KR20220009519A - Apparatus for autonomous driving of the TMR feed robot for the development of smart cattle farm - Google Patents

Abstract

A driving device is provided. When a body part with wheels, a feeding part supported by the body part and discharging feed toward a feed area formed in a barn, and a feeding robot equipped with a driving part for moving the wheel are provided, the driving device may include: a sensing part installed in the body part, and sensing a surrounding object; and a control part controlling at least one of the feeding part and the driving part using the sensing result of the sensing part. The present invention is to provide the driving device of a robot capable of feeding feed while autonomously driving along a fence provided in a barn.

Description

TMR feed robot autonomous driving device for smart livestock development {Apparatus for autonomous driving of the TMR feed robot for the development of smart cattle farm}

The present invention relates to an autonomous driving device and method for feeding feed to animals raised in a livestock barn.

Domestic agriculture continued to grow until the early 2000s, but recently it is experiencing difficulties due to stagnant farm household income, a decline in grain self-sufficiency, a decrease and aging of the rural population, and further climate change. Accordingly, based on accurate data on crop and livestock growth information and environmental information, the growing environment of crops and livestock is checked anytime, anywhere, and timely prescriptions are provided to improve productivity of agricultural products with less labor, energy, and nutrients than before. The development of smart livestock houses to improve the quality and quality of animals is receiving great attention. In particular, in the case of farms raising livestock, a device for automatically mixing feed and supplying the mixed feed is being developed by recognizing the environment of the livestock due to lack of labor, reduction of arable land, and aging.

TMR (Total Mixed Ration) feed is a feed that mixes roughage, agricultural by-products, and enriched feed according to the nutrients to be supplied to livestock. These TMR feeds are bulky and difficult to mix, so it is difficult for a person to directly supply the feed, so a feeding robot is introduced to supply the feed.

Korea Patent Publication No. 2020-0051967 (published date: 2020.05.14.) Korean Patent No. 10-1938160 (Registration Date: 2019.01.08.)

An object of the present invention is to provide a driving device for a robot capable of feeding feed while autonomously driving along a fence provided in a livestock house.

When a feeding robot equipped with a body part with wheels, a feeding part supported on the body part and discharging feed toward the feed area formed in the livestock, and a traveling part moving the wheels is provided,

The traveling device of the present invention is installed on the body portion, the sensing unit for sensing a surrounding object; It may include; a control unit for controlling at least one of the feeding unit and the driving unit using the sensing result of the sensing unit.

According to the autonomous driving system of the TMR feed feeding robot according to the present invention, there is an effect of monitoring the type and state of livestock for each livestock, mixing different feeds and smoothly supplying them to the feed tank. In addition, it is possible to repeat the operation of pushing back the scattered feed according to the feeding characteristics of the livestock, so that the feeding robot moves autonomously back and forth, thereby facilitating maintenance. In addition, the feeding robot recognizes static and dynamic obstacles while moving and informs the control unit of a risk of collision to prevent dangerous situations during autonomous driving. In addition, it minimizes the invasion of the feeding space of livestock and allows the feeding robot to run normally even when the operator malfunctions, maintaining a certain distance between the robot and the barn, and driving the feeding robot has the effect of helping the farm household.

1 is a schematic view showing a traveling device of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a driving method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a driving method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram of an autonomous driving system of a TMR feed feeding robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the feeding robot of Figure 1;
6 is a control block diagram of the autonomous driving system of the TMR feed feeding robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is an explanatory view for explaining the collision avoidance control of the feeding robot in the autonomous driving system of the TMR feed feeding robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an explanatory view for explaining the control of maintaining the running line of the feeding robot in the autonomous driving system of the TMR feed feeding robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.
9 is an exemplary view showing the monitoring status of the control unit in the autonomous driving system of the TMR feed feeding robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an obstacle detection situation in the autonomous driving system of the TMR feed feeding robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a diagram illustrating a computing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily implement them. However, the present invention may be embodied in several different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. And in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and similar reference numerals are attached to similar parts throughout the specification.

In the present specification, duplicate descriptions of the same components will be omitted.

