WO2020027496A1 - Moving robot and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Moving robot and controlling method thereof Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2020027496A1
WO2020027496A1 PCT/KR2019/009257 KR2019009257W WO2020027496A1 WO 2020027496 A1 WO2020027496 A1 WO 2020027496A1 KR 2019009257 W KR2019009257 W KR 2019009257W WO 2020027496 A1 WO2020027496 A1 WO 2020027496A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
charging station
main body
moving robot
signal
uwb
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/KR2019/009257
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Kyoungsuk Ko
Byungjin Kim
Sungwook Lee
Hyungsub LEE
Koh Choi
Original Assignee
Lg Electronics Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from KR1020190050966A external-priority patent/KR102291884B1/ko
Application filed by Lg Electronics Inc. filed Critical Lg Electronics Inc.
Priority to EP19844451.5A priority Critical patent/EP3829829A4/de
Priority to US17/265,613 priority patent/US20210165421A1/en
Publication of WO2020027496A1 publication Critical patent/WO2020027496A1/en

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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
    • A01D34/00—Mowers; Mowing apparatus of harvesters
    • A01D34/006—Control or measuring arrangements
    • A01D34/008—Control or measuring arrangements for automated or remotely controlled operation
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J11/00—Manipulators not otherwise provided for
    • B25J11/008—Manipulators for service tasks
    • B25J11/0085—Cleaning
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J11/00—Manipulators not otherwise provided for
    • B25J11/008—Manipulators for service tasks
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J19/00—Accessories fitted to manipulators, e.g. for monitoring, for viewing; Safety devices combined with or specially adapted for use in connection with manipulators
    • B25J19/005—Accessories fitted to manipulators, e.g. for monitoring, for viewing; Safety devices combined with or specially adapted for use in connection with manipulators using batteries, e.g. as a back-up power source
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J19/00—Accessories fitted to manipulators, e.g. for monitoring, for viewing; Safety devices combined with or specially adapted for use in connection with manipulators
    • B25J19/02—Sensing devices
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J5/00—Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages
    • B25J5/007—Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages mounted on wheels
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
    • B25J9/16—Programme controls
    • B25J9/1656—Programme controls characterised by programming, planning systems for manipulators
    • B25J9/1664—Programme controls characterised by programming, planning systems for manipulators characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
    • B60L53/00—Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
    • B60L53/30—Constructional details of charging stations
    • B60L53/35—Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
    • B60L53/36—Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles by positioning the vehicle
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
    • B60L58/00—Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles
    • B60L58/10—Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles for monitoring or controlling batteries
    • B60L58/12—Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles for monitoring or controlling batteries responding to state of charge [SoC]
    • G—PHYSICS
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    • G05D1/0094—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
    • G—PHYSICS
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    • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
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    • G05D1/0212—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles with means for defining a desired trajectory
    • G05D1/0225—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles with means for defining a desired trajectory involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay
    • G—PHYSICS
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    • G05D1/0231—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means
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    • G—PHYSICS
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    • G05D1/0259—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using magnetic or electromagnetic means
    • G—PHYSICS
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    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
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    • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
    • G05D1/0259—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using magnetic or electromagnetic means
    • G05D1/0265—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using magnetic or electromagnetic means using buried wires
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
    • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
    • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
    • G05D1/0268—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using internal positioning means
    • G05D1/027—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using internal positioning means comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
    • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
    • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
    • G05D1/0268—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using internal positioning means
    • G05D1/0274—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using internal positioning means using mapping information stored in a memory device
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
    • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
    • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
    • G05D1/0276—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
    • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
    • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
    • G05D1/0276—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle
    • G05D1/0278—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
    • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
    • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
    • G05D1/0276—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle
    • G05D1/028—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle using a RF signal
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
    • A01D2101/00—Lawn-mowers
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L2201/00—Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
    • A47L2201/04—Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
    • B60L2200/00—Type of vehicles
    • B60L2200/40—Working vehicles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
    • B60L2260/00—Operating Modes
    • B60L2260/20—Drive modes; Transition between modes
    • B60L2260/32—Auto pilot mode
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/60—Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
    • Y02T10/70—Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/60—Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
    • Y02T10/7072—Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T90/00—Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02T90/10—Technologies relating to charging of electric vehicles
    • Y02T90/12—Electric charging stations
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T90/00—Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02T90/10—Technologies relating to charging of electric vehicles
    • Y02T90/16—Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Definitions

  • Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a moving robot, capable of efficiently setting a docking path for charging using UWB signals without having to lay even a guide wire around a charging station, and a method of controlling the same.
