KR20220137506A - A building where robots that are robust to communication delay move - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to remote control of a robot, and more specifically, to a method and a system for remotely controlling a robot considering communication delay. The method for remotely controlling a robot through communication between the robot and a server comprises the steps of: calculating communication delay time between a robot and a server based on time information transmitted and received between the robot and the server; generating a control command related to driving of the robot based on the calculated communication delay time; and transmitting the control command to the robot to enable the robot to drive according to the control command. The control command is generated based on an anticipated position of the robot at the point when the robot receives the control command.

Description

A building in which a robot resistant to communication delay runs {A BUILDING WHERE ROBOTS THAT ARE ROBUST TO COMMUNICATION DELAY MOVE}

The present invention relates to a robot remote control, and a robot remote control method and system capable of controlling a robot in consideration of communication delay.

As technology develops, various service devices have appeared, and in particular, technology development for robots that perform various tasks or services has been actively developed in recent years.

Furthermore, in recent years, as artificial intelligence technology, cloud technology, and the like develop, a brainless robot system for efficiently controlling a plurality of robots is being developed.

The brainless robot system includes a plurality of brainless robots and brain servers, and in the brainless robot system, each brainless robot reports sensor information and status of various robots to a remote or edge-located brain server and moves, etc. Receive and process control commands from

At this time, a delay may occur due to communication between the robot and the server. Communication delay is an unavoidable occurrence in a brainless robot system, and can have a great effect on the control of the robot.

Accordingly, in Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2011-0079872 (Method and Apparatus for Time and Frequency Transmission in a Communication Network), a method for calculating communication delay by periodically exchanging messages between a client device and a server is disclosed. There is no known research result on how to continuously measure the communication delay and reflect it to the control.

Therefore, there is still a need for a method to preemptively reflect the fact that the command information sent to the robot is applied with a time difference and that the information sent from the robot arrives at the brain server with a delay.

The present invention is to provide a remote control method and system for a robot. More specifically, the present invention is to provide a robot remote control method and system capable of controlling the robot in consideration of the communication delay between the robot and the server.

Furthermore, the present invention is to provide a robot remote control method and system for safely avoiding obstacles included in the movement path of the robot in consideration of communication delay.

In order to solve the above problems, a method for remotely controlling a robot through communication between a robot and a server includes calculating a communication delay time between the robot and the server based on time information transmitted and received between the robot and the server, the communication Generating a control command related to driving of the robot based on a delay time and transmitting the control command to the robot so that the robot runs according to the control command, wherein the control command causes the robot to run It provides a robot remote control method, characterized in that generated based on the expected position of the robot at the time of receiving the control command.

In addition, the system for remotely controlling a robot through communication between the robot and the server according to the present invention is a communication unit configured to transmit and receive data to and from the robot, and communication delay between the robot and the server based on time information transmitted and received between the robot and the server a control unit that calculates a time, generates a control command related to the driving of the robot based on the communication delay time, and transmits the control command to the robot so that the robot runs according to the control command, the control unit comprising: The command is characterized in that the robot is generated based on the expected position of the robot when the control command is received.

Furthermore, the program that is executed by one or more processes in the electronic device according to the present invention and can be stored in a computer-readable recording medium delays communication between the robot and the server based on time information transmitted/received between the robot and the server. Calculating a time, generating a control command related to the driving of the robot based on the communication delay time, and transmitting the control command to the robot so that the robot runs according to the control command Including commands, the control command may be generated based on the expected position of the robot at the time the robot receives the control command.

As described above, the robot remote control method and system according to the present invention calculates the expected position of the robot at the time when the robot receives the control command based on the communication delay time between the robot and the server, and returns to the calculated expected position. Based on this, it is possible to perform driving control for the robot. Through this, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform preemptive predictive control in consideration of communication delay.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, by setting a safe area for obstacles based on the communication delay time, it is possible to solve the uncertainty due to the communication delay between the robot and the server.

In addition, by setting a safety area in consideration of the characteristics of the obstacle, the present invention enables the robot to safely travel without colliding with the obstacle even in a situation in which the robot cannot immediately respond to a change in the state of the obstacle due to communication delay.