Also, in this specification, when it is said that a certain element is 'connected' or 'connected' to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but other elements in the middle It should be understood that there may be On the other hand, in this specification, when it is mentioned that a certain element is 'directly connected' or 'directly connected' to another element, it should be understood that the other element does not exist in the middle.

In addition, the terms used herein are used only to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention.

Also, in this specification, the singular expression may include the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Also, in this specification, terms such as 'include' or 'have' are only intended to designate that the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification exist, and one or more It is to be understood that the existence or addition of other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, is not precluded in advance.

Also in this specification, the term 'and/or' includes a combination of a plurality of described items or any item of a plurality of described items. In this specification, 'A or B' may include 'A', 'B', or 'both A and B'.

Also, in this specification, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations that may obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a traveling device 100 of the present invention.

The traveling device 100 shown in FIG. 1 may target the feeding robot 10 . The feeding robot 10 may automatically supply feed to the livestock 70 living in the barn H. A plurality of livestock or a plurality of fences 90 (fences) are provided in the feeding robot 10 to provide feed while walking around a barn provided with a body part 110 , a feeding part 310 , and a driving part 330 . ) may be provided.

A wheel 112 may be installed on the body 110 . The term 'wheel' in the present specification may refer to both a circular tire, a caterpillar, and the like.

The feeding unit 310 is supported by the body unit 110 and may discharge the feed toward the feed area f formed in the barn. The feed area f may be formed inside the fence 90 where livestock is disposed, or may be disposed outside the front of the fence 90 . For example, a vegetarian animal such as a cow may stick its head out of the fence 90 and ingest feed. In this case, the feed area f may be formed outside the fence 90 as shown in FIG. 1 for the convenience of management. When the fence 90 extends in the first direction, the feed area f may also extend along the first direction parallel to the fence 90 . In the feed area f, a separate feed container containing feed may be disposed. Alternatively, in the feed area f, the floor surface of the barn may be maintained as it is.

A partition wall 91 may be formed between the fences 90 extending in one direction. The inside of the fence 90 may be divided into a plurality of zones by the partition wall 91 . Livestock 70 that need to be distinguished from each other may be separately disposed in each zone.

The feeding unit 310 may include a TMR feed mixer 111 of FIG. 5 , a discharge chute 113 , a skirt 114 , a compounding driving unit 192 , and the like.

The driving unit 330 may move the wheel 112 . For example, the driving unit 330 may include a motor, an engine, and the like for rotating the wheel 112 .

The driving unit 330 may include the wheel 112 of FIG. 5 , the driving driving unit 191 , and the like.

The traveling device 100 of the present invention is for automatically moving the feeding robot 10 having a body 110, a feeding unit 310, and a traveling unit 330, and automatically discharging feed, It may include a sensing unit 200 and a control unit 160 .

The sensing unit 200 may be installed in the body unit 110 of the feeding robot 10 and sense surrounding objects.

The controller 160 may control at least one of the feeding unit 310 and the driving unit 330 using the sensing result of the sensing unit 200 .

In consideration of the characteristics of the feeding robot 10 that moves along the barn in which the fence 90 is formed, the sensing unit 200 may be disposed at a special location unlike the sensor of a general autonomous robot.

For example, the sensing unit 200 may include at least one of a first distance sensor 120 , a second distance sensor 150 , an RFID reader 130 , and a camera 140 .

In this case, the first distance sensor 120 may determine the moving distance or moving speed of the body unit 110 .

The control unit 160 may use the measurement result of the first distance sensor 120 to analyze the position of the feeding robot 10 running inside the livestock house. In order to prevent collision with the fence 90, the position of the feeding robot 10 with respect to the livestock house needs to be accurately measured. When the movement distance, movement speed, movement time, etc. of the body unit 110 are determined, the controller 160 may accurately determine the position of the feeding robot 10 at the current time based on the initial position.

The second distance sensor 150 may measure the distance between the body part 110 and the feed area f, or measure the distance between the body part 110 and the fence 90 installed to face the feed area f.

The controller 160 may analyze the distance between the fence 90 and the feeding robot 10 and the distance between the surrounding objects and the feeding robot 10 by using the measurement result of the second distance sensor 150 . . The controller 160 may perform a control to prevent a collision between the feeding robot 10 and surrounding objects by using the measurement result of the second distance sensor 150 .

