driving area 1000 may be cut.

In the robot 100, the main body 10 may be driven through the driving of the driving unit 11. The main body 10 may be driven by the driving unit 11 to move the main body 10.

In the robot 100, the driving unit 11 may move the main body 10 by driving a driving wheel. The drive unit 11 may move the main body 10 by driving the driving wheel, thereby driving the main body 10.

In the robot 100, the photographing unit 12 may photograph the periphery of the main body 10 at a provided position, and may generate image information according to a photographing result. The photographing unit 12 may be provided on the rear side of the main body 10. In this way, the photographing unit 12 is provided at the rear upper portion of the main body 10, so that foreign matter generated by the traveling and cutting operation of the main body 10 can prevent contamination of the photographing unit 12. have. The photographing unit 12 may photograph the driving direction of the main body 10. That is, the photographing unit 12 may photograph the front of the main body 10 on which the main body 10 travels. Accordingly, it is possible to photograph a front state in which the main body 10 is driven. The photographing unit 12 may generate the image information by photographing the periphery of the main body 10 in real time while the main body 10 is traveling in the driving area 1000. In addition, the photographing unit 12 may transmit a photographing result to the control unit 20 in real time. Accordingly, the control unit 20 may determine a real-time state of the driving area 1000.

In the robot 100, the control unit 20 controls the driving unit 11 to travel in the driving area 1000 to control the driving of the main body 10, and the driving area based on the image information The detection object D may be detected by determining the state of 1000. The sensing object D refers to an object whose position is changed among objects existing on the driving area 1000. That is, the sensing object D may be a dynamic obstacle. For example, it may be a pet, a wild animal, a person, or a robot entering the outdoor where the driving area 1000 is formed. As a result of determining the state of the driving area 1000 based on the image information, the controller 20 detects the sensing object D whose position is changed on the driving area 1000, the main body ( 10) can be controlled to travel in response to the sensing object D. That is, the control unit 20 detects whether the detection object D exists on the driving area 1000 based on the image information, and when the detection object D is detected, the detection The traveling of the main body 10 may be controlled in response to the object D.

The controller 20 may recognize an object for which a position change is detected among objects photographed in the image information, and detect the recognized object as the sensing object D. That is, the control unit 20 may detect the sensing object D by recognizing an object for which a position change is detected on the image information. For example, when the object 1 (D1), which is photographed by the photographing unit 12 and included in the image information, is changed as shown in FIG. 5B, as shown in FIG. 5A, the Object 1 (D1) may be detected as the sensing object (D). Alternatively, when the object 2 (D2) not included in the image information is changed in position as shown in FIG. 5A and is included in the image information as shown in FIG. 5B, the object 2 having a position change (D2) may be detected as the sensing object (D).

In this way, the robot 100, which senses the detection object D and runs according to the detection result, operates in a process as shown in FIG. 6 to perform driving according to the detection result of the detection object D. Can be. As shown in FIG. 6, the robot 100 starts driving (P1), photographing surroundings (P2), generating image information (P3), detecting a sensing object (P4), and maintaining driving (P5) accordingly. It may be operated in the order of driving (P6).

The robot 100 photographs the surroundings of the main body 10 through the photographing unit 12 after the main body 10 starts driving on the driving area 1000 (P1). Thus, image information as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B may be generated (P3). The control unit 20 detects (P4) the sensing object D existing on the driving area 1000 based on the image information generated by the photographing unit 12, and according to the detection result, the The main body 10 may be controlled to maintain driving (P5) or to travel (P6) in response to the sensing object (D). The control unit 20 may detect an object whose position changes, such as object 1 (D1) and object 2 (D2), as the sensing object (D) on the image information photographed in the order of FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B. . That is, the control unit 20 may detect the sensing object D by recognizing an object for which a position change is detected on the image information. When the detection object D is not detected, the control unit 20 controls the main body 10 to maintain driving (P5), and when the detection object D is detected, the detection object ( It can be controlled to run (P6) in response to D). That is, when a dynamic obstacle is not detected, the robot 100 may maintain driving (P5), and when a dynamic obstacle is detected, the robot 100 may travel in response to the dynamic obstacle (P6). The driving corresponding to the sensing object D may be, for example, stopping driving or switching driving.

