WO2017073888A1

WO2017073888A1 - Obstacle sensing device for autonomous traveling robot and autonomous traveling robot having same

Info

Publication number: WO2017073888A1
Application number: PCT/KR2016/008375
Authority: WO
Inventors: 신경철; 박성주; 이주홍; 리브하르트마커스; 칼델론 마르코 아우렐리오안달시아; 이병용
Original assignee: (주)유진로봇
Priority date: 2015-10-27
Filing date: 2016-07-29
Publication date: 2017-05-04

Abstract

An obstacle sensing device for an autonomous traveling robot and an autonomous traveling robot having the same are disclosed. The present invention comprises: a base; a transmission and reception unit coupled to the base so as to rotate around a rotary shaft, emitting a predetermined emission signal to the outside around the rotary shaft, and receiving a reflected emission signal so as to generate a sensing signal; and a case having a reference wall, which is implemented in a circular arc shape of a predetermined length at a preset distance from the transmission and reception unit around the rotary shaft so as to reflect a signal emitted from the transmission and reception unit.

Description

Obstacle sensing device for autonomous robot and autonomous robot having same

The present invention relates to an obstacle detecting apparatus and an autonomous driving robot having the same, and more particularly, to an obstacle detecting apparatus for a fast moving autonomous driving robot and an autonomous driving robot having the same.

With the development of robot technology, the use of autonomous robots that set and move their own routes is increasing. Conventional autonomous robots often perform tasks in limited spaces, such as cleaning robots, and do not consider largely the movement speed of the autonomous robots. Recently, however, as the use of autonomous robots increases, the autonomous robots often work in an expanded or unrestricted space, such as educational robots, security robots, guide robots, delivery robots, and nursing robots. Is happening. Therefore, the movement speed of the autonomous robot has become an important issue in order to smoothly perform work in an expanded space or an unlimited space.

In order to increase the moving speed of the autonomous robot, it is more important to improve the detection range, the detection speed, and the detection accuracy of the obstacle than to improve the driving means provided for the movement of the robot such as a motor. That is, the autonomous robot should be configured to effectively detect obstacles and move by avoiding the detected obstacles. Therefore, autonomous robots are provided with at least one sensor, it is configured to detect the obstacle.

Sensors used in existing autonomous robots include bumper sensors, infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, laser sensors, and image sensors. The bumper sensor is a sensor that detects a collision with an obstacle, and is used only for a special purpose autonomous robot such as a cleaning robot due to a disadvantage of determining the obstacle only when it is in contact with the obstacle. Infrared sensor has the advantage that it can measure the distance from obstacles relatively accurately at low cost, but the detection angle is narrow, so that many infrared sensors are arranged in a ring shape, and the sampling time is 20msec. . Ultrasonic sensors have the advantage of wide detection angle and long detection distance.However, due to their low angle resolution, it is difficult to calculate the exact direction and distance of obstacles, and it is difficult to control the vibration of the ultrasonic sensor itself, mounting structure and sound waves. there is a problem. Laser sensors have a wide detection range and accuracy, but they are very expensive. The image sensor has a high cost of the image sensor itself, such as a camera, and it is difficult to implement because it requires image processing technology to distinguish obstacles from the acquired image, and it is expensive and takes a long time to identify obstacles in the image. There is this.

Accordingly, there is a demand for an obstacle detecting apparatus capable of quickly and accurately determining the position of an obstacle for a high speed mobile autonomous robot.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an obstacle detecting apparatus capable of quickly and accurately detecting obstacles at low cost for an autonomous mobile robot.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous mobile robot including an obstacle detecting apparatus for achieving the above object.

Obstacle sensing device for an autonomous mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object is a base; A transceiver coupled to the base so as to rotate about a rotation axis, radiating a predetermined radiation signal to the outside about the rotation axis, and receiving the reflected radiation signal to generate a detection signal; And a case having a reference wall embodied in an arc shape having a predetermined length at a predetermined distance from the transceiving unit and reflecting the signal emitted from the transceiving unit. It includes.

The transmission and reception unit is coupled to rotate around the base and the rotation axis, the slip ring for transmitting the detection signal to the outside; A sensor fixing part disposed on an upper portion of the slip ring part and configured to have a pillar shape symmetric about the rotation axis; At least one sensor unit fixed to an outer circumferential surface of the sensor fixing unit and configured to emit and receive the radiation signal to generate the detection signal; And a substrate part disposed between the sensor fixing part and the slip ring part to apply power applied through the slip ring part to each of the at least one sensor part. Characterized in that it comprises a.