The RFID reader 130 may acquire information on the tag 131 installed on the fence 90 . The information of the tag 131 may include information on the fence 90 and information on livestock confined within the fence 90 .

For example, the information on the fence 90 may include the length of each grid formed in a grid format in the barn. The information on livestock may include the age of the livestock and the number of livestock.

The control unit 160 may determine from which position to which position the feed should be discharged by using the information on the fence 90 . In other words, the controller 160 may determine a length section in which the feed should be discharged by using the information on the fence 90 . The controller 160 may determine the amount of feed to be discharged by using the livestock information.

The camera 140 may generate image data obtained by photographing a surrounding object.

The controller 160 may analyze surrounding obstacle information through image analysis of image data, or analyze the amount of feed stored in the compounder 111 , the state of the feed stored in the compounder, and the like.

The first distance sensor 120 may be installed on the wheel 112 and measure a rotation angle or number of rotations of the wheel 112 . For example, the first distance sensor 120 may include an encoder.

A barrel-shaped compounder installed in the body 110 and stored or compounded with feed, and a discharge chute from which the feed of the compounder is discharged may be provided. When the body portion 110 is formed to be movable in the first direction, one surface of the compounder may be disposed to face the fence 90 . In this case, the RFID reader 130 is installed on one side of the compounder facing the discharge chute, and may be installed in the middle of the compounder in the height direction of the body 110 . For example, the RFID reader 130 may be installed at the same height as the tag 131 installed on the fence 90 .

The compounder may include a material (eg, silver foil) that prevents the transmission of the electromagnetic field generated by the RFID reader 130 . According to this embodiment, the electromagnetic field generated by the RFID reader 130 installed on one side of the compounder may be normally transmitted toward the tag 131 arranged on the fence 90 facing the one side of the compounder. On the other hand, the electromagnetic field generated by the RFID reader 130 may be difficult to be transmitted to the tag 131 of the other fence 90 disposed at a position facing the RFID reader 130 with the compounder interposed therebetween. According to this embodiment, information on the tag 131 obtainable through RFID may be limited to the tag 131 installed on the fence 90 facing the discharge chute. According to the present embodiment, since information of only one tag 131 is obtained at a point in time in the controller 160, the ease of control can be greatly improved.

The second distance sensor 150 may be disposed between the center of the wheel 112 and the RFID reader 130 in the height direction of the body 110 . In addition, the second distance sensor 150 may be installed at the front end and the rear end of the body 110 in the longitudinal direction of the body 110 , respectively.

The second distance sensor 150 installed at the front end and the rear end, respectively, needs to detect the obstacles present in the front or rear and at the same time detect the fence 90 disposed on one side of the compounder. In other words, the second distance sensor 150 is preferably formed to have a sensing angle of 180 degrees or more, and for this purpose, the second distance sensor 150 may include a lidar.

The camera 140 may include at least one of a first camera 140 , a second camera 140 , a third camera 140 , and a fourth camera 140 .

The first camera 140 may be installed on the front portion of the body portion 110 , and may photograph the front of the body portion 110 .

The second camera 140 is installed on the rear portion of the body portion 110 , and may photograph the rear portion of the body portion 110 .

The controller 160 may detect an obstacle existing in the front or rear using the image data captured by the first camera 140 and the second camera 140 .

For example, the first camera 140 and the second camera 140 may assist the second distance sensor 150 for detecting an obstacle. When the second distance sensor 150 is a lidar, most of the obstacles may be detected by the lidar without difficulty. However, in the case of lidar, there is a weak part in detecting structures in which light is diffusely reflected, such as a cylinder. For example, when the fence 90 is formed by bonding a cylindrical rod, a portion of the fence 90 may not be detected by the lidar.

The controller 160 may form a first map indicating surrounding obstacles based on the information obtained through the lidar. The controller 160 may form a second map indicating only the special obstacle in the form of a cylinder based on the information obtained through the camera 140 . The controller 160 may generate a third map in which the second map overlaps the first map. The third map may normally include various cylindrical obstacles that are not normally detected on the first map.