  • control unit may check the position of the charging station in real time based on the first signal received through a plurality of UWB modules while the main body moves to the position corresponding to the stored coordinates information after the head of the main body is rotated toward the point corresponding to the stored coordinates information.
  • control unit may store position information regarding the main body at a time point when the control command has been output, and control the traveling unit so that the main body moves to the stored position information when the main body docks to the charging station and charging of the power supply unit is completed.
  • controlling the main body to move to the position corresponding to the stored coordinates information may include calculating distance information and angle information between a current position of the main body and the charging station based on the first signal received from the charging station and the second signal transmitted by the main body, in response to the output of the control command, and controlling the head of the main body to be rotated toward the position corresponding to the stored coordinates information.
  • a docking path for charging can be set without having to set wires in a boundary along which the moving robot travels or to lay a guide wire under the ground around a charging station.
  • the moving robot can cover all the 360-degree directions when docking to the charging station even if it is located at anywhere within a boundary, a signal blind spot can be minimized and accurate docking can be carried out without using a magnetic field SLAM.
  • the moving robot 100 may exchange data with the charging station 300 or the terminal 200 through network communication.
  • the server 500 may exchange data with the moving robot 100 and/or the terminal 200, to register information related to a boundary set for the moving robot 100, map information based on the set boundary, obstacle information on the map.
  • the server 500 may provide the registered information to the moving robot 100, the charging station 300, and/or the terminal 200 according to a request.
  • the server 500 may be wirelessly connected to the moving robot 100 through the terminal 200. Alternatively, the server 500 may be connected to the moving robot 100 without passing through the terminal 200.
  • the server 500 may include a programmable processor and may include various algorithms.
  • the server 500 may be provided with algorithms related to performing machine learning and/or data mining.
  • the server 500 may include a speech recognition algorithm. In this case, when receiving voice data, the received voice data may be output by being converted into data in a text format.
  • the server 500 may store firmware information and driving information (course information, and the like) for the moving robot 100, and register product information related to the moving robot 100.
  • the server 300 may be a server managed by a moving robot manufacturer or a server managed by an open application store operator.
  • FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of the moving robot 100 according to the present disclosure
  • FIG. 2C is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of the terminal 200 communicating with the moving robot 100.
  • the moving robot 100 may include a communication unit 1100, an input unit 1200, a traveling unit 1300, a sensing unit 1400 provided with a location detector 1401 and an obstacle detector 1402, an output unit 1500, a memory 1600, a weeding unit 1700, a control unit 1800, and a power supply unit 1900.
  • the communication unit 1100 may perform communication with the terminal 200 through a wireless communication scheme. Also, the communication unit 1100 may perform communication with the terminal which is connected to a predetermined network to control an external server or the moving robot.
  • the communication unit 1100 transmits and receives data by being equipped with a communication module such as Wi-Fi, WiBro, and the like, as well as through short-range wireless communications such as Zigbee and Bluetooth.
  • the communication unit 1100 may include a UWB module for transmitting an UWB signal.
  • the input unit 1200 may include an input element such as at least one button, a switch, and a touch pad.
  • the output unit 1500 may include an output element such as a display unit and a speaker. When the output unit 1500 is used simultaneously as the input element and the output element, a user command can be input and the operation state of the moving robot can be output through the display unit or the speaker.
  • the memory 1600 may store therein an input detection signal, reference data for determining an obstacle, and obstacle information regarding a detected obstacle.