1 and 2 are conceptual views for explaining a robot driving control method and system according to the present invention.
3 is a flowchart for explaining a robot traveling control method according to the present invention.
4A and 4B are conceptual diagrams illustrating a communication delay time calculation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a robot remote control method according to the present invention.
6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state in which a robot avoids an obstacle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the running of the robot when the robot enters the safe area.
8A, 8B, and 9 are conceptual views illustrating an embodiment in which the size and shape of a safety area are set differently according to the type of obstacle and the moving state.

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components will be given the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" for components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of only the ease of writing the specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles by themselves. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical idea disclosed herein is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention , should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

Terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

When a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but it is understood that other components may exist in between. it should be On the other hand, when it is said 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.

The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the present application, terms such as “comprises” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It is to be understood that this does not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

The present invention provides a method and system for controlling the travel of a robot, and more specifically, to provide a method and system for controlling the travel of the robot in consideration of communication delay. Hereinafter, together with the accompanying drawings, a robot driving control system will be described. 1 and 2 are conceptual views for explaining a robot driving control method and system according to the present invention.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , as technology develops, the utilization of robots is gradually increasing. Conventional robots have been utilized in special industrial fields (eg, industrial automation-related fields), but are gradually being transformed into service robots capable of performing useful tasks for humans or facilities.

The robot capable of providing various services as described above may be configured to travel in a space 10 as shown in FIG. 1 in order to perform an assigned task. There is no limitation on the type of space in which the robot travels, and it may be configured to travel in at least one of an indoor space and an outdoor space as necessary. For example, the indoor space may be various spaces such as a department store, an airport, a hotel, a school, a building, a subway station, a train station, a bookstore, and the like. The robot, as described above, may be arranged in various spaces to provide useful services to humans.

Meanwhile, in order to provide various services using a robot, it is a very important factor to accurately control the robot. Accordingly, the present invention proposes a method for more accurately controlling a robot remotely using a camera disposed in space.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a camera 20 may be disposed in a space 10 in which the robot is located. As shown, the number of cameras 20 disposed in the space 10 is not limited thereto. As shown, a plurality of cameras 20a and 20b may be disposed in the space 10 . The types of cameras 20 disposed in the space 10 may be varied, and in particular, a closed circuit television (CCTV) disposed in the space may be utilized in the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2 , according to the present invention, in the robot remote control system 300 , it is possible to remotely manage and control the robot 100 .

The robot remote control system 300 according to the present invention includes an image received from a camera 20 (eg, CCTV) disposed in a space 10, an image received from the robot, information received from a sensor provided in the robot, and At least one of information received from various sensors provided in the space may be utilized to control the movement of the robot or to perform appropriate control on the robot.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the robot remote control system 300 according to the present invention includes at least one of a communication unit 310 , a storage unit 320 , a display unit 330 , an input unit 340 , and a control unit 350 . may include

The communication unit 310 may be configured to communicate with various devices disposed in the space 10 by wire or wirelessly. The communication unit 310 may communicate with the robot 100 as shown. The communication unit 310 may be configured to receive an image photographed from a camera provided in the robot 100 through communication with the robot 100 .

Furthermore, the communication unit 310 may be configured to communicate with at least one external server (or external storage, 200 ). Here, the external server 200 may be configured to include at least one of the cloud server 210 and the database 220 as shown. Meanwhile, the external server 200 may be configured to perform at least a part of the control unit 350 . That is, it is possible to perform data processing or data operation in the external server 200, and the present invention does not place any particular limitation on this method.

Meanwhile, the communication unit 310 may support various communication methods according to a communication standard of a communicating device.

For example, the communication unit 310 may include a Wireless LAN (WLAN), a Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi), a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Direct, a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), a Wireless Broadband (WiBro), and a WiMAX (Wireless Broadband). World Interoperability for Microwave Access), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G (5th Generation Mobile Telecommunication) , Bluetooth™RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), UWB (Ultra-Wideband), ZigBee, NFC (Near Field Communication), Wi-Fi Direct, Wireless USB (Wireless Universal Serial Bus) ) technology, it can be made to communicate with devices (including cloud servers) located inside and outside the space 20 .

Next, the storage unit 320 may be configured to store various information related to the present invention. In the present invention, the storage unit 320 may be provided in the robot remote control system 300 itself. Alternatively, at least a portion of the storage unit 320 may mean at least one of the cloud server 210 and the database 220 . That is, it can be understood that the storage unit 320 is a space in which information necessary for robot control according to the present invention is stored, and there is no restriction on the physical space. Accordingly, hereinafter, the storage unit 320 , the cloud server 210 , and the database 220 are not separately distinguished, and are all referred to as the storage unit 320 . In this case, the cloud server 210 may mean “cloud storage”.