The controller 160 may control the driving unit 330 or the feeding unit 310 using the third map.

The third camera 140 may be installed on the inner upper portion of the compounder and photograph the inside of the compounder. The controller 160 may analyze the photographed image of the third camera 140 to analyze the operating state of the compounder or the amount of feed stored in the compounder.

The fourth camera 140 may be installed on the lower inner side of the compounder and photograph the feed present in the compounder. The controller 160 may analyze the captured image of the fourth camera 140 to analyze the state of the feed stored in the compounder and the amount of feed. For example, the controller 160 may analyze the color of the feed included in the photographed image of the fourth camera 140 and analyze the mixing state of various feeds according to the analysis result.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a driving method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The driving method of FIG. 2 may be performed by the driving device 100 shown in FIG. 1 .

The feeding robot 10 may be automatically controlled by the controller 160 (S510). By automatic control, the driving unit 330 automatically moves the body unit 110 , and the feeding unit 310 may automatically output an appropriate amount of feed to an appropriate location.

The second distance sensor 150 for sensing a surrounding object is at least one of a front sensor detecting a front object existing in front of the body 110 and a rear sensor detecting a rear object present in the rear of the body 110 . may contain one.

The position of the feeding robot 10 or the body 110 may be determined by the second distance sensor 150 (S520). Alternatively, the distance between the feeding robot 10 and the surrounding object may be grasped by the second distance sensor 150 , or the distance between the body unit 110 and the surrounding object may be grasped. Specifically, the distance between the front sensor and the front object may be determined through the front sensor (S 521). The distance between the rear sensor and the rear object may be determined through the rear sensor (S 522).

The controller 160 generates a collision detection signal when the distance between the front sensor and the front object meets the first set value or the distance between the rear sensor and the rear object meets the second set value ('Yes' in S530) It may be provided to the driving unit 330 (S540). When the first set value and the second set value are not satisfied ('No' in S 530 ), the control unit 160 may continue automatic control (return to S 510 ).

The controller 160 may analyze the motion of a nearby object that is a source of the collision detection signal by using the distance between the second distance sensor 150 and the nearby object sensed by the second distance sensor 150 .

If the distance between the second distance sensor 150 and the surrounding object satisfies the set value and the surrounding object is a static obstacle standing still in one place, the control unit 160 may generate a collision detection signal to stop the driving unit 330 . . For example, if the surrounding object is a wall of a livestock house, the control unit 160 stops the traveling unit 330 to prevent collision, and according to the stop of the operation of the traveling unit 330 , the body unit 110 or the feeding robot 10 ) You can stop at this current position.

After the feeding robot 10 stops, an avoidance operation for avoiding a corresponding obstacle may be performed.

If the distance between the second distance sensor 150 and the surrounding object satisfies the set value and the surrounding object is a dynamic obstacle moving along the fence 90, the control unit 160 controls the driving while being spaced apart from the surrounding object by a certain distance. can keep According to this embodiment, an environment for feeding feed while following a manager who manages the livestock can be provided.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a driving method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The driving method of FIG. 3 may be performed by the driving device 100 shown in FIG. 1 .

The second distance sensor 150 may sense a separation distance with respect to the fence 90 installed to face the feed area.

The control unit 160 may feedback-control the driving unit 330 so that the body unit 110 moves along the fence 90 within a range where the separation distance satisfies a preset guide distance d0.

The guide distance d0 includes a preset distance among the distances between the center of the body 110 and the center of the fence 90 when an imaginary line perpendicular to the fence 90 and crossing the center of the body 110 is defined. can Alternatively, the guide distance d0 may include a preset distance among distances between one edge surface of the body part 110 facing the fence 90 and the outer peripheral surface of the fence 90 .

When a virtual traveling line extending horizontally to the fence 90 while satisfying the guide distance d0 is assumed, the feeding robot 10 or the body 110 may move along the traveling line by the control unit 160 .

According to the driving method of FIG. 3 , first, as in FIG. 2 , the feeding robot 10 may be automatically controlled by the controller 160 ( S610 ). By automatic control, the driving unit 330 automatically moves the body unit 110 , and the feeding unit 310 may automatically output an appropriate amount of feed to an appropriate location.