  • the memory 1600 may also store therein control data for controlling the operation of the moving robot and data according to a cleaning mode of the moving robot.
  • the memory 1600 may store therein collected location information, and information related to a travel area and its boundary.
  • the memory 1600 may store data that is readable by a microprocessor, and may be one of a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state disk (SSD), a silicon disk drive (SDD), ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, or an optical data storage device.
  • the traveling unit 1300 may include at least one driving motor, and may allow the moving robot to move according to a control command of the control unit 1800.
  • the traveling unit 1300 may include a left wheel driving motor for rotating the left wheel and a right wheel driving motor for rotating the right wheel.
  • the traveling unit 1300 may further include one or more auxiliary wheels for stable support.
  • the left wheel driving motor and the right wheel driving motor may be rotated in the same direction.
  • a traveling direction of the moving robot main body (or moving robot) 100 may be switched when the left wheel driving motor and the right wheel driving motor are rotated at different speeds or in opposite directions.
  • the obstacle detector 1402 may include a plurality of sensors for detecting obstacles existing in front of the moving robot.
  • the obstacle detector 1402 may detect obstacles in front of the main body, namely, in the traveling direction of the moving robot, using at least one of a laser, ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, and a 3D sensor.
  • the obstacle detector 1402 may include a camera for capturing the front of the moving robot so as to detect an obstacle.
  • the camera is a digital camera, which may include an image sensor (not shown) and an image processor (not shown).
  • An image sensor is an apparatus for converting an optical image into an electrical signal.
  • the image sensor is configured as a chip on which a plurality of photo diodes is integrated, and the photodiode may be a pixel, for example. Electric charges are accumulated in the respective pixels by an image, which is formed on the chip by light passing through a lens, and the electric charges accumulated in the pixels are converted into an electrical signal (for example, voltage).
  • Charge Coupled Device (CCD), Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS), and the like are well known as image sensors.
  • CMOS Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
  • a DSP or the like may be provided as the image processor.
  • the location detector 1401 includes a plurality of sensor modules for transmitting and receiving location information.
  • the location detector 1401 includes a GPS module that transmits and receives GPS signals or a location sensor module that transmits and receives location information to and from a location information transmitter 50 (see FIG. 3).
  • the location detector 140 is provided with a sensor module that transmits and receives an ultrasonic, UWB, or infrared signal when the location information transmitter transmits a signal through one of ultrasonic wave, ultra-wideband (UWB), and infrared ray.
  • UWB ultra-wideband
  • the location sensor module is implemented as a UWB sensor module, even if an obstacle exists between the location information transmitter 50 and the moving robot 100, signals can be transmitted and received through such an obstacle or the like. Therefore, transmission and reception of the UWB signals are smoothly carried out.
  • the location information transmitter 50 and the moving robot 100, the location information transmitter 50 and the terminal 200, and the moving robot 100 and the terminal 200 are provided with at least one UWB sensor module so as to transmit and receive the UWB signals to and from each other.
  • the location may be determined using the sensor module.
  • the terminal and the moving robot each include a UWB sensor and perform wireless communication with each other.
  • the terminal may transmit a signal from its UWB sensor.
  • the moving robot may receive the signal of the terminal through its UWB sensor and determine the location of the terminal based on the signal of the terminal so as to follow the terminal.
  • the UWB sensors provided in the terminal and the moving robot, respectively may estimate or measure a distance between them.
  • the travel of the moving robot is controlled according to a distance from the terminal, so that the moving robot does not move away from the terminal by a predetermined distance. That is, the moving robot may follow the terminal while maintaining a proper distance so that the distance from the terminal is not too close or too far away.
  • the location detector 1401 may include one UWB sensor or a plurality of UWB sensors. For example, when the location detector 1401 includes two UWB sensors, for example, the two UWB sensors may be provided on left and right sides of the main body of the moving robot, respectively, to receive signals. Accordingly, the location detector 1401 may detect the location by comparing the received signals.
  • the sensing unit 1400 may include at least one tilt sensor (not shown) for detecting movement of the main body.