When controlling (P6) the traveling of the main body 10 in response to the sensing object D, the control unit 20 controls the traveling of the main body 10 according to one or more of a plurality of preset control modes. Can be controlled. The control mode may be a mode for controlling a driving operation of the main body 10. For example, there may be a mode in which the main body 10 is controlled to stop, a mode in which the main body 10 is controlled to decelerate the traveling speed, and the like.

The controller 20 may control the main body 10 to travel in response to the sensing object D by combining one or more of the control modes. The plurality of control modes include a first control mode for controlling the main body 10 to move slowly, a second control mode for controlling the main body 10 to wait for driving, and the main body 10 (D) It may include a third control mode for controlling to avoid driving. That is, when controlling the driving in response to the sensing object D, the controller 20 combines at least one of the first control mode, the second control mode, and the third control mode, and the main body ( 10) can be controlled. Accordingly, the robot 100 may operate in one or more of slowing, waiting, and avoiding in response to the sensing object D. In this case, the control unit 20 may control the main body 10 to operate a plurality of operations in sequence. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the running of the main body 10 is controlled according to one or more of the plurality of control modes so as to operate in the order of slow (C1), standby (C2) and avoidance (C3). I can. For a more specific example, as shown in FIG. 8A, the main body 10 is controlled to slow down (C1) in the periphery (L1) of the sensing object (D) by controlling in the first control mode, and the main body ( When 10) slows down (C1) and reaches the vicinity L2 of the object to be detected (D), as shown in FIG. 8B, the vehicle is controlled in the second control mode to drive in the vicinity of the object (D) (L2). Is controlled to stop (C2), and when the sensing object D maintains its position, the sensing object (D) is controlled to avoid the sensing object D by controlling it in the third control mode as shown in FIG. It can be controlled to run (C3) in a different direction (L3) from the position of D). Accordingly, the robot 100 may perform a plurality of operations and travel in response to the sensing object D.

When controlling the traveling of the main body 10 according to one or more of the plurality of control modes, the control unit 20 maintains a separation distance between the main body 10 and the sensing object D at a predetermined distance or more. It is possible to control the running of the main body 10 as possible. That is, when controlling the driving of the main body 10 according to the plurality of control modes, the control unit 20 controls the main body 10 and the sensing object D to be separated by a predetermined distance or more. I can. Here, the predetermined distance is a distance at which safety of the robot 100 and the sensing object D is secured, and may be set by a user of the robot 100. Accordingly, when the robot 100 is traveling in one or more of slowing, waiting, or avoiding in response to the sensing object D, the separation distance from the sensing object D is secured at least the predetermined distance. Can be driven by.

The controller 20 may control the traveling of the main body 10 in one or more of the plurality of control modes until the detection of the sensing object D is stopped. That is, the control unit 20 is configured to travel in response to the sensing object D until the sensing object D is separated from the peripheral area of the main body 10 and is not photographed by the photographing unit 20. Can be controlled.

When the sensing object D is sensed in this way, the control unit 20 for controlling the traveling of the main body 10 in response to the sensing object D, according to the type of the sensing object D The running of the main body 10 can be controlled. For example, the driving of the main body 10 may be controlled by combining one or more of the plurality of control modes according to the type of the sensing object D. The control unit 20 determines the type of the sensing object D based on a result of detecting the sensing object D and a preset detection criterion, and the main body ( 10) can be controlled. The detection criterion may be a criterion for determining the type of the detection object D as a criterion for characteristics/characteristics of each type of the detection object D. According to this, the control unit 20 determines the characteristics/characteristics of the detection object D from the detection result of detecting the detection object D, compares the determination result with the detection criterion, and based on the comparison result. The type of the sensing object D may be determined. The controller 20 may also control the traveling of the main body 10 according to a preset control criterion according to the type of the sensing object D. That is, the control unit 20 determines the type of the detection object D based on the detection result, and determines a criterion corresponding to the type of the detection object D determined among the preset control criteria, According to the determined control criterion, the main body 10 may be controlled to travel in response to the sensing object D. Here, the control criterion may be a criterion for a combination of the plurality of control modes according to the type of the sensing object D. For example, when the sensing object D is a pet, as shown in FIG. 7, the first control mode, the second control mode, and the second run in the order of slowing (C1), waiting (C2), and avoiding (C3). It may be set to control the driving of the body 10 in the order of a control mode and the third control mode. The type of the sensing object D and the control criterion may be set by the user of the robot 100. For example, even in the case of a pet, it may be set to control driving in a different order or a combination of different control modes in addition to the order shown in FIG.

