KR102699803B1 - Robot-friendly building, method and system for controling robot divinging in the building - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a robot-friendly building, and a control method and system for a robot that runs through a building. More specifically, the present invention relates to a robot control method and system that enable a robot and a person to coexist in the same space and provide useful services to the person. The present invention can provide a method for controlling a robot that runs through a building based on a map of the building. The present invention can provide a robot control method including a step of specifying a location of a virtual obstacle in the building, a step of reflecting virtual obstacle information about the virtual obstacle on the map using the location of the specified virtual obstacle, a step of specifying at least one robot that satisfies a preset distance condition to the virtual obstacle among the robots located in the building, and a step of transmitting the virtual obstacle information to the specified robot so that the specified robot runs while avoiding the virtual obstacle.

Description

{ROBOT-FRIENDLY BUILDING, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLING ROBOT DIVING IN THE BUILDING}

The present invention relates to a robot-friendly building, and a control method and system for a robot that moves through a building. More specifically, the present invention relates to a robot control method and system that enable robots and humans to coexist in the same space and provide useful services to humans.

As technology advances, various service devices are appearing, and in particular, technology development for robots that perform various tasks or services is actively underway recently.

Furthermore, with the recent development of artificial intelligence technology, cloud technology, etc., it is becoming possible to control robots more precisely and safely, and accordingly, the utilization of robots is gradually increasing. In particular, due to the development of technology, robots have reached a level where they can safely coexist with humans in indoor spaces.

Accordingly, robots are recently replacing human work or tasks, and various methods for robots to directly provide services to people, especially in indoor spaces, are being actively studied.

For example, in public places such as airports, stations, and department stores, robots provide guidance services, and in restaurants, robots provide serving services. Furthermore, in office spaces and shared living spaces, robots provide delivery services, delivering mail and packages. In addition, robots provide various services such as cleaning services, security services, and logistics processing services, and the types and scope of services provided by robots are expected to increase exponentially in the future, and the level of service provision is also expected to continue to develop.

These robots provide various services not only in outdoor spaces but also in indoor spaces of buildings (or premises) such as offices, apartments, department stores, schools, hospitals, and amusement facilities. In this case, the robots are controlled to move around the indoor spaces of the buildings and provide various services.

Meanwhile, with the development of service robots, freely moving robot services are emerging. When operating a service robot inside a building, there may be situations where the robot must avoid obstacles that cannot be recognized by the built-in sensors alone, or where the robot's entry must be blocked.

However, the conventional technology transmits virtual wall information to each robot, and performs control to avoid obstacles or prevent them from entering a specific area through individual robot control. However, it is necessary to perform calculations for robot control along with information updates on virtual obstacles in a central system.

As in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0098734 (2019.08.22), there is a technology to create a virtual wall model to prevent a robot from entering a complex area, reflect it on a map, and determine the robot's cleaning route. However, this virtual wall is set only for a single robot and is not reflected for other robots. In other words, in the past, robot control using virtual obstacles was performed on a single robot basis.

Therefore, there is still a need for technology that can update information related to virtual obstacles on the map and enable calculations for robot control to be performed in a central system.

Accordingly, in order to provide higher-level services using robots within a building, in addition to research on robot control technology for each service unit (e.g., guidance service, delivery service, serving service, etc.), fundamental research is needed to support various infrastructures required for robots within the building itself where the robots provide the services.

Meanwhile, in order for robots to provide various services or live in indoor spaces, there is a need for robots to freely move or pass through the indoor spaces of buildings, and in some cases, to use various facility infrastructures (e.g., elevators, escalators, access control gates, etc.) provided in the building.

Accordingly, in order to provide higher-level services using robots within a building, in addition to research on robot control technology for each service unit (e.g., guidance service, delivery service, serving service, etc.), fundamental research is needed to support various infrastructures required for robots within the building itself where the robots provide the services.

The present invention provides a control method and system for a robot that moves within a building.

More specifically, the present invention provides a robot control method and system for restricting the movement of a robot to an inaccessible area, when the robot is in an inaccessible area in a building, depending on the case.

More specifically, the present invention provides a building, a robot control method, and a system that enable a plurality of robots running inside a building to efficiently avoid virtual obstacles set inside the building by placing virtual obstacles.

In addition, the present invention provides a robot control method and system that enables a robot that fails to avoid a virtual obstacle to return to a position before passing through the virtual obstacle.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a robot-friendly building in which robots and people coexist and provide useful services to people.

Furthermore, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention can expand the types and scope of services that robots can provide by providing various robot-friendly facility infrastructures that can be used by robots.

Furthermore, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention can manage the operation of robots that provide services more systematically by organically controlling a plurality of robots and facility infrastructure using a cloud system that is linked to a plurality of robots. Through this, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention can provide various services to people more safely, quickly, and accurately.