When the plurality of at least one sensor unit is provided, the at least one sensor unit may be symmetrically spaced apart from each other by the same angle with respect to the rotation axis.

The substrate unit may amplify the detection signal and transmit the amplified signal to the slip ring unit.

Each of the at least one sensor unit emits an infrared signal to the radiation signal, detects an angle at which a signal reflected by the emitted radiation signal is received, and determines a distance at which the radiation signal is reflected (Position Sensitive Device) It is characterized by being implemented with).

The reference wall may be implemented to have a length corresponding to the remaining angular range except for the angular range designated to detect the obstacle while the transceiver is rotating.

The case is a cover coupled to the upper portion of the base to protect the transceiver; Further provided, wherein the reference wall is characterized in that it is implemented to be separated or combined with the cover.

The obstacle detecting apparatus further includes a driving unit for rotating the transceiver, and the driving unit includes a motor; And an interlocking unit connected to the rotating shaft of the motor and the transmitting / receiving unit, and transmitting a rotational force of the motor to the transmitting / receiving unit. Characterized in that it comprises a.

The substrate unit includes a micro controller unit (MCU) to analyze the sensing signals applied from each of the at least one sensor unit, and analyze whether the analyzed sensing signals are patterns corresponding to the reference wall, and the at least one To determine the position of each of the sensors.

If the position of the at least one sensor is not a pattern corresponding to the reference wall, the substrate unit determines a position of the obstacle from the detection signal to generate a position determination signal, and generates the position determination signal externally through the slip ring unit. It characterized in that the transmission to.

An autonomous mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above another object is a robot case implemented according to the use of the autonomous driving robot; A robot driver configured to move in the robot case to move the robot case; At least one obstacle sensing device disposed at a predetermined position of the robot case to emit a predetermined radiation signal in a predetermined direction, and receive the emitted radiation signal to output a detection signal; And receiving the detection signal from each of the at least one obstacle detection device, and analyzing the detection signal according to an arrangement position of each of the at least one obstacle detection device to determine the presence and the location of the obstacle. A controller for controlling the robot driver to move to avoid an obstacle; The at least one obstacle sensing device includes a base; A transceiver coupled to the base so as to rotate about a rotation axis, radiating the radiation signal to the outside about the rotation axis, and receiving the reflected radiation signal to generate the detection signal; And a case having a reference wall embodied in an arc shape having a predetermined length at a predetermined distance from the transceiving unit and reflecting the signal emitted from the transceiving unit. It includes.

Therefore, the obstacle detecting apparatus for the autonomous robot and the autonomous robot having the same of the present invention detects the obstacle while the transmission and reception unit having at least one sensor unit for detecting the obstacle by radiating and receiving a radiation signal at a predetermined angle. Therefore, it is possible to detect an obstacle in a wide angle range, and the reference barrier spaced apart from the sensor by a uniform distance in the angle range that does not require the detection of the obstacle, the rotation angle of the transceiver without the rotation angle detection sensor Make it easy to determine. In addition, the transmission and reception unit is provided with a plurality of sensor units, it is possible to improve the speed of detecting the obstacle and determine the rotation angle, it is possible to accurately determine the position of the obstacle at high speed, it can be manufactured at low cost.

1 illustrates a configuration of an obstacle detecting apparatus for an autonomous robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the obstacle detecting apparatus of FIG. 1.

3 is a front view of the obstacle detecting apparatus of FIG.

4 is a side view of the obstacle detecting apparatus of FIG. 1.

5 is a plan view of the obstacle detecting apparatus of FIG. 1.

6 is a view for explaining the operation of the receiver rotates in the obstacle detecting apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example for describing an operation of detecting an obstacle by one sensor unit while the receiving unit of the obstacle detecting apparatus shown in FIG. 6 rotates.

Fig. 8 shows a pattern of sensing signals generated while one sensor unit is rotating.