The position of the feeding robot 10 or the body 110 may be determined by the second distance sensor 150 (S620). The distance between the feeding robot 10 and the fence 90 may be grasped by the second distance sensor 150 , or the distance between the body 110 and the fence 90 may be grasped. Specifically, the first distance of the fence 90 with respect to the front sensor may be determined through the front sensor (S 621). The second distance of the fence 90 with respect to the rear sensor may be determined through the rear sensor (S 622).

The controller 160 may compare and analyze whether the distance between the second distance sensor 150 and the fence 90 satisfies the guide distance d0 (S630). Specifically, the controller 160 may compare and analyze whether the first distance between the front sensor and the fence 90 satisfies the guide distance d0. The controller 160 may compare and analyze whether the second distance between the rear sensor and the fence 90 satisfies the guide distance d0.

When the distance between the second distance sensor 150 and the fence 90 is defined as the measurement distance, the controller 160 may calculate an error distance between the measurement distance and the guide distance d0 ( S640 ).

The controller 160 may control the driving unit 330 so that the error distance converges to 0 (S650).

The control process of FIG. 3 returns to the automatic control step (S610) of the feeding robot 10 until the driving operation of the driving unit 330 is completed, and the measurement step of the second distance sensor 150 (S620) It is possible to form a feedback control that repeatedly performs the following process.

Meanwhile, a method for improving the control easiness of the controller 160 may be additionally provided. Previously, an embodiment of improving the controllability of the control unit 160 through a method of specifying the arrangement position of the RFID reader 130 has been described. As another method, a method of using the coverage including at least one of the electromagnetic field propagation distance and the propagation angle of the RFID reader 130 may be provided.

Returning to FIG. 1 again, a fence 90 installed to face the feed area may be provided in the barn. The fence 90 may extend along a direction horizontal to the ground.

By the driving unit 330 , the body 110 may move along the fence 90 while maintaining a state spaced apart from the fence 90 by a preset guide distance d0 .

The plurality of tags 131 may be disposed at different positions along the extension direction of the fence 90 .

The body part 110 may be provided with an RFID reader 130 for acquiring information on the tag 131 at a position spaced apart from the tag 131 . The RFID reader 130 may simultaneously acquire information on one or more tags 131 existing within a coverage range. If information on a plurality of tags 131 is acquired simultaneously, it may be difficult to determine which tag 131 is in front of the feeding robot 10 among the plurality of tags 131 . Therefore, it is preferable that the tag 131 information be obtained for only one tag 131 among the plurality of tags 131 at a point in time.

The RFID reader 130 uses only one specific tag 131 from among a plurality of tags 131 spaced apart from each other along the fence 90 at a point in time when the body part 110 moves along the fence 90 . It may be formed to have recognizable coverage.

For example, when the distance closest to the feeding robot 10 moving along the travel line g to the specific tag 131 b is defined as the first interval d1, at this time, another tag 131 adjacent to the specific tag 131 b A distance between a and the feeding robot 10 may be defined as a second interval d2.

In order to prepare for the case where the feeding robot 10 is located between the different tags 131 a and b arranged on the fence 90 arranged on the same axis, the coverage of the RFID reader 130 is set appropriately need to be

An interval obtained by subtracting the first interval d1 from the second interval d2 is defined as a third interval.

For example, the coverage of the RFID reader 130 , for example, the electromagnetic field propagation distance of the RFID reader 130 may be greater than the first interval d1 and smaller than the distance value obtained by dividing the third interval by two. According to this embodiment, only one tag 131 information can be obtained through the RFID reader 130 at a point in time. On the other hand, a plurality of fences 90 may be formed to face each other with the feeding robot 10 interposed therebetween. At this time, the fence on the opposite side of the electromagnetic field of the RFID reader 130 targeting the specific tag 131 b It may affect the tag 131 formed in 90 . At this time, the propagation of the corresponding electromagnetic field to the opposite fence 90 by the compounder may be prevented as described above. As a result, even when a plurality of fences 90 are provided, only one tag 131 information can be obtained from the driving device 100 at a point in time.