First, information about the robot 100 may be stored in the storage unit 320 .

Information on the robot 100 may be very diverse, and the information on the robot 100 is an example, i) identification information for identifying the robot 100 disposed in the space 10 (eg, serial number, TAG information, QR code information, etc.), ii) task information assigned to the robot 100, iii) driving route information set in the robot 100, iv) location information of the robot 100, v) the robot ( 100) state information (eg, power state, failure or not, battery state, etc.), vi) image information received from a camera provided in the robot 100 , etc. may exist.

Next, a map (or map information) for the space 10 may be stored in the storage unit 320 . Here, the map may be formed of at least one of a two-dimensional map or a three-dimensional map. The map for the space 10 may refer to a map that can be used to determine a current location on the robot 100 or set a traveling route of the robot.

In particular, in the robot remote control system 300 according to the present invention, the position of the robot 100 may be determined based on an image received from the robot 100 or information received from the robot 100 . To this end, the map for the space 10 stored in the storage unit 320 may be composed of data that enables a location to be estimated based on an image or sensing information.

In this case, the map for the space 10 may be a map prepared based on Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) by at least one robot that moves the space 10 in advance.

Meanwhile, in addition to the types of information listed above, various types of information may be stored in the storage unit 320 .

Next, the display unit 330 may be configured to output an image received from at least one of a camera provided in the robot 100 and a camera 20 disposed in the space 10 . The display unit 330 is provided in a device of an administrator who remotely manages the robot 100 , and may be provided in the remote control room 300a as shown in FIG. 2 . Furthermore, differently from this, the display unit 330 may be a display provided in a mobile device. As such, the present invention does not limit the type of the display unit.

Next, the input unit 340 is for inputting information input from the user (or administrator), and the input unit 340 may be a medium between the user (or the administrator) and the robot remote control system 300 . More specifically, the input unit 340 may refer to an input means for receiving a control command for controlling the robot 100 from a user.

At this time, the type of the input unit 340 is not particularly limited, and the input unit 340 is a mechanical input means (or a mechanical key, for example, a mouse, a joy stick, a physical button, It may include at least one of a dome switch, a jog wheel, a jog switch, etc.) and a touch input means. As an example, the touch input means consists of a virtual key, a soft key, or a visual key displayed on the touch screen through software processing, or a part other than the touch screen. It may be made of a touch key (touch key) disposed on the. On the other hand, the virtual key or the visual key, it is possible to be displayed on the touch screen while having various forms, for example, graphic (graphic), text (text), icon (icon), video (video) or these can be made by a combination of In this case, when the input unit 340 includes a touch screen, the display unit 330 may be configured as a touch screen. In this case, the display unit 330 may perform both a role of outputting information and a role of receiving information.

Next, the control unit 350 may be configured to control the overall operation of the robot remote control system 300 related to the present invention. The controller 350 may process signals, data, information, etc. input or output through the above-described components, or may provide or process information or functions appropriate to the user.

Meanwhile, in the above description, an example in which the control unit 350 estimates the position of the robot 100 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the position estimation of the robot 100 may be performed by the robot 100 itself. That is, the robot 100 may estimate the current position in the manner described above based on the image received from the robot 100 itself. Then, the robot 100 may transmit the estimated position information to the controller 350 . In this case, the controller 350 may perform a series of controls based on the position information received from the robot.

Meanwhile, as described above, according to the present invention, the movement path of the robot can be set in space by using map information previously stored in the storage unit 320 . The controller 350 may control the robot 100 to move from its current location to a specific destination. Specifically, the present invention specifies the current position information and the destination position information of the robot, sets a path to reach the destination, and controls the robot to move according to the set path to reach the destination.

In this case, the control for moving the robot to the destination may be performed through the robot remote control system 300 (hereinafter referred to as a server). Specifically, the server monitors the position of the robot, and generates driving information related to the driving of the robot based on the monitored position of the robot.

The server transmits driving information to the robot at regular time intervals, and the robot drives in space based on the information included in the driving information.