9 illustrates an autonomous driving robot including an obstacle detecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In order to fully understand the present invention, the operational advantages of the present invention, and the objects achieved by the practice of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and the contents described in the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In addition, in order to clearly describe the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same members.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, it means that it may further include other components, without excluding the other components unless otherwise stated. In addition, the terms "... unit", "... unit", "module", "block", etc. described in the specification mean a unit for processing at least one function or operation, which means hardware, software, or hardware. And software.

1 illustrates a configuration of an obstacle detecting apparatus for an autonomous robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 5 respectively show a perspective view, a front view, a side view, and a plan view of the obstacle detecting apparatus of FIG. 1.

1 to 5, the obstacle detecting apparatus of the present invention includes a base 10, a transceiver 20, a driver 30, and a case 40.

The upper surface of the base 10 is mounted to the transceiver 20 and the driver 30, the lower surface of the base 10 may be coupled to the autonomous driving robot. And although not shown, the base 10 is provided with a coupling means for coupling with the obstacle detection device, the lower surface may be fixed to the obstacle detection device.

The transceiver 20 is coupled to the upper surface of the base 10 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis in a vertical direction. The transceiver 20 includes at least one sensor unit 210, a sensor fixing unit 220, a substrate unit 230, and a slip ring unit 240.

The at least one sensor unit 210 transmits and receives a predetermined radiation signal at a predetermined angle, detects an obstacle, generates a detection signal, and transmits the detected signal to the substrate unit 230. Each of the at least one sensor unit 210 includes a transmitter and at least one receiver, and the transmitter emits a predetermined radiation signal, and the at least one receiver receives a signal reflected from the obstacle to measure the position of the obstacle. Generate a sense signal.

Here, the signal transmitted and received by the sensor unit 210 may include signals of various frequencies including an optical signal and an ultrasonic signal. However, in the present invention, it is assumed that an infrared signal is transmitted and received. When the sensor unit 210 transmits and receives an infrared signal, the price of the transceiver is low. In addition, the detection angle range for detecting the obstacle is narrow, it is possible to determine the position of the obstacle relatively accurately.

In particular, in the present invention, each of the at least one sensor unit 210 may be implemented as a PSD (Position Sensitive Device) in which the transmitter and the receiver are integrally formed. The PSD composed of a transmitter and a receiver is a sensor that detects the position of the obstacle by analyzing the angle at which the radiated radiation signal is reflected by the obstacle.

The sensor fixing part 220 is disposed above the substrate part 230 and is implemented in a columnar shape so that at least one sensor part 210 is coupled to a predetermined position. Here, the columnar sensor fixing unit 220 is implemented symmetrically about the rotation axis, so that the sensor fixing unit 220 can be stably rotated. On the other hand, when a plurality of sensor unit 210 is provided, it is preferable that the plurality of sensor units 210 are spaced apart from each other by a uniform angle with respect to the rotation axis in the sensor fixing unit 220. This allows the rotation center to be maintained on the rotation axis when the plurality of sensor units 210 disposed on the sensor fixing unit 220 rotate together with the sensor fixing unit 220, so that the load on the driving unit 30 is not increased. Do not. In addition, when the plurality of sensor units 210 are uniformly spaced apart, each sensor unit 210 detects obstacles at equal time intervals to generate a detection signal, so that the substrate unit 230 may detect the obstacles from the detection signals. It is easy to determine the position.

The substrate unit 230 is disposed between the sensor fixing unit 220 and the slip ring unit 240, and includes a printed circuit board and various electronic elements to supply power transmitted from the autonomous robot to at least one sensor unit 210. Supply to each, and receives a detection signal from each of the at least one sensor unit 210, and transmits to the control unit (not shown) of the autonomous running robot. In this case, the substrate 230 may amplify and transmit the sensing signal so that the sensing signal is not distorted or lost while being transmitted to the controller of the autonomous robot.

In some cases, the board unit 230 includes a micro controller unit (MCU), and analyzes a sensing signal applied from each of the at least one sensor unit 210 to determine a position of an obstacle and a position corresponding to the determined position. The determination signal may be generated and transmitted to the controller of the autonomous robot.

The slip ring unit 240 includes a rotating plate 241 and a slip ring 242. The rotating plate 241 is coupled with the base 10 to be rotatable about the rotation axis in conjunction with the drive unit 30. As the rotating plate 241 is configured to rotate in conjunction with the driving unit 30, at least one fixed to the substrate unit 230, the sensor fixing unit 220, and the sensor unit 220 disposed on the upper portion of the rotating plate 210. All of the transceiver 210 is rotated about the rotation axis.