  • the tilt sensor calculates a tilted direction and a tilted angle of the main body when the main body is tilted in a front, rear, left, or right direction.
  • the tilt sensor may be an acceleration sensor, or the like. In the case of the acceleration sensor, any of a gyro type, an inertial type, and a silicon semiconductor type is applicable. In addition, various sensors or devices capable of detecting the movement of the main body may be used.
  • the control unit 1800 determines a traveling direction corresponding to a signal received through the sensing unit 1400 and controls the traveling unit 1300. In addition, the control unit 1800 controls the traveling unit 1300 to vary a traveling speed, so that the moving robot travels or stops according to the distance from the terminal. Accordingly, the moving robot can move while following locations of the terminal corresponding to the changes in location of the terminal.
  • the control unit 1800 may set a virtual boundary for an area based on location information received from the terminal 200 or location information calculated through the location detector 1401. Also, the control unit 1800 may set any one of areas formed by set boundaries as a travel area. The control unit 1800 sets a boundary in a shape of a closed loop by connecting discontinuous location information with lines or curves, and sets an inner area of the set boundary as the travel area. Also, when a plurality of boundaries is set, the control unit 1800 may set any of areas formed by the plurality of boundaries as a travel area.
  • control unit 1800 may determine obstacle information input by the obstacle detector 1402 and travel avoiding obstacles. Also, the control unit 1800 may modify a preset travel area, if necessary, based on the obstacle information.
  • the power supply unit 1900 includes a rechargeable battery (or battery module) (not shown).
  • the battery may be detachably mounted to the moving robot 100.
  • the control unit 1800 may control the traveling unit 1300 to move the moving robot to the location of a charging station for recharging the battery.
  • recharging of the battery is performed.
  • the communication unit 210 may perform communication with an external server or the moving robot 100 through wireless communication.
  • the communication unit 210 transmits and receives data by being equipped with a communication module such as Wi-Fi, WiBro, and the like, as well as through short-range wireless communications such as Zigbee and Bluetooth.
  • the communication unit 210 may include a UWB module for transmitting a UWB signal.
  • the input unit 220 may include an input element such as at least one button, a switch, and a touch pad.
  • the input unit 220 is configured to permit various types of inputs to the wearable device 100. Examples of such inputs include image information (or signal), audio information (or signal), data or various information input by a user, and may be provided with one or a plurality of cameras 221.
  • the photo sensor may be laminated on, or overlapped with, the display device.
  • the photo sensor may be configured to scan movement of the physical object in proximity to the touch screen.
  • the photo sensor may include photo diodes and transistors (TRs) at rows and columns to scan content received at the photo sensor using an electrical signal which changes according to the quantity of applied light.
  • the photo sensor may calculate the coordinates of the physical object according to variation of light to thus obtain location information of the physical object.
  • the UWB module 230 may transmit or receive a UWB signal through a UWB module provided in the moving robot 100.
  • the terminal 200 may play a role of 'remote control device' in that it can control the travel or weeding operation of the moving robot 100 through communication with the moving robot 100.
  • the terminal 200 may further include a distance measuring sensor.
  • the distance measuring sensor may emit at least one of a laser light signal, an IR signal, an ultrasonic signal, a carrier frequency, and an impulse signal, and may calculate a distance from the terminal 200 to the corresponding signal based on a reflected signal.
  • the laser light signal, the IR signal, the ultrasonic signal, the carrier frequency, the impulse signal, and the UWB signal described above may collectively be referred to as 'signal'.
  • 'UWB signal' which is rarely affected by an obstacle will be exemplarily described. Therefore, it can be said that the distance measuring sensor plays a role of calculating a distance from the terminal 200 to a point where a signal is emitted.
  • the distance measuring sensor may include a transmitter that emits signals and one receiver or a plurality of receivers for receiving reflected signals.
  • the sensing unit 330 may also sense information related to the moving robot 100 or information related to the terminal 300.