When the sensing object D is detected as described above, the controller 20 for controlling the traveling of the main body 10 in response to the sensing object D controls other components included in the robot 100 Thus, an operation corresponding to the sensing object D may be performed.

The robot 100 further includes the communication unit 13 communicating with an external communication target means, wherein the control unit 20 generates notification information on a result of detecting the sensing object D, The notification information may be transmitted to the communication target means through the communication unit 13. Here, the communication target means may be the user's terminal 300 or the like. That is, when the control unit 20 detects the detection object D, the control unit 20 provides information on the detection result of the detection object D to the user of the robot 100 through the communication unit 13 Can be.

The robot 100 further includes an output unit 14 for outputting a voice to the outside, wherein the control unit 20 generates an alarm signal for a result of detecting the monitoring object D, and outputs the Through the unit 14, a voice according to the alarm signal may be output. That is, when the control unit 20 detects the detection object D, an alarm for the detection result of the detection object D may be generated through the output unit 14.

The robot 100 as described above may be implemented by applying a control method of the mobile robot (hereinafter referred to as a control method) to be described below.

The control method is a method for controlling the mobile robot 100 as shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, and may be applied to the robot 100 described above, and may also be applied in addition to the robot 100 described above. have.

The control method includes controlling the main body 10, the driving unit 11 moving the main body 10, the photographing unit 12 and the driving unit 11 for photographing the periphery of the main body 10 The robot including the control unit 20 that controls the driving of the main body 10 and determines the state of the driving area 1000 of the main body 10 based on the photographing result of the photographing unit 12 As the control method of 100), it may be a method of controlling driving by detecting the sensing object D.

The control method may be a method in which the controller 20 controls the operation of the robot 100.

The control method may be a control method performed by the control unit 20.

The control method, as shown in FIG. 8, is a step of generating image information on the driving area 1000 by photographing the periphery of the main body 10 while driving the driving area 1000 (S10). , A step (S20) of detecting a detection object (D) whose position is changed on the driving area (1000) based on the image information, and a step (S30) of controlling the traveling of the main body (10) according to the detection result. Include.

That is, the robot 100 may be controlled in the order of the generating (S10), the sensing (S20), and the controlling (S30).

The generating step S10 may be a step in which the photographing unit 12 photographs the periphery of the main body 10 while driving the driving area 1000 to generate the image information.

That is, in the generating step (S10), the control unit 20 controls the photographing unit 12 so that the photographing unit 12 photographs the periphery of the main body 10 and generates the image information. It can be a step.

In the generating step (S10), the image information may be generated by photographing the front side of the main body 10.

In the generating step (S10), while the main body 10 is traveling in the driving area 1000, the photographing unit 12 photographs the periphery of the main body 10 in real time to generate the image information. can do.

The sensing step S20 may be a step of detecting the sensing object D based on the image information generated in the generating step S10 by the control unit 20.

That is, the sensing step S20 may be a step in which the controller 20 detects an object corresponding to the sensing object D on the image information generated by the photographing unit 12.

In the sensing step S20, an object to which a position change is detected among objects photographed in the image information may be recognized, and the recognized object may be sensed as the sensing object D.

In the detecting step (S20), when a state of the driving area 1000 is determined based on the image information, when an object whose location is changed on the driving area 1000 is recognized, the recognized object is detected. It can be detected by the object (D).