The slip ring 242 is provided below the rotating plate 241 to allow the autonomous robot to transfer power to the substrate unit 230 even when the substrate unit 230 rotates together with the rotating plate 241. The unit 230 may transmit the detection signal or the position determination signal to the controller of the autonomous robot.

The driving unit 30 is fixed to the base 10, and when the power is applied from the autonomous robot, the driving unit 310 and the interlocking unit 320 for transmitting the rotational force of the motor 310 and the rotating plate 241 to the rotating plate 241 are provided. Equipped. The motor 310 may be implemented as, for example, a BrushLess DC (BLDC) motor, and the controller of the autonomous robot may adjust the rotation speed of the motor by adjusting a power applied to the motor 310 by a pulse with modulation (PWM) method. Can be controlled.

The interlocking part 320 includes an O-ring 321 and an O-ring holder 322. O-ring holder 322 is implemented in a disc shape and the center of the disc is coupled to the rotation axis of the motor 310, and rotates when the motor 310 is driven. In addition, grooves on which the O-rings 321 are mounted are dug in the side surfaces of the O-ring holder 322 and the rotating plate 241 to prevent the O-ring 321 from being separated. At this time, the diameter of the rotating plate 240 is larger than the diameter of the O-ring holder 322 to reduce the rotation speed of the motor 310 to rotate at high speed to rotate the rotating plate 240, the torque of the transceiver 20 This is to reduce). That is, by adjusting the ratio of the diameter of the O-ring holder 322 and the rotating plate 240, it is possible to adjust the torque (torque) of the transceiver 20.

The O-ring 321 is mounted on the side groove of the O-ring holder 322 and the side groove of the rotating plate 241, and when the O-ring holder 322 rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to rotate the rotating plate 241.

In FIG. 1, the linking unit 320 includes an O-ring 330 and an O-ring holder 322 to transmit the rotational force of the motor 310 to the transceiver 20, but the linking unit 320 ) May be implemented in various structures. For example, the O-ring holder 322 of the linking unit 320 may be implemented in a gear structure together with the rotary plate 240, and may be configured to transmit the rotational force of the motor 310 to the rotary plate 240, and the O-ring holder 322. And a gear for relaying torque between the rotating plate 240 may be added.

The case 40 is coupled to the upper end of the base 10 to protect the transceiver 20 and the drive unit 30 from external impact. However, in the present invention, at least one sensor unit 210 of the transceiver unit 20 is configured to protrude upward of the case 40 so as to detect an obstacle. In addition, in the present invention, the case 40 is formed with a reference wall 410 for determining the rotation angle of the transceiver 20 in the direction in which the obstacle detection device does not need to detect the obstacle. The reference wall 410 is implemented in the shape of an arc uniformly spaced at a predetermined distance (for example, within 10 cm) around the axis of rotation of the transceiver 20 on the outside of the transceiver 20. Accordingly, the transceiver 20 rotates to generate a uniform sensing signal while the at least one sensor 210 is directed in a direction corresponding to the reference wall 410.

In this case, the length of the reference wall 410 may be implemented to have a length corresponding to a predetermined angle with respect to the rotation axis of the transceiver 20. For example, when the obstacle detecting device is disposed in front of the autonomous robot and is set to detect the front 180 degree range, the reference wall 410 may be implemented to have a length surrounding the rear 180 degree range, and the front 270 degree range may be implemented. When set to sense, the reference wall 410 can be implemented with a length that encloses the rear 90 degree range. 1 to 5 illustrate an example in which the obstacle detecting apparatus is set to detect a front 180 degree range. However, in order for the obstacle detecting apparatus to detect the front 180 degree range, there should be no area where at least one sensor unit 210 is covered by the reference barrier in the front 180 degree range. Therefore, the actual reference wall 410 has a length that wraps the predetermined angle range smaller than 180 degrees in consideration of the radiation signal emission angle and the reception angle of the transmitter and the at least one receiver of the at least one sensor unit 210 at the front 180 degrees. It is preferable to implement, and thus, FIGS. 1 to 5 illustrate that the reference wall 410 is implemented to have a length surrounding the rear 160 degree range.