Since the control unit 160 only needs to control the feeding unit 310 based on the information of only one tag 131 at a point in time, the ease of control can be improved.

The control unit 160 may determine at least one of the mixing ratio of the feed of the feeder 310, the amount of feed, and the location of the discharge of the feed according to the information of the specific tag 131 obtained by the RFID reader 130. .

Hereinafter, a hardware configuration of the traveling device 100 will be described.

4 is a configuration diagram of an autonomous driving system of a TMR feed feeding robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the feeding robot of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a TMR feed according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a control block diagram of the autonomous driving system of the feeding robot.

As shown, the autonomous driving system (driving device 100) of the TMR feed feeding robot according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a body 110, a first distance sensor 120, and an RFID reader 130. and a camera 140 , a second distance sensor 150 , a controller 160 , a controller 170 , and a wireless controller 180 .

The body part 110 is a robot body with a TMR feed compounding machine 111 installed on the upper side for mixing TMR feed, and having wheels 112 . An auger is installed inside the TMR feed blender 111 and is driven by a blending driving unit 192 made of a hydraulic motor to blend the feed, and includes a sensor for detecting the amount of blended feed.

A discharge chute 113 through which the blended TMR feed is discharged is installed on the side of the TMR feed blender 111, and a skirt capable of rotating according to the driving direction by the skirt driving unit 193 in front of the discharge chute 113 ( 114) is installed. Three or more wheels 112 may be installed, and there are four in this embodiment. The wheel 112 is driven by a traveling drive unit 191 of a hydraulic motor. A door that can be opened and closed is installed in the discharge chute 113 by hydraulic pressure. Skirt 114 is controlled by the control unit 160 serves to push the scattered feed according to the feeding characteristics of the livestock.

The first distance sensor 120 is installed on the wheel 112 and is a sensor for detecting the moving distance or speed of the body part 110 according to the rotation of the wheel 112 , and is an encoder or an odometer. sensors, etc. The first distance sensor 120 may be installed on each wheel 112 or only a few wheels 112 .

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) uses a radio frequency to automatically identify a part to which a tag is attached. The tag 131 installed in each area of the livestock H, and an RFID reader that recognizes the tag 131 ) 130 , and an antenna. The RFID reader is provided with a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication through an antenna. When the RFID reader transmits radio waves to the tag 131 through the antenna, the tag 131 is activated by obtaining energy from the received radio waves.

The camera 140 is a visual sensor for understanding the surrounding situation, and is for visual information for driving the feeding robot, identifying obstacles around the feeding robot, and estimating its own position, and in this embodiment, the front of the body 110 and installed at the rear. The camera 140 may be installed on both sides of the body 110 as necessary to detect a side situation.

The second distance sensor 150 is a lidar sensor for measuring the distance between the body part 110 and the object and detecting an obstacle, and a technology for detecting an object using light and measuring the distance (light detection and distance) ranging). The second distance sensor 150 is installed at the front and rear of the body 110, respectively, and may be installed on the side of the body 110 if necessary to measure the distance from the side to the object.

The control unit 160 is provided with a wireless communication unit for wireless communication through an antenna, is installed in the body unit 110, performs remote-controlled driving control and driving assistance functions of the feeding robot, and provides status and location information of the feeding robot. to provide.

Specifically, the control unit 160 uses the sensing information of the RFID reader 130 to identify the position of the body unit 110 by classifying the area for each barn (H), while receiving the sensing information of the first distance sensor 120 . The position of the body part 110 is determined by calculating the moving distance using it.

