WO2014003517A1

WO2014003517A1 - Mobile robot and method for covering and controlling entire online path of mobile robot

Info

Publication number: WO2014003517A1
Application number: PCT/KR2013/005823
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이순걸; 이채혁
Original assignee: 인텔렉추얼디스커버리 주식회사
Priority date: 2012-06-29
Filing date: 2013-07-01
Publication date: 2014-01-03
Also published as: KR20140003249A; KR101372062B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for controlling a moving path of a robot. The method for controlling a moving path of a robot, according to the present invention, comprises the steps of: installing a mobile robot in a work space which has not been recognized in advance; allowing the mobile robot to recognize an obstacle; dividing the working space into at least a plurality of cells having, as boundaries, extensions of an outer surface of the obstacle; selecting one cell from among the plurality of cells, and allowing the mobile robot to linearly travel inside the selected cell and to travel in a path for minimizing the RPM of the mobile robot; stopping the traveling of the mobile robot when the mobile robot covers all areas of the selected cell, and forming a new cell if a new work space is recognized at the stopped point; and traveling in the new cell, and repeating the formation of and the traveling in the new cell until there are no new spaces which have not been covered by the mobile robot at the point at which the traveling of the mobile robot has been stopped. Thus, according to the present invention, the mobile robot can complete the same work in a short time, thereby obtaining an excellent work efficiency.

Description

Mobile Robot and Online Global Path Cover Control Method of Mobile Robot

The present invention relates to a mobile robot and a method for controlling the movement path of the mobile robot, and more particularly, to an efficient method for controlling the movement path of the mobile robot by measuring the moving distance.

Robots have been developed for industrial use and as part of factory automation, or have been used to collect or collect information on behalf of humans in extreme environments that humans cannot tolerate. Recently, as the researches of these robots become more active, robots used at home as well as robots used for cutting-edge space development have been developed. A typical example of such a home robot is a cleaning robot.

In general, mobile robots, such as cleaning robots used in real life, usually cover only a given area by reciprocating movements that are randomly repeated by a sensor to judge only nearby objects. In this case, the work environment is less affected, but instead, the work environment has a problem that the efficiency is sharply worsened when the work environment is wider.

Even if it is not, a map of the work area is given and a path must be planned in advance, and in this case, if the environment is changed during the work, there is a problem that these paths cannot be used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling a robot's movement path, which reduces duplication of movement paths in a working environment that is not recognized in advance, and minimizes movement of the movement robots, thereby increasing overall work time efficiency.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a movement path of a robot, the method comprising: installing a mobile robot in a workspace that is not recognized in advance; Recognizing the obstacle by the mobile robot; Dividing the workspace into a plurality of cells bounded by an extension of at least an outer circumferential surface of the virtual rectangle corresponding to the obstacle; Selecting any one of the plurality of cells and driving the mobile robot in a path that minimizes the number of revolutions of the mobile robot while traveling linearly inside the selected cell; Terminating driving when the mobile robot covers all areas of the selected cell and forming a new cell when a new workspace is recognized at the terminated point; And driving the new cell, and repeating the formation and driving of the new cell until there is no new space that the mobile robot no longer covers at the point where the driving ends.

In addition, the mobile robot according to the present invention is a body portion installed in the work space; A moving part installed at one side of the body part to move the body part; Peripheral sensing unit that can recognize the obstacle in the workspace; And dividing the workspace into a plurality of cells including an extension line of the outer circumferential surface of the obstacle, selecting any one of the plurality of cells, and linearly traveling the selected cell in the selected cell, A control unit which instructs the moving unit to travel in a path that minimizes the number of steps; The body part ends the driving when the body part covers all areas of the selected cell, and when the peripheral sensing unit recognizes the new workspace at the point where the body part stops running, the controller detects the new cell. Instructing the moving unit to drive the newly formed new cell, and forming a new cell until there is no new space that the body part no longer covers at the point where the running of the body part is finished; Repeat the run.

According to the present invention, even if the mobile robot to do the same work can be completed in a short time has the advantage that the work efficiency is improved.

In addition, the present invention not only reduces the energy consumption of the robot, but also has the advantage of increasing the life of the robot.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a flow chart for a mobile robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3a is a diagram showing that the mobile robot according to the mobile robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention to recognize the obstacle.

Figure 3b is a view showing that the mobile robot recognizes the obstacle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention when the obstacle is not rectangular.

Figure 4 is a view showing a mobile robot according to a mobile robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention to set the cell.

5 is a view showing a mobile robot moving in the first cell according to the mobile robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a view showing that the mobile robot according to the mobile robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention moves in the second cell after finishing the movement in the first cell.

7 is a view showing that the mobile robot according to the mobile robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention moves in the third cell after finishing the movement in the second cell.