Since the reference wall 410 is provided to provide a reference for determining a rotation angle of the transceiver 20, the reference wall 410 is not implemented to have a length corresponding to the entire rear 180 degree range, and is formed only in a partial region within the rear 180 degree range. It may be implemented. However, when the reference wall 410 is disposed only in some areas of the angular range not detected by the obstacle detecting apparatus, the transceiver 20 does not distinguish between the obstacle and the structure of the autonomous robot, and thus, the structure of the autonomous robot is not included. The detection signal or position determination signal may be generated to cause the autonomous robot to malfunction.

Even if the reference wall 410 is not provided, a rotation angle sensor for detecting the rotation angle of the rotating plate 240 or the O-ring holder 322 may be used to determine the rotation angle of the transceiver 20. The angle of rotation of the unit 20 may be limited or a reference distance (for example, 20 cm) for determining an obstacle may be set in advance to distinguish the structure of the autonomous robot from an obstacle. However, there is a problem in that manufacturing cost increases in order to provide a rotation angle sensor. In addition, when the rotation angle of the transceiver 20 is limited, the driving direction of the motor 310 must be changed, so that the control is difficult, and the load on the motor 310 is large, and the obstacle detection cycle is not uniform. There is. In addition, as the obstacle detection distance is limited, there is a limitation that the short-range obstacle cannot be detected.

In the present invention, the reference wall 410 is provided to not only determine the rotation state of the transceiver 20, but also the reference wall 410 even if the motor rotates in the same direction without restriction on the obstacle detection distance. By preventing the structure of the autonomous robot from being detected, the possibility of the autonomous robot malfunctioning can be reduced. The reference wall 410 may be implemented integrally with the case 40, but the reference wall 410 may be implemented to be separated from and coupled to the case 40. When the reference wall is configured to be separated and coupled with the case 40, the case 40 except for the reference wall may be referred to as a cover. In addition, when the reference wall 410 is implemented to be separated and coupled with the case 40, the reference wall 410 may be coupled to different positions at different lengths in consideration of the position where the obstacle sensing device is disposed in the autonomous mobile robot. Can be configured.

Conventionally, when detecting an obstacle by transmitting and receiving an infrared signal, the detection angle range is set narrow so as to distinguish the position of the obstacle of the infrared sensor, a plurality of infrared sensors were required to detect the obstacle in a wide range. However, according to the present invention, as the transceiver 20 including the at least one sensor unit 210 rotates, even if only one sensor unit 210 is provided, an obstacle in all directions can be detected. However, when the transceiver 20 includes only one sensor unit 210, the sensor unit 210 does not detect an obstacle while rotating the area where the reference wall 410 is disposed. In order to solve this problem, the transceiver 20 may include a plurality of sensor units 210 disposed at equal angles with respect to the rotation axis in the sensor fixing unit 220. For example, when the transceiver unit 20 includes two sensor units 210 disposed at opposite angles, that is, opposite to each other, at the sensor fixing unit 220, one sensor unit 210 may be a reference wall 410. The other sensor unit 210 may detect the obstacle while facing the direction. In addition, when the transceiver 20 includes a plurality of sensor units 210 disposed at equal angles with respect to the rotation axis, the torque is reduced when the transceiver 20 rotates, so that the load of the motor 310 is reduced. In addition to reducing the wear of the slip ring 242, there is an advantage that the durability of the obstacle detection device increases.

In particular, FIGS. 1 to 5 illustrate an example of a transceiver 20 having four sensor units 210 in order to reduce torque when the transceiver 20 rotates and to increase the accuracy of obstacle detection and rotation angle. .

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation of rotating a receiver in an obstacle detecting apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an operation of detecting an obstacle by one sensor unit while the receiver of the obstacle detecting apparatus shown in FIG. 6 rotates. FIG. 8 illustrates a pattern of a sensing signal generated while one sensor unit rotates.

The obstacle detecting apparatus of FIG. 6 also shows a transceiver 20 having four sensor units 210, similarly to FIGS. 1 to 5, and the four sensor units 210 rotate the axis of rotation of the transceiver 20. It is arranged evenly spaced at 90 degrees intervals from each other. 6 to 7, each of the at least one sensor unit 210 is assumed to be implemented as an infrared-based PSD for transmitting and receiving an infrared signal to detect the obstacle. Accordingly, the sensor part facing the left direction among the four sensor parts 210 may be referred to as the first PSD sensor PSD1, and the remaining three sensor parts in the clockwise direction may be referred to as the second to fourth PSD sensors PSD1 to PSD4, respectively. .