The driving information includes information related to driving of the robot after the robot receives the driving information until the next driving information is received. Specifically, the driving information includes information related to at least one of a moving speed, a moving direction, and a moving distance of the robot. Upon receiving the driving information, the robot drives by controlling at least one of a moving speed, a moving direction, and a moving distance based on the driving information.

In an embodiment, the driving information is transmitted to the robot every 1 second, and the first driving information transmitted to the robot defines that the robot travels at 1 m/s in the first direction. The second travel information transmitted to the robot defines that the robot will travel for 0.5 seconds at 2 m/s in the second direction. From the point in time when the robot receives the first travel information to the time when the second travel information is received, the robot travels 1 m in the first direction. Thereafter, from the time when the second driving information is received, the robot travels 1 m in the second direction and then stops. However, the period of transmitting the driving information is for convenience of explanation, and the actual period of transmitting the driving information may be 0.1 seconds or less.

The server periodically transmits driving information to the robot so that the robot can travel along a preset movement path to reach a destination. In the present specification, the control command transmitted to the robot may include the above-described driving information.

Meanwhile, the server receives at least one of information sensed from at least one sensor included in the robot and image information captured by a camera included in the robot, and generates driving information for the robot.

For example, when the server receives sensing information about an obstacle disposed on the movement path of the robot from the robot, the server generates driving information for the robot to avoid the obstacle.

As described above, the robot transmits the sensing information or image information collected by the robot to the server, and the server generates driving information based on the information received from the robot and then transmits it to the robot.

Here, communication delay may occur during data transmission/reception between the server and the robot. When the above-described server directly controls the running of the robot, the communication delay between the server and the robot makes it difficult to control the robot's running.

For example, when monitoring the current position of the robot based on information received from the robot, the time when the robot transmits information to the server and the time when the server receives the information are different due to communication delay. For this reason, when calculating the current position of the robot based on the information received from the robot, the calculated position corresponds to the position of the robot in the past by the communication delay.

As another example, the server generates driving information based on the monitored position of the robot, and transmits the generated driving information to the robot. Due to the communication delay, the time when the server transmits the driving information to the robot and the time when the robot receives the driving information are different. For this reason, the robot travels according to the driving information at a location different from the position at which the server transmits the driving information.

The present invention provides a method for controlling the driving of a robot in consideration of the communication delay time between the server and the robot. Hereinafter, a method for remotely controlling a robot in consideration of a communication delay time will be described in detail.

3 is a flowchart for explaining a method for remotely controlling a robot according to the present invention, FIGS. 4A and 4B are conceptual diagrams illustrating a communication delay time calculation method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a robot remote control method according to the present invention. It is a conceptual diagram for explaining a control method.

Referring to FIG. 3 , a step of calculating a communication delay time between the robot and the server is performed based on time information transmitted/received between the robot and the server ( S110 ).

The communication delay time may be calculated by transmitting and receiving a message including time information between the robot and the server, and using the time information included in the message.

Here, the time information defines information about a specific time based on a reference time system. For example, the time information may include information regarding a time point at which a message is received or information regarding a time point at which a message is transmitted. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the time information may include information regarding various time points.

Here, the reference time system may vary, for example, Universal Time (UT), Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), Korea Standard Time (KST), Greenwich Mean Time ( It may be at least one of GMT, Greenwich Mean Time), Unix time, and GPS Time. In addition, various other examples may exist for the reference time system in addition to the examples listed above.

Meanwhile, the communication delay time may be calculated by the server or the robot. In this specification, the subject for calculating the communication delay time is not specifically limited.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 4A , the communication delay time may be calculated by the robot. Specifically, the steps of the server receiving the first message including the time information from the robot, and the server transmitting the second message corresponding to the first message to the robot may be performed.

The first message includes time information about the time t1 at which the robot transmits the first message. The second message may include time information related to a time t1 at which the first message is transmitted and a time tp from when the server receives the first message to generating and transmitting the second message.

* In one embodiment, the second message is information about the time t1 when the server transmits the first message, and generates a control command related to the robot from the time when the first message is received, and executes the control command. It may include time information (tp) required to transmit the included second message. However, the second message does not necessarily include a control command. When the second message is a message used for measuring a delay time, the second message may not include information related to a control command.