8 is a view showing the premise path running of the mobile robot according to the mobile robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings will be described in detail a specific embodiment of the present invention. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and the idea of the present invention may be differently proposed by adding, changing, and deleting the elements constituting the embodiment. It is included.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a flow chart for a mobile robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a mobile robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a body part (not shown) forming an outer shape, a peripheral sensor 3 capable of recognizing obstacles in a work space, and the body. The moving part 4 and the control part 2 which are provided in one side of a part are included.

There is no limitation on the shape of the body portion, it is preferable to be formed in a sufficient width to cover the work space.

The peripheral sensing unit 3 serves to detect the surrounding environment and obstacles, and may be a non-contact sensor. Detailed description thereof will be described later.

The moving part 4 may be coupled to the body part to move the body part. In one example, the moving unit 4 may be a wheel coupled to the lower surface of the body portion, or may be a chain coupled to the wheel.

The control unit 2 divides the work space where the mobile robot 1 performs the cleaning and the like into a plurality of cells including the extension line of the outer circumferential surface of the obstacle as a boundary.

In addition, the controller 2 selects any one of the cells.

The control unit 2 instructs the moving unit 4 to travel in a path that minimizes the number of revolutions of the body unit while traveling linearly inside the selected cell.

2, in the control method of the mobile robot according to the embodiment of the present invention, the mobile robot R is first installed in a workspace that is not recognized in advance.

Then, the mobile robot R recognizes the obstacle (S10). When the mobile robot R is assumed to be a cleaning robot, the obstacle may be furniture or the like that can be disposed indoors.

In addition, the mobile robot R recognizes not only the obstacle but also the surrounding environment, and the surrounding environment may be an edge wall defining a workspace.

Then, a point is set which can characterize the obstacle and the surrounding environment. The point may be a point or a line defining the shape of the obstacle, and the point may form a boundary of the cell when the mobile robot R divides the workspace into a plurality of cells. For example, when the obstacle is formed into a rectangle, the point may be a vertex portion or a corner portion of the rectangle.

If the obstacle is not a rectangle, the minimum rectangle surrounding the obstacle is virtually formed and the virtual obstacle is placed as a virtual obstacle (see FIG. 3B).

Next, the mobile robot R divides the working space into a plurality of cells including at least an extension line of the outer circumferential surface of the obstacle as a boundary (S30).

Next, any one of the plurality of cells is selected (S40), and the mobile robot travels in a path that minimizes the rotational speed of the mobile robot while linearly traveling inside the selected cell (S50).

Next, when the mobile robot R covers all areas of the selected cell, the driving ends, and when a new workspace is recognized at the terminated point, a new cell is formed (S60).

In addition, the mobile robot R travels the new cell, and repeats the formation of the new cell and the driving until there is no new space that the mobile robot no longer covers at the point where the driving ends.

Here, the cover means that the mobile robot R passes while covering the inside of the cell, and the covering of the inside of the cell means that the mobile robot R covers at least all spaces inside the cell when viewed from the top of the cell. Say that you have covered it once.

The mobile robot (R) covers all the inside of each cell, and eventually covers the entire work space without overlap and omission.

Hereinafter, a control method of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

3 is a view showing the mobile robot according to the mobile robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention to recognize the obstacle, Figure 4 is a mobile robot according to the mobile robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention to set the cell It is a figure which shows a state.

3 and 4, the mobile robot R according to the mobile robot control method according to the present embodiment recognizes the surrounding environment and obstacles when placed in a workspace that has not been recognized in advance. The mobile robot (R) recognizes the environment and obstacles using a non-contact sensor.

The non-contact sensor is a sensor that obtains information from the measurement target without contacting the measurement target, and there is also a method of determining the position and shape of the measurement target by measuring reflected waves by emitting light, electromagnetic waves, ultrasonic waves, lasers, etc. to the measurement target. There is a method of identifying the position and shape of the measurement object using a camera. Since the non-contact sensor is already known technology, in the present embodiment, a well-known technology is adopted, and detailed description thereof will be omitted in the description of the present embodiment.

The mobile robot R recognizes the shape of the surrounding environment of the workspace by using the non-contact sensor. In detail, the mobile robot R recognizes whether the geographic shape of the work space is rectangular or curved, and detects whether there is a protrusion at the edge of the work space.

In FIG. 3, the mobile robot R may recognize that the workspace where the mobile robot R is located includes a rectangular shape including at least a first wall W1 and a second wall W2. In addition, the mobile robot (R) can recognize that the wall is installed around its smooth form.

Recognizing the edge shape of the work space by the mobile robot (R) is the mobile robot (R) is to work in the early stage of work in order to cover the entire interior of the work space, such as to clean the work space This is because it moves along the edge of the space.