Furthermore, the robot applied to the building according to the present invention can be implemented in a brainless format controlled by a cloud server, and according to this, not only can a large number of robots placed in the building be manufactured inexpensively without expensive sensors, but they can also be controlled with high performance/high precision.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention can provide a method for controlling a robot driving in a building based on a map of the building. The present invention can provide a robot control method including a step of specifying a location of a virtual obstacle in the building, a step of reflecting virtual obstacle information about the virtual obstacle on the map using the specified location of the virtual obstacle, a step of specifying at least one robot among robots located in the building that satisfies a preset distance condition to the virtual obstacle, and a step of transmitting the virtual obstacle information to the specified robot so that the specified robot drives while avoiding the virtual obstacle.

In addition, the present invention provides a building in which a robot controlled by a cloud server drives. The building includes a communication unit that receives a driving and control command of the robot from the cloud server and transmits the command to the robot, and the cloud server specifies a location of a virtual obstacle in the building, and reflects virtual obstacle information about the virtual obstacle on the map using the location of the specified virtual obstacle, specifies at least one robot among the robots located in the building that satisfies a preset distance condition to the virtual obstacle, and transmits the virtual obstacle information to the specified robot so that the specified robot drives while avoiding the virtual obstacle.

In addition, the present invention can provide a robot that drives around a building. The robot includes a main body, a driving unit provided in the main body, a sensing unit provided in the main body and configured to sense obstacles around the main body, a communication unit that communicates with a cloud server, and a control unit that controls the driving unit to drive around the building based on at least one of information received from the cloud server and information collected through the sensing unit, and the control unit may be characterized in that, if information on the virtual obstacle is included in the information received from the cloud server, the driving unit is controlled not to move to an area beyond the virtual obstacle.

The building, the method for controlling a robot driving in a building, and the system according to the present invention can efficiently manage areas where access by the robot is restricted by managing information related to virtual obstacles together on a map and providing information about virtual obstacles together with the path information of the robot.

Furthermore, the building and the method and system for controlling a robot driving in a building according to the present invention provide information on virtual obstacles individually to robots that are required to avoid virtual obstacles, thereby enabling efficient management suited to the location characteristics of each robot.

Furthermore, the present invention can minimize unnecessary communication between robots and servers by transmitting information related to virtual obstacles only to some robots close to the virtual obstacles.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, when a robot passes through a virtual obstacle due to a positioning error, the position of the virtual obstacle is changed so that the robot can return to the position before passing through the virtual obstacle. Through this, the present invention minimizes the robot's driving in the restricted access area while simultaneously allowing the robot to naturally drive out of the restricted access area even when the robot enters an area where the robot's access is restricted.

Furthermore, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention utilizes technological convergence in which robots, autonomous driving, AI, and cloud technologies are integrated and connected, and can provide a new space in which these technologies, robots, and facility infrastructure provided within the building are organically combined.

Furthermore, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention can systematically manage the operation of robots that provide services more systematically by organically controlling a plurality of robots and facility infrastructure using a cloud server that is linked to a plurality of robots. Through this, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention can provide various services to people more safely, quickly, and accurately.

Furthermore, the robot applied to the building according to the present invention can be implemented in a brainless format controlled by a cloud server, and according to this, not only can a large number of robots placed in the building be manufactured inexpensively without expensive sensors, but they can also be controlled with high performance/high precision.

Furthermore, in a building according to the present invention, the driving is controlled to take into consideration the tasks and movement situations assigned to a number of robots placed in the building, as well as people, so that robots and people can coexist naturally in the same space.

Furthermore, in a building according to the present invention, by performing various controls to prevent accidents caused by robots and to respond to unexpected situations, it is possible to instill in people the perception that robots are friendly and safe, rather than dangerous.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 are conceptual diagrams illustrating a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.
FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a system for controlling a robot that drives a robot-friendly building and various facilities provided in the robot-friendly building according to the present invention.
Figures 7 and 8 are conceptual diagrams for explaining the facility infrastructure provided in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.
FIGS. 9 to 11 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a method for estimating the position of a robot moving through a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.
Figure 12 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a robot included in a robot system according to the present invention.
Figure 13 is a conceptual diagram explaining a node map used to set the robot's movement path.
Figure 14 is a flow chart for explaining a robot control method according to the present invention.
Figures 15 and 16 are conceptual diagrams showing a robot control method according to the present invention.
Figure 17 is a conceptual diagram showing the shape of a virtual obstacle.
Figures 18 and 19 are conceptual diagrams showing virtual obstacles installed inside a building.

Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Regardless of the drawing symbols, identical or similar components will be given the same reference numerals and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" used for components in the following description are assigned or used interchangeably only for the convenience of writing the specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles in themselves. In addition, when describing embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a specific description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the attached drawings are only intended to facilitate easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical ideas disclosed in this specification are not limited by the attached drawings, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

Terms that include ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

When it is said that a component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but that there may be other components in between. On the other hand, when it is said that a component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In this application, it should be understood that terms such as “comprises” or “has” are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in the specification, but do not exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

The present invention relates to a robot-friendly building, and proposes a robot-friendly building in which people and robots can safely coexist and, further, in which robots can provide useful services within the building.