In addition, it is assumed that the transceiver 20 is rotated clockwise in the plan view of FIG. Here, the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the transceiver 20 may be controlled by controlling the motor 310 from a controller (not shown) of the autonomous mobile robot. Each of the four PSD sensors PSD1 to PSD4 transmits and receives a radiation signal in response to a control signal applied at a predetermined sampling period from the controller (not shown) or the substrate unit 230 of the autonomous robot, and performs a sampling operation. Output the signal. The controller of the autonomous robot can analyze the rotational speed of the transceiver 20 by controlling the driving of the motor 310, and transmits the control signals to the four PSD sensors PSD1 to PSD4 corresponding to the analyzed rotational speed. By applying, the obstacle detection device may adjust the angular resolution of detecting the obstacle. When the board unit 230 includes an MCU configured to generate a position determination signal by analyzing a sensing signal in the board unit 230 itself, the board unit 230 determines the rotation speed and the current position of the sensor unit 20 from the sensing signal. As a result, the obstacle detection device may adjust the angular resolution of detecting the obstacle. In the above description, the control unit or the board unit 230 of the autonomous driving robot applies the control signals to the four PSD sensors PSD1 to PSD4 according to the sampling period. However, the sampling period is applied to the PSD sensors PSD1 to PSD4 itself. It may be set in advance and configured to not receive a control signal. In this case, the controller (not shown) of the autonomous robot may control the motor 310 to adjust the angular resolution. In addition, the control unit (not shown) of the autonomous robot or the substrate unit 230 analyzes the rotation angle of the transceiver 20, irrespective of the sampling period, so that each time the transceiver 20 rotates by a predetermined sampling angle, sampling is performed. The control signal may be transmitted to the PSD sensors PSD1 to PSD4 to perform the operation.

In the present invention, it is assumed that the sampling period is 20 msec, and the four PSD sensors PSD1 to PSD4 perform sampling at an angular resolution of 16 degrees. Accordingly, each of the four PSD sensors PSD1 to PSD4 may perform a sampling operation 20 times while the transceiver 20 rotates once to output a detection signal.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 8, the operation of the obstacle detecting apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the first PSD sensor PSD1 in FIG. 6. The first PSD sensor PSD1 emits a radiation signal at an initial sampling position S1. By transmitting and receiving and sampling, a detection signal is generated.

In general, a PSD sensor has a detection section (eg, 10 cm to 1.5 m) that can detect an obstacle in advance at design time. As a sensing distance section for detecting an obstacle is predetermined in the PSD sensor, the PSD sensor recognizes that the obstacle is not detected even if an obstacle exists farther than the designated sensing distance section.

On the other hand, the PSD sensor does not normally detect an obstacle disposed at a position closer than the sensing distance section, and thus does not output a sensing signal of a level corresponding to the distance to the obstacle for an obstacle disposed at a position closer than the sensing distance section. This outputs a sense signal of a level lower than that of the undetected state.

The first PSD sensor PSD1 is rotated in the clockwise direction by the driving of the motor 310, and after being rotated 16 degrees after the sampling period, the first PSD sensor PSD1 is again sampled at the second sampling position S2 to generate a detection signal. Rotate

In this way, the first PSD sensor PSD1 performs 20 sampling operations during one rotation, and as shown in FIG. 7, the first PSD sensor PSD1 has no obstacle at the initial sampling position S1. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the sensing signal is output at a reference signal level (for example, 300 mV in FIG. 8). Similarly, the first PSD sensor PSD1 is the same for the second, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, tenth, and eleventh sampling positions S2, S4, S5, S7, S8, S10, and S11. The detection signal is output at the reference signal level.

However, in FIG. 7, three obstacles are located at the third, seventh, and ninth sampling positions S3, S6, and S9, and as shown in FIG. 8, the first PSD sensor PSD1 includes the third, seventh, and third obstacles. And sensing signals at different levels according to the distance from the obstacle at the ninth sampling positions S3, S6, and S9. In FIG. 8, it can be seen that the sensing signal is output at a higher level (600mV, 800mV, 1100mV) as the distance from the obstacle becomes closer.