The controlling step (S30) may be a step of controlling the traveling of the main body 10 according to a result detected in the sensing step (S20) by the controller 20.

That is, the controlling step (S30) may be a step of controlling, by the control unit 20, the traveling of the main body 10 according to the detection result of the sensing object D.

In the controlling step (S30), when the sensing object D is not detected, the main body 10 may be controlled by maintaining the driving.

That is, in the controlling step S30, when the sensing object D is not detected, the driving and operation being performed may be controlled to be maintained.

In the controlling step S30, when the sensing object D is sensed, the traveling of the main body 10 may be controlled in response to the sensing object D.

In the controlling step (S30), the type of the sensing object D is determined based on the detection result and a preset detection criterion, and the main body 10 is driven according to the type of the sensing object D. Can be controlled.

The controlling step (S30) includes determining the characteristics/characteristics of the sensing object D from the detection result of detecting the sensing object D from the detection result, comparing the determination result with the detection criterion, and comparing Based on the result, the type of the sensing object D may be determined.

In the controlling step (S30), the traveling of the main body 10 may be controlled according to a preset control criterion according to the type of the sensing object D.

In the controlling step (S30), a criterion corresponding to the type of the detected object D determined among the control criteria may be determined, and the traveling of the main body 10 may be controlled according to the determined control criterion.

In the controlling step (S30), when controlling the traveling of the main body 10 in response to the sensing object D, controlling the traveling of the main body 10 according to one or more of a plurality of preset control modes can do.

The controlling step (S30) is a first control mode for controlling the main body 10 to move slowly when controlling the traveling of the main body 10 corresponding to the sensing object D, the main body ( 10) driving of the main body 10 in one or more of a second control mode for controlling to wait for driving and a third control mode for controlling the main body 10 to run while avoiding the sensing object D Can be controlled.

In the controlling step (S30), the main body 10 may be controlled to travel in response to the sensing object D by combining one or more of the control modes.

In the controlling step (S30), when the driving of the main body 10 is controlled according to one or more of the plurality of control modes, the separation distance between the main body 10 and the sensing object D is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. It is possible to control the running of the main body 10 so as to be maintained.

In the controlling step (S30), the traveling of the main body 10 may be controlled in one or more of the plurality of control modes until detection of the sensing object D is stopped.

In the controlling step (S30), when the sensing object D is detected, the communication unit included in the robot 100 generates notification information on a result of detecting the sensing object D. 13), the notification information may be transmitted to the communication target means.

In the controlling step (S30), when the detection target (D) is detected, an alarm signal is generated for the detection result of the monitoring target (D), and the output unit included in the robot 100 Through (14), it is possible to output a voice according to the alarm signal.

The control method including the generating step (S10), the detecting step (S20), and the controlling step (S30) may be implemented as computer-readable code on a medium on which a program is recorded. The computer-readable medium includes all types of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable media include HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Disk), SDD (Silicon Disk Drive), ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, etc. There is also a carrier wave (e.g., transmission over the Internet). In addition, the computer may include the control unit 20.

The mobile robot and its control method according to the present invention as described above include a control means of a mobile robot, a mobile robot system, a control system of a mobile robot, a method of controlling the mobile robot, a method of detecting an obstacle of the mobile robot, and the dynamic of the mobile robot. It may be applied to an obstacle detection method and the like. In particular, artificial intelligence for controlling a mobile robot, a control means for a mobile robot using/using artificial intelligence, a control method, or a mobile robot applying/using artificial intelligence may be usefully applied and implemented. However, the technology disclosed in this specification is not limited thereto, and will be applied to all mobile robots to which the technical idea of the technology can be applied, a control means for controlling a mobile robot, a mobile robot system, and a method for controlling a mobile robot. I can.

Although a specific embodiment according to the present invention has been described so far, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments and should not be defined by the scope of the claims to be described later, as well as the scope of the claims and equivalents.