When the robot receives the second message, the robot uses the time information for the time t2 at which the second message is received, the time information included in the second message, and the time information included in the first message to delay the communication. to calculate

Specifically, the time interval between the time when the robot receives the second message (t2) and the time when the robot transmits the first message (t1) is the time taken for the server to perform the robot-related control (tp) and the two Including communication delay time according to data transmission times. The communication delay time t _latency1 may be calculated as in Equation 1 below.

[Equation 1]

t _latency1 = (t2 - t1 - tp)/2

Referring to Equation 1, the communication delay time is an average value of a delay time generated when the first message is transmitted/received and a delay time generated when the second message is transmitted/received.

When the calculation of the communication delay time is completed in the robot, the robot transmits a third message including the communication delay time to the server. Through this, the server can utilize the communication delay time between the robot and the server to generate a control command for the robot.

Meanwhile, the robot may generate a message including separate time information and transmit it to the server, or may include the time information in specific information that the robot periodically transmits to the server and transmit it.

For example, the robot periodically transmits sensing information sensed by a sensor included in the robot to the server. In this case, a separate channel may be formed in the sensing information to include time information.

In another embodiment, referring to FIG. 4B , the communication delay time may be calculated by the server. Specifically, the steps of the server transmitting the first message including the time information to the robot, and the server receiving the second message corresponding to the first message from the robot may be performed.

The first message includes time information on the time t1 when the server transmits the first message. The second message includes time information related to the time (t1) at which the server transmits the first message and the time it takes for the robot to transmit the second message (tp1) based on the time at which the first message is received.

When the server receives the second message, the server uses the time information for the time t2 when the second message is received, the time information included in the second message, and the time information included in the first message to delay the communication. to calculate

Specifically, the time interval between the time t2 when the server receives the second message and the time t1 when the server transmits the first message is the time it takes for the robot to transmit the second message corresponding to the first message. (tp1) and communication delay time due to two data transmissions. The communication delay time t _latency1 may be calculated as in Equation 1 above.

By utilizing the communication delay time, it is possible to predict at what point in time the information received from the robot is information and when the control command is transmitted to the robot at which time the robot receives the control command.

Meanwhile, the communication delay time may be calculated based on the communication delay time calculated by the plurality of other control target robots.

* The server utilizes the communication delay time received from other controlled robots located in the area corresponding to the current position of the specific robot as the communication delay time of the specific robot, or the average of the communication delay times received from a plurality of other controlled robots. The value can be used as the communication delay time of a specific robot.

In one embodiment, the server may calculate the average communication delay time based on the communication delay time for a plurality of robots located in the same area. Specifically, the server may divide pre-stored map information into a plurality of zones, and set an average value of communication delay times of a plurality of robots located in a specific zone as a representative communication delay time for a specific zone. The representative communication delay time may be updated every preset time. The server may set a representative communication delay time for each of the plurality of zones, and when a specific robot enters a specific zone, it may generate a control command based on the representative communication delay time corresponding to the specific zone.

Through this, the present invention can utilize the communication delay time for driving control of all the robots to be controlled, without calculating the communication delay time for all the robots to be controlled.

Next, when the communication delay time is calculated, a control command for the robot is generated based on the communication delay time, and the generated control command is transmitted to the robot (S120 and S130).

The server generates a control command related to the robot's driving based on the communication delay time. The control command may be generated based on an expected position of the robot when the robot receives the control command.

Specifically, the server receives the position information of the robot from the robot, or calculates the position of the robot in space based on the information received from the robot.

The server may correct the position information of the robot based on the communication delay time. Specifically, the server calculates the position moved by the robot during the communication delay time based on the position information received from the robot or the position information calculated based on the information received from the robot. At this time, the server calculates the expected position of the robot when the robot travels up to the point in time when the control command is received based on the driving information previously transmitted to the robot.

For example, the server uses the driving information last transmitted to the robot to correct the position of the robot. Specifically, when the communication delay time is 1 second and the driving information finally transmitted to the robot includes information for driving at a speed of 1 m/s in the 12 o'clock direction, the server responds to the position information received from the robot. The robot's current position is corrected by moving 1m from the position to the 12 o'clock direction. However, the delay time is for convenience of explanation, and the actual delay time may be within 100 ms.

In the same way as the method of correcting the position of the robot, the server calculates the expected position of the robot at the point in time when the robot receives the control command. Specifically, the server calculates the expected time at which the robot receives the control command by using the estimated time required to generate and transmit the control command related to the robot and the previously calculated communication delay time.