The autonomous execution control of the controller 160 first starts autonomous driving together with an autonomous execution start command, and determines by receiving information on obstacles that interfere with driving from the second distance sensor 150 . If there is a static obstacle, pause in consideration of the distance to the obstacle. If there is a dynamic obstacle, it determines the distance to the obstacle and drives at a certain distance from the obstacle. If an emergency stop is required while driving, or if there is no feed in the TMR feed blender 111 of the body 110, the controller 170 is notified to determine whether additional feed is supplied and whether the body 110 is moved. will do

In addition, the control unit 160 recognizes the number of the tag 131 mounted in the barn H, and checks the number of the fence of the barn H where the body part 110 is. , first, by using the RFID reader 130 and the antenna mounted on the body part 110 to recognize the tag 131 of the livestock house (H) to determine the current location. Therefore, different feeds can be fed to the checked fence according to the type of livestock, and the feed supply status and livestock status can be monitored in real time at a remote location through the control unit 170 and the wireless controller 180 . can be checked

The control unit 170 is a part including a host computer for the user to control the feeding robot, and includes a computer peripheral device such as a monitor and a keyboard, and includes a wireless communication unit for wireless communication. The wireless controller 180 manually remotely controls the controller 170 using a smartphone or the like. The control unit 170 may be remotely controlled by various wireless controllers 180 .

7 is an explanatory view for explaining the collision avoidance control of the feeding robot in the autonomous driving system of the TMR feed feeding robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the control unit 160 uses the sensing information of the two second distance sensors 150 installed at the front and rear of the body unit 110 to keep the body unit 110 static while moving. , by recognizing a dynamic obstacle and notifying the control unit 170 of a risk of collision, temporarily stopping the body unit 110 or controlling the vehicle to run while maintaining a certain distance from the obstacle. In this case, the controller 160 may additionally use the visual information of the camera 140 .

8 is an explanatory view for explaining the control of maintaining the running line of the feeding robot in the autonomous driving system of the TMR feed feeding robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the control unit 160 uses the sensing information of the two second distance sensors 150 and the camera 140 installed at the front and rear of the body unit 110 , the body unit 110 . ) calculates the current position and angle, and drives while continuously maintaining the driving line (L). This minimizes the invasion of the cow's feeding space and maintains a certain distance (C) between the body part 110 and the livestock so that the body part 110 can run normally even when the operator (user) malfunctions. to make it drive At this time, the predetermined distance (C) may correspond to the guide distance g. In this case, sensing information of the first distance sensor 120 and the RFID reader 130 may be additionally used.

On the other hand, according to the feeding characteristics of the cow, it repeatedly pushes the scattered feed through the skirt 114 (refer to FIG. 5) installed on the body part 110, and the body part 110 autonomously moves back and forth to operate.

As described above, in the present invention, the first and second distance sensors 120 and 150 and the camera 140 are installed in the body part 110 to recognize the environment in the livestock house, while the tag 131 installed in the livestock house is installed. By installing the RFID reader 130 having a recognizing reader, it is possible to find out the position of the body part 110 in the current livestock H, and provide different feed for each livestock to the livestock.

9 is an exemplary view showing the monitoring status of the control unit in the autonomous driving system of the TMR feed feeding robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is an autonomous driving system of the TMR feed feeding robot according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is an example diagram showing the obstacle detection situation.

11 is a diagram illustrating a computing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The computing device TN100 of FIG. 11 may be a device described herein (eg, the traveling device 100 , etc.).

11 , the computing device TN100 may include at least one processor TN110 , a transceiver device TN120 , and a memory TN130 . In addition, the computing device TN100 may further include a storage device TN140 , an input interface device TN150 , an output interface device TN160 , and the like. Components included in the computing device TN100 may be connected by a bus TN170 to communicate with each other.

The processor TN110 may execute a program command stored in at least one of the memory TN130 and the storage device TN140. The processor TN110 may mean a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor on which methods according to an embodiment of the present invention are performed. The processor TN110 may be configured to implement procedures, functions, and methods described in connection with an embodiment of the present invention. The processor TN110 may control each component of the computing device TN100.

Each of the memory TN130 and the storage device TN140 may store various information related to the operation of the processor TN110. Each of the memory TN130 and the storage device TN140 may be configured as at least one of a volatile storage medium and a nonvolatile storage medium. For example, the memory TN130 may include at least one of a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).

The transceiver TN120 may transmit or receive a wired signal or a wireless signal. The transceiver TN120 may be connected to a network to perform communication.

On the other hand, the embodiment of the present invention is not implemented only through the apparatus and/or method described so far, and a program for realizing a function corresponding to the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention or a recording medium in which the program is recorded may be implemented. And, such an implementation can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art from the description of the above-described embodiment.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention as defined in the following claims are also presented. It belongs to the scope of the invention.