  • the sensing unit 330 may sense a distance between the moving robot 100 and the charging station 300, the position of the moving robot 100, a direction (or angle) that the moving robot 100 is located, a traveling path (or traveling trajectory) of the moving robot 100, and whether or not the moving robot 100 is approaching the charging station 300.
  • the sensing unit 330 may include a UWB module configured to transmit and receive UWB signals to and from a UWB module provided in the terminal 200 or the moving robot 100.
  • the sensing unit 330 may include a distance measuring sensor.
  • the distance measuring sensor may include, for example, a time of flight (ToF) sensor.
  • the ToF sensor may include a transmitter that emits an optical signal transformed to a specific frequency, and a receiver that receives and measures a reflected signal.
  • the transmitter and the receiver may be spaced apart from each other to avoid signal affection therebetween.
  • FIG. 3 is a conceptual view illustrating a signal flow of devices for setting a boundary with respect to a moving robot, for example, a signal flow of the moving robot 100, the terminal 200, a GPS 60, the location information transmitter 50, and the charging station 300.
  • the signal transmitted from the charging station 300 may be an Ultra-wideband (UWB) signal.
  • the charging station 300 may comprise at least one UWB module (UWB sensor).
  • the moving robot 100 may receive the UWB signal transmitted from the charging station 300, and determine the current position based on the UWB signal.
  • location information may be received from the location information transmitter 50 or the GPS 60.
  • a GPS signal, an ultrasonic signal, an infrared signal, an electromagnetic signal, or a UWB signal may be used as a signal corresponding to the location information.
  • the moving robot 100 which has been in contact with the charging station 300 is moved backward so as to be located at the return reference point, the moving robot 100 maintains a state/posture parallel to the charging station 300. Therefore, the first angle information ⁇ 2 and the second angle information ⁇ 3 become the same value. However, the same value includes a range having tolerable error/difference even if the first angle information ⁇ 2 and the second angle information ⁇ 3 are not completely equal, and is limited to a value belonging to a docking allowable range.
  • the control unit may acquire an angle ⁇ 8 of the head direction to be rotated from a current heading value for docking, based on a heading value ⁇ 1 with respect to the magnetic north direction measured through the compass sensor at the time of storing the coordinates information, and a current heading value ⁇ 7 relative to the magnetic north direction.
  • control unit may determine whether or not to correct or modify the determined head direction, based on a difference between distances at which the first signal transmitted from the charging station 300 is received in the first and second UWB modules 111 and 112 of the moving robot 100, respectively.
  • the charging station 300 may receive the signals transmitted from the moving robot 100 through the antennas of the plurality of UWB modules, and then transmit a docking initiation signal to the moving robot 100 when there is no difference between signal reception distances.
  • control unit controls the moving robot to return to the position where the moving robot has been located when the control command is output.
  • control unit may store position information of the moving robot main body at the time point when the control command is output, and control the traveling unit so that the main body moves to the stored position information.
  • the moving robot can return to the charging station even if it is located at anywhere in all the 360-degree directions with reference to the charging station, by using a plurality of UWB modules (or UWB sensors) provided in the moving robot and a plurality of UWB modules provided in the charging station.
  • the moving robot can return to the charging station even if it is located at anywhere in all the 360-degree directions with respect to the charging station, thereby minimizing a UWB signal blind spot.
  • FIG. 9 there is a case where the moving robot 100 comes close for docking from the rear side with respect to the charging contact unit of the charging station 300 along the travel path of the moving robot 100, depending on the terrain of the area where the charging station 300 is installed.
  • the return reference point G is not located between the moving robot 100 and the charging station 300, and is blocked by the charging station. If a guide wire is not installed, points BP1 and BP shown correspond to signal blind spots.
  • the moving robot 100 sets a docking path in a manner of moving along a virtual circle 920 having a radius corresponding to a distance from the charging station 300 to the moving robot 100, while recognizing its current position and the position of the charging station 300 in real time based on the first signal and the second signal transmitted and received through the plurality of UWB modules.