As described above, although the present invention has been described by the limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, which is, if one of ordinary skill in the field to which the present invention belongs, various modifications and Transformation is possible. Accordingly, the idea of the present invention should be grasped only by the scope of the claims set forth below, and all equivalent or equivalent modifications thereof will be said to belong to the scope of the idea of the present invention.

10: main body 11: drive unit
12: photographing unit 20: control unit
100: mobile robot 200: transmitter
300: terminal 400: GPS satellite
1000: driving area

Claims (9)

In a mobile robot running while cutting grass on an outdoor travel area,
main body;
A driving unit for moving the main body;
A photographing unit that photographs the periphery of the main body and generates image information on the driving area;
A weeding unit for cutting grass on the bottom surface while the main body is traveling in the driving area; And
A control unit for controlling the driving of the main body by controlling the driving unit, determining a state of the driving area based on the image information, and controlling the grass cutting operation on the driving area by controlling the weeding unit; and
The control unit,
As a result of determining the state of the driving area while the main body is traveling in the driving area, when detecting a detection object whose position is changed on the driving area,
Stopping the operation of the weeding unit in response to the sensing object and controlling the driving of the main body,
The control unit,
Recognizes an object to which a position change is detected among objects photographed in the image information, detects the recognized object as the detection object, and determines the type of the detection object based on the detection result of the detection object and a preset detection criterion. The main body is determined by combining at least one of a plurality of preset control modes according to the type of the object to be detected, until the object to be detected is separated from the peripheral area of the main body and detection of the object to be detected is stopped. Mobile robot, characterized in that to control the running of the. The method of claim 1,
The photographing unit,
Mobile robot, characterized in that provided in the upper rear side of the body. The method of claim 1,
The photographing unit,
A mobile robot, characterized in that photographing the driving direction of the main body. The method of claim 1,
The plurality of control modes,
A first control mode for controlling the main body to move slowly;
A second control mode for controlling the main body to wait for driving; And
And a third control mode for controlling the main body to travel while avoiding the sensing object. The method of claim 4,
The control unit,
When controlling the driving of the main body according to one or more of the plurality of control modes,
A mobile robot, characterized in that controlling the traveling of the main body so that the separation distance between the main body and the sensing object is maintained at a predetermined distance or more. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Further comprising a; communication unit for communicating with an external communication target means,
The control unit,
And generating notification information on a result of detecting the sensing object and transmitting the notification information to the communication target means through the communication unit. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Further comprising; an output unit for outputting a voice to the outside,
The control unit,
And generating an alarm signal for a result of detecting the object to be sensed, and outputting a voice according to the alarm signal through the output unit. main body;
A driving unit for moving the main body;
A photographing unit for photographing the periphery of the main body;
A weeding unit for cutting grass on the bottom surface while the main body is traveling in an outdoor driving area; And
A control unit controlling the driving of the main body by controlling the driving unit, determining a state of the driving area of the main body based on a photographing result of the photographing unit, and controlling the grass cutting operation on the driving area by controlling the weeding unit; In the control method of a mobile robot that runs while cutting grass on a traveling area including,
Generating image information on the driving area by photographing the periphery of the main body while driving the driving area;
Detecting a sensing object whose position is changed on the driving area based on the image information; And
Including; controlling the traveling of the main body according to the detection result,
The detecting step,
Recognizing an object whose position change is detected among objects photographed in the image information, detects the recognized object as the detection object,
The controlling step,
When the sensing object is detected, the operation of the weeding unit is stopped so that the turf cutting operation is stopped, and the type of the sensing object is determined based on the detection result and a preset detection criterion, and according to the type of the sensing object, the Control the running of the main body,
Until the sensing object is separated from the peripheral area of the main body and detection of the sensing object is stopped, according to the type of the sensing object, the driving of the main body is combined by combining at least one of a plurality of preset control modes. Control method of a mobile robot, characterized in that to control. The method of claim 8,
The controlling step,
A first control mode for controlling the main body to move slowly;
A second control mode for controlling the main body to wait for driving; And
A third control mode for controlling the main body to travel while avoiding the sensing object; A method of controlling a mobile robot, characterized in that controlling the traveling of the main body in one or more of the control modes.

Images