On the other hand, while the first PSD sensor PSD1 faces the twelfth to twentieth sampling positions S16 to S20, the reference point is closer to a position closer to the preset detection distance section (for example, 1 cm from the first PSD sensor PSD1). Wall 410 is disposed.

Since the distance from the first PSD sensor PSD1 to the reference wall 410 is shorter than a preset detection distance section, the first PSD sensor PSD1 may generate a detection signal at a level lower than the level at which no obstacle is detected. In 8, the output is 100mV).

The PSD sensor may output different levels of detection signals according to the distance even for obstacles disposed at a distance shorter than the detection distance section. However, in the present invention, the reference wall 410 is uniform from the rotating first PSD sensor PSD1. Since it is embodied in the shape of an arc spaced by one distance, the first PSD sensor PSD1 outputs a detection signal having a uniform level lower than the level at which no obstacle is detected.

Since the position and distance at which the reference wall 410 is disposed and the length of the reference wall 410 are known in advance, the controller (not shown) or the substrate unit 230 of the autonomous robot may analyze the detection signal to detect the rotation sensor. The position of the first PSD sensor PSD1 can be determined without the provision.

1 to 8 illustrate an arc-shaped reference wall 410 as the simplest example of the reference wall 410. The arc-shaped reference wall 410 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 8 allows the sensor unit 210 to output a sense signal of a uniform level while rotating the position where the reference wall 410 is disposed, and thus the transceiver unit ( In the case where 20) includes a small number (for example, 1 to 3) of sensor units 210, there is a limit in determining the exact position. That is, even if the detection signal of the sensor unit 210 facing the direction corresponding to the reference wall 410 of each sensor unit 210 is analyzed, the current position of the sensor unit 210 faces the reference wall 410. It can only be appreciated that it is difficult to precisely determine which position it is facing in the reference wall 410. This can be solved in such a manner that the transceiver 20 includes four or more sensor units 210 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 8.

For example, when the detection signal of the first PSD sensor PSD1 is analyzed to determine that the current position of the first PSD sensor PSD1 is toward the reference wall 410, the second PSD sensor PSD2 is determined. And by analyzing the detection signal of the fourth PSD sensor PSD4 together, it is possible to more accurately determine the position of the first PSD sensor PSD1.

However, by deforming the reference wall 410 in another way, it can be configured to more accurately determine the rotation angle of the sensor unit 210 that is directed toward the reference wall 410 even with a small number of sensor units 210. .

In FIG. 9, for example, three obstacle detecting apparatuses 2, 3, and 4 are disposed at the upper, front, and rear side edges of the autonomous robot 1, respectively. The first obstacle detecting device 2 disposed at the upper edge of the traveling direction detects the front of the autonomous robot 1, and the second obstacle detecting device 3 disposed at the front detects the right obstacle of the autonomous robot. . In addition, the third obstacle detecting device 4 disposed at the rear side edge detects the rear of the autonomous robot. In addition, the obstacle detecting apparatus of the present invention may be disposed at various positions of the autonomous robot 1.

Each obstacle sensing device 2, 3, or 4 may be driven by the control of a controller (not shown) of the autonomous robot 1, and may be transmitted as it is or amplified to the controller of the autonomous robot 1. Alternatively, the detection signal may be analyzed to determine the location of the obstacle, a location determination signal corresponding to the determined location of the obstacle may be generated, and transmitted to the controller of the autonomous driving robot 1. Accordingly, the controller of the autonomous robot 1 analyzes the detection signal or the position determination signal in consideration of the position of each obstacle detecting device 2, 3, 4, so as to advance the position of the obstacle around the autonomous robot 1. Can be determined.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, this is merely exemplary, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible.

Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

Base;

A transceiver coupled to the base so as to rotate about a rotation axis, radiating a predetermined radiation signal to the outside about the rotation axis, and receiving the reflected radiation signal to generate a detection signal; And

A case having a reference wall embodied in an arc shape having a predetermined length at a predetermined distance from the transmitting and receiving unit with respect to the rotation axis to reflect the signal emitted from the transmitting and receiving unit; Obstacle detection device comprising a.
The method of claim 1, wherein the transceiver unit

A slip ring unit coupled to the base and the rotation axis to rotate about the base, and transmitting the detection signal to the outside;

A sensor fixing part disposed on an upper portion of the slip ring part and configured to have a pillar shape symmetric about the rotation axis;