For example, a case in which the robot's position information is periodically transmitted to the server while the robot is driving, and the server periodically transmits the driving information to the robot in response thereto. The robot receives the driving information from the server after 'communication delay time + server processing time + communication delay time' from the time the robot's location information is transmitted to the server.

Thereafter, the server calculates the movement path of the robot during the time interval between the time when the position information is received from the robot and the expected time when the robot receives the control command. Specifically, the server calculates the expected position of the robot at the expected time when the robot receives the control command based on the position information received from the robot. At this time, the server calculates the expected position when the vehicle travels to the expected time according to the control command previously transmitted to the robot before transmitting the control command to the robot.

For example, the server calculates the expected position of the robot after 'communication delay time + server processing time + communication delay time' elapses, and generates driving information of the robot based on the expected position.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 5 , the robot 100 transmits the current position information of the robot to the server, and moves to a path 530 according to the driving information preset in the robot.

In order to reach the destination 510 from the initial position of the robot, it must travel along the first path 520a. However, when the robot receives the driving information corresponding to the first path 520a, the robot moves to another location 100'. When the robot travels along the first path 520a from another location 100 ′, it cannot reach the destination.

The server calculates the expected position of the robot based on the traveling information previously transmitted to the robot before transmitting a new control command to the robot 100 to the robot. For example, the previously transmitted driving information defines a driving direction corresponding to 530 and a driving speed of 1 m/s. The server calculates the expected time interval from when the robot transmits the location information to the server from the initial position to the time when the robot receives the control command as 0.5 seconds. Thereafter, the server calculates a position moved by 0.5 m in the traveling direction corresponding to 530 from the initial position of the robot as the expected position 100' of the robot.

Thereafter, based on the expected position of the robot, the second path 520b that can reach the destination from the position 100 ′ of the robot at the point in time when the robot receives the driving information is transmitted to the robot.

As described above, according to the present invention, based on the communication delay time between the robot and the server, the expected position of the robot at the time when the robot receives the control command is calculated, and based on the calculated expected position, driving control for the robot is performed. be able to perform Through this, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform preemptive predictive control in consideration of communication delay.

On the other hand, in the present invention, in consideration of the communication delay time, the robot performs running control to avoid the obstacles disposed in the space.

6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state in which a robot avoids an obstacle according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the driving of the robot when the robot enters a safe area, and FIGS. 8a, 8b and 9 are It is a conceptual diagram illustrating an embodiment in which the size and shape of the safety area are set differently according to the type of obstacle and the moving state.

The robot senses obstacles included in the driving space and transmits the sensed information to the server. Based on the sensing of the obstacle, the server may set a safe area for the obstacle so that the robot avoids a collision with the obstacle.

Here, the safe area means a virtual area formed around the obstacle based on the position where the obstacle is disposed, and is an area in which the minimum safety distance required for the robot to avoid the obstacle is set.

From the time when the robot transmits sensing information about the obstacle to the server to the time when the robot receives a control command for avoiding the obstacle, the robot can drive according to the preset driving information. The safe area is the distance at which the robot and the obstacle can not collide even if no control commands are input to the robot from the point when the robot transmits the sensing information about the obstacle to the server until the time the robot receives the control command to avoid the obstacle. can be set based on

When the robot moves toward an obstacle outside the safe area, the robot can modify its movement path through communication with the server, but when moving toward the obstacle within the safe area, there is a possibility of colliding with the obstacle. Accordingly, when an obstacle is detected by the robot, the server sets a safe area for the obstacle so that the robot runs outside the safe area.

Information related to the location, size, and shape of the safe area may be stored by matching map information or transmitted to a robot that senses an obstacle.

The server establishes a safe area for obstacles and creates a movement path that can be driven while avoiding the set safe area.

For example, referring to FIG. 6 , when the server receives sensing information about an obstacle from the robot 100 , the server sets the safety area 620 based on the detected obstacle 610 . Thereafter, the server establishes a movement path 630 that can move while avoiding the safe area. The server transmits information about the safe area 620 and driving information about the movement path 630 to the robot.

On the other hand, when the robot enters the safety area, the server transmits a control command to the robot to stop the movement of the robot or to move the robot out of the safety margin area.