The mobile robot R recognizes the edge shape of the workspace and then recognizes the

obstacles

10 and 20 disposed inside the workspace. In the present embodiment, the obstacle is composed of the first obstacle 10 and the second obstacle 20 having a rectangular shape as an example.

The mobile robot R may also rotate in place to direct the non-contact sensor into the working space.

The mobile robot R sets a point that can characterize the shape of the

obstacles

10 and 20. The point is a part that becomes a boundary of the cell when the mobile robot R divides the workspace into a plurality of cells, and may be a vertex and an outer circumferential surface of the

obstacles

10 and 20.

The mobile robot R may emit light or ultrasonic waves to the first obstacle 10 to recognize that the first obstacle 10 is located between L1 and L2.

The mobile robot R has a vertex P1, a horizontal edge 11, and a vertical edge 12 set from the first obstacle 10 as the point, and the second edge 12 as the point. Similarly, in the obstacle 20, the vertices, the horizontal edges 21, and the vertical edges 22 seen by the mobile robot R are set as points.

The mobile robot R converts the workspace into a plurality of cells based on the first and second walls W1 and W2 recognized as edges of the workspace, and the portions recognized as points in the

obstacles

10 and 20. Start dividing.

That is, the mobile robot R constructs an environment map in real time by recognizing the current position, obstacles, and environment of the robot using a non-contact sensor.

In FIG. 3, the mobile robot R is located at the lower left corner. In this position, the mobile robot R is bounded by an extension line between the edges W1 and W2 of the already recognized working space and the

edges

11, 12, 21 and 22 of the

obstacle

10 and 20. Divide into multiple virtual cells.

The mobile robot R includes a first virtual cell Cp1 defined by a line extending the vertical wall 12 of the first obstacle 10, the second wall W2, and the work space. It is divided into a first virtual wall C1 and a second virtual cell Cp2 defined by a line extending the horizontal 21 of the second obstacle 20.

The first virtual cell Cp1 is a rectangle having a horizontal length ap1 and a vertical length bp1, and the second virtual cell Cp2 is a rectangle having a horizontal length a1 and a vertical length b1.

The mobile robot R selects any one of the first virtual cell Cp1 and the second virtual cell Cp2 and starts to move inside the selected cell.

The mobile robot R may be set to select a cell having a larger area among the two virtual cells. However, the criterion for selecting one of the two cells by the mobile robot R is not limited thereto, and there may be other criteria.

In FIG. 4, it can be seen that the mobile robot R selects the second virtual cell Cp2 having a larger area among the first virtual cell Cp1 and the second virtual cell Cp2.

5 is a view showing a mobile robot according to a mobile robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention to move in the first cell, Figure 6 is a mobile robot according to a mobile robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention 7 is a diagram illustrating movement in the second cell after finishing the movement in the first cell, and FIG. 7 illustrates a movement of the mobile robot according to the mobile robot control method according to the embodiment of the present invention after the movement in the second cell. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating movement in a cell, and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating preliminary path driving of a mobile robot according to a mobile robot control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5 to 8, the mobile robot (R) is a path that reduces the number of revolutions of the mobile robot (R) while the linear running is long in consideration of the shape and width of the cell and the size of the mobile robot in the cell Drive

In order to measure the distance traveled by the mobile robot R, the mobile robot R is provided with an odometer, that is, a driving recorder that integrates the travel distance.

In FIG. 5, it can be seen that the mobile robot R travels inside the first cell C1. The first cell C1 is a space in which the mobile robot R first travels, and the second virtual cell Cp2 is selected as the first travel space and is redefined as a first cell C1. .

The mobile robot R sets a start point S1 and an end point E1 within the first cell C1. The starting point S1 of the mobile robot R becomes a lower left side in which the mobile robot R is initially installed. The end point E1 is determined by simulating a path in which the mobile robot R starts from the start point and reduces the number of revolutions while driving linearly.

The mobile robot R starts from the lower left of the first cell C1 and travels to the right along the first wall W1 that forms the lower boundary of the first cell C1. 3 When the wall (W3) is detected, it rotates vertically upwards 90 degrees.

Then, the mobile robot R proceeds upward by the width of the mobile robot R, rotates to the left by 90 degrees and travels to the left again. The mobile robot R rotates vertically to face upward when the wall is sensed while traveling to the left, and proceeds upward by the width of the mobile robot R.

The mobile robot R proceeds upwards and then travels again to the right side, and when it encounters a wall, the mobile robot R rotates upward and moves by the width of the mobile robot R as the first cell C1 repeats. ) It covers the inside tightly.