  • the distance should be at least equal to or longer than a distance, namely, r1 from the charging station 300 to the return reference point G.
  • the present disclosure described above can be implemented as computer-readable codes on a program-recorded medium.
  • the computer-readable medium may include all types of recording devices each storing data readable by a computer system. Examples of the computer-readable medium include a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state disk (SSD), a silicon disk drive (SDD), a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device and the like, and may also be implemented in the form of a carrier wave (e.g., transmission over the Internet).
  • the computer may also include the control unit 1800 of the moving robot.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Robotics (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Sustainable Energy (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Control Of Position, Course, Altitude, Or Attitude Of Moving Bodies (AREA)
PCT/KR2019/009257 2018-08-03 2019-07-25 Moving robot and controlling method thereof WO2020027496A1 (en)

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EP19844451.5A EP3829829A4 (de) 2018-08-03 2019-07-25 Beweglicher roboter und steuerungsverfahren dafür
US17/265,613 US20210165421A1 (en) 2018-08-03 2019-07-25 Moving robot and controlling method thereof

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US201862714088P 2018-08-03 2018-08-03
US62/714,088 2018-08-03
KR1020190050966A KR102291884B1 (ko) 2018-08-03 2019-04-30 이동 로봇 및 그 제어방법
KR10-2019-0050966 2019-04-30

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CN112234665A (zh) * 2020-09-03 2021-01-15 深圳拓邦股份有限公司 一种充电座避让方法、装置、充电装置及存储介质
CN112859861A (zh) * 2021-01-15 2021-05-28 深圳壹智云科技有限公司 一种基于辅助定位的机器人自动回充系统及方法
CN113296054A (zh) * 2021-05-24 2021-08-24 福建盛海智能科技有限公司 一种基于uwb阵列的定位导航方法与终端
CN113504749A (zh) * 2021-06-25 2021-10-15 上海闻泰信息技术有限公司 基于uwb的设备控制方法和装置、控制设备、存储介质
CN114295134A (zh) * 2021-12-14 2022-04-08 珠海一微半导体股份有限公司 一种机器人重定位方法、芯片及机器人
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WO2023010943A1 (zh) * 2021-08-03 2023-02-09 云鲸智能科技（东莞）有限公司 水箱、过滤器、转接头、基站及清洗系统

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CN111983559A (zh) * 2020-08-14 2020-11-24 Oppo广东移动通信有限公司 室内定位导航方法及装置
CN112234665A (zh) * 2020-09-03 2021-01-15 深圳拓邦股份有限公司 一种充电座避让方法、装置、充电装置及存储介质
CN112234665B (zh) * 2020-09-03 2022-08-16 深圳拓邦股份有限公司 一种充电座避让方法、装置、充电装置及存储介质
SE2051431A1 (en) * 2020-12-08 2022-06-09 Husqvarna Ab A robotic work tool with a re-definable operation area
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CN112859861A (zh) * 2021-01-15 2021-05-28 深圳壹智云科技有限公司 一种基于辅助定位的机器人自动回充系统及方法
CN113296054A (zh) * 2021-05-24 2021-08-24 福建盛海智能科技有限公司 一种基于uwb阵列的定位导航方法与终端
CN113296054B (zh) * 2021-05-24 2024-01-26 江苏盛海智能科技有限公司 一种基于uwb阵列的定位导航方法与终端
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CN113504749B (zh) * 2021-06-25 2022-11-22 上海闻泰信息技术有限公司 基于uwb的设备控制方法和装置、控制设备、存储介质
WO2023010943A1 (zh) * 2021-08-03 2023-02-09 云鲸智能科技（东莞）有限公司 水箱、过滤器、转接头、基站及清洗系统
CN114295134A (zh) * 2021-12-14 2022-04-08 珠海一微半导体股份有限公司 一种机器人重定位方法、芯片及机器人
CN114295134B (zh) * 2021-12-14 2023-10-27 珠海一微半导体股份有限公司 一种机器人重定位方法、芯片及机器人

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