Alternatively, information on the safe area may be stored in the robot, and when the robot enters the pre-stored safe area, it may be programmed to stop running or to move out of the safe area. In this case, the information about the safe area stored in the robot may be updated by the server.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 7 , a safety area 720 is set for the robot based on a specific obstacle 710 . When the robot enters the safety area 720 while driving in the direction 730a toward the obstacle, the robot stops and waits until it receives a new control command from the server, or even if it does not receive a control command from the server The vehicle may travel in a direction 730b moving out of the safe area.

When the server receives sensing information about an obstacle from the robot, it sets a safe area for the obstacle based on the communication delay time. Specifically, the server makes the size and shape of the safety area different in consideration of the time interval from when the robot transmits sensing information about the obstacle to the time when the control command for obstacle avoidance is received.

The time at which the robot receives the control command for obstacle avoidance may be calculated based on the pre-calculated communication delay time and server expected processing time. The server may set the size of the safe area in proportion to the time interval from when the robot transmits sensing information about the obstacle to the server to the time when the control command for obstacle avoidance is received.

In one embodiment, the server may periodically update the communication delay time between the robots. When the communication delay time increases while the safety area for the specific obstacle is set, the server expands the safety area based on the specific obstacle. When the communication delay time decreases, the server expands the safety area based on the specific obstacle. Reduce the safe area.

Meanwhile, the location, size, and shape of the safety area may vary depending on the type of obstacle, the moving direction of the obstacle, the moving path of the obstacle, and the moving speed of the obstacle.

As described above, in the present invention, by setting a safe area for obstacles based on the communication delay time, it is possible to solve the uncertainty due to the communication delay between the robot and the server.

Meanwhile, the server may determine at least one of the size and shape of the safety area based on the type of obstacle. Specifically, the server determines the type of obstacle based on information related to the obstacle received from the robot.

In an embodiment, the server may select the type of obstacle by selecting any one of a fixed obstacle and a moving obstacle as the type of obstacle. When the obstacle moves, the server may set the type of the obstacle by selecting any one of other controllable robots, fixed obstacles, people, and other moving obstacles as the type of obstacle.

When the type of obstacle is an obstacle existing on the map or a fixed obstacle, the possibility of colliding with the robot is low because the obstacle does not move. In this case, the server sets the safe area by considering only the distance the robot moves during the communication delay time. Accordingly, the size of the safe area for the fixed obstacle may be smaller than the size of the safe area for the moving obstacle.

Meanwhile, when the obstacle moves, the server may determine at least one of the size and shape of the safety area based on at least one of the moving path and the moving speed of the obstacle.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 8A , the server determines the location of the obstacle based on information related to the obstacle received from the robot 100 . The position of the obstacle determined by the above method is the position of the obstacle at the point in time when the robot transmits information related to the obstacle. When the robot receives the control command for avoiding the obstacle, the obstacle may move to another position 810 ′, and the robot may also move to another position 100 ′. Accordingly, the distance between the obstacle and the robot may be rapidly approached.

The server may determine the size of the safe area for the obstacle in proportion to the moving speed of the obstacle. Since the faster the moving speed of the obstacle, the faster it approaches the robot, so the server can set a relatively large safe area for the fast moving obstacle.

Meanwhile, the server may determine the shape of the safety area based on the moving direction of the obstacle. Specifically, the server may make the safety area relatively wide in the direction in which the obstacle moves, and the safety area may be formed relatively narrow in the direction in which the obstacle does not move.

On the other hand, the server may set the shape of the safety area differently based on whether it is possible to calculate the movement path of the obstacle. Specifically, when it is possible to calculate the movement path of the obstacle, the safe area is created to include an area in which the obstacle is located when the robot receives a control command. On the contrary, when it is impossible to calculate the movement path of the obstacle, the safety margin area is generated in a form corresponding to the movement speed.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 8B , when the type of obstacle is another controllable robot 810 , the server determines the movement path of the other robot 810 based on the driving information transmitted to the other robot 810 . predictable. Based on the driving information transmitted to the other robot, the predicted position 810' of the other robot is calculated at the time the robot receives the control command. The safe area is set to include the expected position 810' of the other robot. For example, the safety area 820 corresponding to the other robot may be formed in an oval shape elongated in the moving direction of the other robot.