However, the rising of the mobile robot R by the width of the mobile robot R at the left end and the right end of the first cell C1 may prevent the traveling area of the mobile robot R from overlapping. When driving in a state in contact with the upper end of the first cell (C1), it may slightly overlap with the previous traveling area.

An end point E1 of the first cell C1 of the mobile robot R becomes an upper left or upper right end of the first cell C1 having a rectangular shape. In FIG. 5, it is shown that the end point E1 in the first cell C1 is the upper right corner.

When the mobile robot R reaches an end point, a virtual cell is created for a new space recognized at the end point. For example, in FIG. 5, when the end point E1 is the upper right side, a new space defined by the horizontal length a2 and the vertical length b2 at the upper end point is recognized, and this new space is defined as a virtual cell Cp3. .

If the end point of the mobile robot R is the upper left corner, the mobile robot R recognizes a new space defined by the horizontal length a2 and the vertical length b2 of the upper portion, and the new space is referred to as the virtual cell Cp4. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the end point E1 of the first cell C1 of the mobile robot R is at the upper right.

In this manner, the mobile robot R may recognize a space defined by a boundary with a space that has already traveled at an end point, an extension line of an outer circumferential surface of an obstacle, and a border of a work space as a virtual cell.

Since the mobile robot R recognizes the third virtual cell Cp3 which is only one virtual cell at the end point of the first cell C1, the mobile robot R has no choice but to select the third virtual cell Cp3 as a second cell. Recognize as (C2) and drive. The second cell C2 has a rectangular shape having a length a2 and a length b2, an extension line of the left vertical edge 24 of the second obstacle 20, an upper end of the first cell C1, and a work space. The border is defined by the wall.

The manner in which the mobile robot R travels in the second cell C2 is the same as in the first cell C1.

An end point E2 of the second cell C2 of the mobile robot R may be an upper left corner of the second cell C2, and the mobile robot R is recognized at the end point E2. The third cell C3, which is a space, may be determined as the next travel space.

The driving of the mobile robot R in the third cell C3 is also the same as the driving in the first cell C1 and the second cell C2, and the virtual cell at the driving and ending points Repeating the setting will eventually cover all of the workspaces as shown in FIG.

Therefore, according to the present invention, even if the mobile robot does the same work, it can be completed in a short time, there is an advantage that the work efficiency is improved. In addition, the present invention not only reduces the energy consumption of the robot, but also has the advantage of increasing the life of the robot.

Claims

Installing the mobile robot in a workspace not recognized in advance;

Recognizing the obstacle by the mobile robot;

Dividing the workspace into a plurality of cells including at least one extension line of an outer circumferential surface of the virtual rectangle corresponding to the obstacle;

Selecting any one of the plurality of cells and driving the mobile robot in a path that minimizes the number of revolutions of the mobile robot while traveling linearly inside the selected cell;

Terminating driving when the mobile robot covers all areas of the selected cell and forming a new cell when a new workspace is recognized at the terminated point; And

Driving the new cell, and forming and running a new cell until there is no new space that the mobile robot no longer covers at the point where the driving ends;

Robot movement path control method comprising a.
The method of claim 1,

Recognizing the obstacle by the mobile robot, the movement path control method of the robot for recognizing a vertex or corner that can specify the shape of the obstacle.
The method of claim 1,

Selecting any one of the plurality of cells, the mobile robot is traveling in a path that minimizes the number of revolutions of the mobile robot while running linearly inside the selected cell, the mobile robot is traveling in one direction When the robot meets an obstacle or the edge of the work space, the robot rotates by the width of the mobile robot and moves in the opposite direction again.
The method of claim 1,

When the mobile robot covers all the areas of the selected cell, the driving ends, and when a new workspace is recognized at the terminated point, forming a new cell includes an extension line of an obstacle, an edge of the workspace, and a space that has already traveled. Method of controlling the movement path of the robot to form a new cell by using the boundary between and.
The method of claim 1,

The mobile robot is a movement path control method of the robot, characterized in that it comprises an odometer and a non-contact sensor.
Body portion is installed in the workspace;

A moving part installed at one side of the body part to move the body part;

Peripheral sensing unit that can recognize the obstacle in the workspace; And

The work space is divided into a plurality of cells including an extension line of the outer circumferential surface of the obstacle, one of the plurality of cells is selected, and the number of rotations of the body part is linearly moved while the body part is linearly traveled inside the selected cell. A control unit for instructing the moving unit to travel along a path to be minimized;

Including;

If the body part covers all areas of the selected cell, the body part ends the driving,

When the peripheral sensing unit recognizes the new workspace at the point where the running of the body unit is finished, the control unit forms a new cell, instructs the moving unit to run the newly formed new cell, and the body The mobile robot repeats the formation and running of a new cell until there is no new space that the body part no longer covers at the end of the part driving.