At least one sensor unit fixed to an outer circumferential surface of the sensor fixing unit and configured to emit and receive the radiation signal to generate the detection signal; And

A substrate part disposed between the sensor fixing part and the slip ring part to apply power applied through the slip ring part to each of the at least one sensor part; Obstacle sensing device comprising a.
The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor unit

When provided in plural, obstacle detection apparatus, characterized in that arranged symmetrically spaced apart by the same angle with respect to the rotation axis.
The method of claim 3, wherein the substrate portion

Obstacle detection device, characterized in that for amplifying and transmitting the detection signal to the slip ring.
The method of claim 3, wherein each of the at least one sensor unit

Characterized in that it is implemented as a PSD (Position Sensitive Device) for emitting an infrared signal to the radiation signal, detects the angle at which the signal reflected by the emitted radiation signal is received, and determines the distance reflected by the radiation signal Obstacle detection device.
The method of claim 3, wherein the reference wall is

Obstacle detection device is characterized in that the transceiver is implemented with a length corresponding to the remaining angle range except the angle range specified to detect the obstacle while rotating.
The method of claim 6, wherein the case

A cover coupled to an upper portion of the base to protect the transceiver; The obstacle detecting device further comprises, wherein the reference wall is implemented to be separated or combined with the cover.
The method of claim 6, wherein the obstacle detecting device

Further comprising a drive unit for rotating the transceiver,

The driving unit

motor; And

An interlocking unit connected to the rotating shaft of the motor and the transmitting / receiving unit, and transmitting a rotational force of the motor to the transmitting / receiving unit; Obstacle sensing device comprising a.
The method of claim 6, wherein the substrate portion

A microcontroller unit (MCU) is provided to analyze the detection signal applied from each of the at least one sensor unit, and analyze whether the analyzed detection signal is a pattern corresponding to the reference wall, and each of the at least one sensor Obstacle sensing device, characterized in that for determining the position of.
The method of claim 9, wherein the substrate portion

If the position of the at least one sensor is not a pattern corresponding to the reference wall to determine the position of the obstacle from the detection signal to generate a position determination signal, and transmits the generated position determination signal to the outside through the slip ring unit Obstacle sensing device, characterized in that.
A robot case implemented according to a use purpose of the autonomous robot;

A robot driver configured to move in the robot case to move the robot case;

At least one obstacle sensing device disposed at a predetermined position of the robot case to emit a predetermined radiation signal in a predetermined direction, and receive the emitted radiation signal to output a detection signal; And

The detection signal is received from each of the at least one obstacle detection device, and the presence and absence of the obstacle is determined by analyzing the detection signal according to an arrangement position of each of the at least one obstacle detection device. A control unit controlling the robot driving unit to move around the system; Including,

Each of the at least one obstacle detecting device

Base;

A transceiver coupled to the base so as to rotate about a rotation axis, radiating the radiation signal to the outside about the rotation axis, and receiving the reflected radiation signal to generate the detection signal; And

A case having a reference wall embodied in an arc shape having a predetermined length at a predetermined distance from the transmitting and receiving unit with respect to the rotation axis to reflect the signal emitted from the transmitting and receiving unit; Autonomous driving robot comprising a.
The method of claim 11, wherein the transceiver unit

A slip ring unit coupled to the base and the rotation axis to rotate about the base, and transmitting the detection signal to the outside;

A sensor fixing part disposed on an upper portion of the slip ring part and configured to have a pillar shape symmetric about the rotation axis;

At least one sensor unit fixed to an outer circumferential surface of the sensor fixing unit and configured to emit and receive the radiation signal to generate the detection signal; And

A substrate part disposed between the sensor fixing part and the slip ring part to apply power applied through the slip ring part to each of the at least one sensor part; Autonomous driving robot comprising a.
The method of claim 12, wherein the reference wall is

And a length corresponding to the remaining angle range except for the specified angle range to detect the obstacle while the transceiver is rotating.
The method of claim 13, wherein the obstacle detecting device

Further comprising a drive unit for rotating the transceiver,

The driving unit

A motor driven at a rotational speed and a rotational direction specified according to the control of the controller; And

An interlocking unit connected to the rotating shaft of the motor and the transmitting / receiving unit, and transmitting a rotational force of the motor to the transmitting / receiving unit; Autonomous driving robot comprising a.