10: feeding robot 70: livestock
90: fence 91: bulkhead
110: body 111: blender
112: wheel 113: exhaust chute
114: skirt 120: first distance sensor
130: RFID 131: tag
140: camera 150: second distance sensor
160: control unit 170: control unit
180: wireless controller 191: driving driving unit
192: compounding driving unit 193: skirt driving unit
200: sensing unit 310: feeding unit
330: driving unit

Claims (6)

When a feeding robot equipped with a body part with wheels, a feeding part supported on the body part and discharging feed toward the feed area formed in the livestock, and a traveling part moving the wheels is provided,
a sensing unit installed on the body and sensing a surrounding object;
a control unit for controlling at least one of the feeding unit and the driving unit using the sensing result of the sensing unit;
A driving device comprising a.
According to claim 1,
The sensing unit includes at least one of a first distance sensor, a second distance sensor, an RFID reader, and a camera,
The first distance sensor detects the moving distance or moving speed of the body part,
The second distance sensor measures the distance between the body part and the feed area, or measures the distance between the body part and the fence installed to face the feed area,
The RFID reader acquires the information of the tag installed on the fence,
The camera generates image data photographing surrounding objects,
The first distance sensor is installed on the wheel and measures the rotation angle or number of rotations of the wheel,
The second distance sensor is disposed between the center of the wheel and the RFID reader in the height direction of the body, and is installed at the front end and the rear end of the body in the longitudinal direction of the body, respectively,
When a barrel-shaped compounder installed in the body and stored or compounded with the feed, and a discharge chute from which the feed of the compounder is discharged,
The RFID reader is installed on one side of the compounder facing the discharge chute, and is installed in the middle of the compounder in the height direction of the body part,
The camera is installed on the front portion of the body portion and a first camera for photographing the front of the body portion, a second camera installed on the rear portion of the body portion and photographing the rear portion of the body portion, is installed on the inner upper portion of the compounder and the A traveling device comprising at least one of a third camera for photographing the inside of the compounder, and a fourth camera installed on the lower inner side of the compounder and photographing the feed present in the compounder.
According to claim 1,
A second distance sensor for sensing the surrounding object is provided,
The second distance sensor includes at least one of a front sensor for detecting a front object present in front of the body and a rear sensor for detecting a rear object present in the rear of the body portion,
When the distance between the front sensor and the front object satisfies a first set value or the distance between the rear sensor and the rear object satisfies a second set value, the controller provides a collision detection signal to the driving unit .
According to claim 1,
A second distance sensor for sensing the surrounding object is provided,
The control unit analyzes the motion of the nearby object, which is the source of the collision detection signal, by using the distance between the second distance sensor and the nearby object sensed by the second distance sensor,
The control unit generates a collision detection signal for stopping the driving unit when the distance between the second distance sensor and the surrounding object satisfies a set value and the surrounding object is a static obstacle,
If the distance between the second distance sensor and the surrounding object satisfies the set value and the surrounding object is a dynamic obstacle, the control unit generates a collision detection signal for maintaining driving while being spaced apart from the surrounding object by a certain distance driving device.
According to claim 1,
A second distance sensor for sensing the separation distance to the fence installed facing the feed area is provided,
The controller is a driving device for feedback-controlling the driving unit so that the body part moves along the fence within a range in which the separation distance satisfies a preset guide distance.
According to claim 1,
The barn is provided with a fence installed facing the feed area,
The fence extends along a direction horizontal to the ground,
The body part moves along the fence while maintaining a state spaced apart from the fence by a preset guide distance by the driving part,
A plurality of tags are disposed at different positions along the extension direction of the fence,
An RFID reader is provided in the body portion to obtain information of the tag at a position spaced apart from the tag,
The RFID reader is formed to have a coverage capable of recognizing only one specific tag among a plurality of tags spaced apart from each other along the fence at a point in time when the body part moves along the fence,
The control unit determines at least one of a mixing ratio of the feed of the feeding unit, a discharge amount of the feed, and a discharge location of the feed according to the specific tag information obtained by the RFID reader.

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