Meanwhile, when the server cannot predict the movement direction of the obstacle, the server may set the safety area in a circle centered on the obstacle. In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 9 , when the type of the obstacle 910 is a person, since the moving direction of the obstacle cannot be predicted, the safety area may be set in a circular shape centered on the obstacle. The width of the safety area may be relatively larger than that of other types of obstacles.

On the other hand, the server reduces the size of the safety area from the second size 920b to the first size 920a, or from the second size 920b to the third size 930c, based on the moving speed of the obstacle 910 . can be expanded to

As described above, in the present invention, by setting a safety area in consideration of the characteristics of obstacles, even in a situation in which the robot cannot immediately respond to a change in the state of the obstacle due to communication delay, the robot can safely travel without colliding with the obstacle. .

Meanwhile, the present invention described above may be implemented as a program storable in a computer-readable medium, which is executed by one or more processes in a computer.

Furthermore, the present invention as seen above can be implemented as computer-readable codes or instructions on a medium in which a program is recorded. That is, the present invention may be provided in the form of a program.

Meanwhile, the computer-readable medium includes all types of recording devices in which data readable by a computer system is stored. Examples of computer-readable media include Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Solid State Disk (SSD), Silicon Disk Drive (SDD), ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, etc. There is this.

Furthermore, the computer-readable medium may be a server or cloud storage that includes a storage and that an electronic device can access through communication. In this case, the computer may download the program according to the present invention from a server or cloud storage through wired or wireless communication.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the computer described above is an electronic device equipped with a processor, that is, a CPU (Central Processing Unit, Central Processing Unit), and there is no particular limitation on the type thereof.

On the other hand, the above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in all aspects, but should be considered as exemplary. The scope of the present invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

In a building in which a robot controlled by a cloud server runs,
The building is
It is made to include an indoor area in which the robot travels,
The cloud server,
Calculating a communication delay time between the robot and the cloud server based on time information transmitted and received between the robot and the cloud server,
Based on the communication delay time, generating a control command related to the driving of the robot that causes the robot to avoid obstacles existing in the indoor area,
Transmitting the control command to the robot so that the robot travels according to the control command,
The control command is a building, characterized in that the robot is generated based on the expected position of the robot when the control command is received. The method of claim 1,
The expected position of the robot is a building, characterized in that calculated based on the communication delay time. 3. The method of claim 2,
The time when the robot receives the control command is calculated based on the communication delay time,
The expected position of the robot is,
The building, characterized in that it is the expected position of the robot when the robot travels until the time when the robot receives the control command according to the control command previously transmitted to the robot before transmitting the control command to the robot. 4. The method of claim 3,
The cloud server,
Transmitting a first message including time information to the robot,
Receives a second message corresponding to the first message from the robot,
calculating the communication delay time based on the time information included in the first message and the time at which the second message is received,
The second message is
A building, characterized in that it includes time information related to a time point at which the first message is received and a time point at which the second message is transmitted. According to claim 1,
The robot is
Sensing an obstacle included in the indoor area,
Based on the sensing of the obstacle, a safety area for the obstacle is set to avoid a collision with the obstacle,
The control command is
When the robot enters the safe area of the obstacle, including a control command to stop the robot running or to move the robot out of the safe area,
At least one of the size and shape of the safe area is set based on the communication delay time. 6. The method of claim 5,
The safe area for the obstacle is,
set based on the obstacle,
When the communication delay time increases, it is expanded based on the obstacle,
When the communication delay time is reduced, the building characterized in that it is reduced based on the obstacle. 7. The method of claim 6,
The safe area is created to include an area where the obstacle is expected to be located when the robot receives a control command from the cloud server. 8. The method of claim 7,
The area in which the obstacle is expected to be located is determined based on at least one of a moving path and a moving speed of the obstacle. According to claim 1,
The communication delay time is
Building, characterized in that calculated based on the communication delay time received from the robot and a plurality of other control target robots. In a building in which a robot that is remotely controlled through communication between the robot and a cloud server runs,
calculating a communication delay time between the robot and the server based on time information transmitted and received between the robot and the cloud server;
generating, based on the communication delay time, a control command related to driving of the robot so that the robot avoids an obstacle existing in the indoor area; and
A building in which the robot runs, controlled by the cloud server, through the step of transmitting the control command to the robot so that the robot runs according to the control command.

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