More specifically, the present invention provides a method for providing useful services to people by using robots, robot-friendly infrastructure, and various systems for controlling the same. In a building according to the present invention, people and a plurality of robots can coexist, and various infrastructures (or facility infrastructures) can be provided that allow a plurality of robots to move freely within the building.

In the present invention, a building is a structure built for continuous residence, living, work, etc., and may have various forms such as a commercial building, an industrial building, an institutional building, a residential building, etc. In addition, the building may be a multi-story building with multiple floors, or a single-story building as opposed to a multi-story building. However, in the present invention, for the convenience of explanation, the infrastructure or facility infrastructure applied to a multi-story building is described as an example.

In the present invention, the infrastructure or facility infrastructure refers to facilities installed in a building for providing services, moving robots, maintaining functions, maintaining cleanliness, etc., and their types and forms may vary greatly. For example, the infrastructure installed in a building may include various types of moving facilities (e.g., robot moving passageways, elevators, escalators, etc.), charging facilities, communication facilities, cleaning facilities, structures (e.g., stairs, etc.), etc. In this specification, these facilities are referred to as facilities, infrastructure, facility infrastructure, or facility infrastructure, and the terms may be used interchangeably in some cases.

Furthermore, in a building according to the present invention, at least one of the building, various facility infrastructures provided in the building, and a robot are controlled in conjunction with each other, so that the robot can safely and accurately provide various services within the building.

The present invention proposes a building equipped with various facility infrastructures that enable a plurality of robots to run within the building, provide services according to their tasks (or work), and support standby or charging functions, and further repair and cleaning functions for the robots as needed. Such a building provides an integrated solution (or system) for robots, and the building according to the present invention can be named with various modifiers. For example, the building according to the present invention can be expressed in various ways, such as i) a building equipped with infrastructure used by robots, ii) a building equipped with robot-friendly infrastructure, iii) a robot-friendly building, iv) a building where robots and people live together, and v) a building that provides various services using robots.

Meanwhile, the meaning of “robot friendly” in the present invention refers to a building where robots coexist, and more specifically, it can mean that there is a facility infrastructure built that allows robots to run, that robots provide services, that robots can use, or that there is a facility infrastructure built that provides functions necessary for robots (ex: charging, repair, cleaning, etc.). In this case, “robot friendly” in the present invention can be used to mean that there is an integrated solution for coexistence of robots and humans.

Below, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a robot-friendly building according to the present invention, and FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a system for controlling a robot that drives a robot-friendly building according to the present invention and various facilities equipped in the robot-friendly building. Furthermore, FIGS. 7 and 8 are conceptual diagrams for explaining facility infrastructure equipped in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.

First, for convenience of explanation, we will define representative drawing symbols.

In the present invention, a building is given the drawing symbol “1000”, and a space (indoor space or indoor area) of the building (1000) is given the drawing symbol “10” (see FIG. 8). Furthermore, indoor spaces corresponding to a plurality of floors constituting the indoor space of the building (1000) are given drawing symbols 10a, 10b, 10c, etc. (see FIG. 8). In the present invention, the indoor space or indoor area means the interior of a building protected by an exterior wall as opposed to the exterior of the building, and is not limited to meaning a space.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the robot is given a drawing symbol “R”, and even if a drawing symbol is not indicated for the robot in the drawing or specification, it can all be understood as a robot (R).

Furthermore, in the present invention, a person or a human is given the drawing symbol “U”, and a person or a human can be named as a dynamic object. At this time, the dynamic object does not necessarily mean only a person, but can be understood to include an animal such as a dog or a cat, or at least one other robot (e.g., a user’s personal robot, a robot providing other services, etc.), a drone, a vacuum cleaner (e.g., a robot vacuum cleaner), and other things that can move.

Meanwhile, the building (building, structure, edifice, 1000) described in the present invention is not limited to a specific type, and may mean a structure built for people to live in, work in, raise animals, or store objects.

For example, the building (1000) may be an office, an officetel, an apartment, a multi-use apartment, a house, a school, a hospital, a restaurant, a government office, etc., and the present invention may be applied to these various types of buildings.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, in a building (1000) according to the present invention, a robot can move and provide various services.

One or more different types of multiple robots may be positioned within the building (1000), and these robots may run within the building (1000), provide services, and utilize various facility infrastructures provided within the building (1000) under the control of the server (20).

In the present invention, the location of the server (20) may exist in various ways. For example, the server (20) may be located at least one of the inside of the building (1000) and the outside of the building (1000). That is, at least some of the servers (20) may be located inside the building (1000), and the remaining some may be located outside the building (1000). Alternatively, the servers (20) may be located entirely inside the building (1000), or only outside the building (1000). Accordingly, in the present invention, no particular limitation is placed on the specific location of the server (20).

Furthermore, in the present invention, the server (20) may be configured to use at least one of a cloud computing-type server (cloud server, 21) and an edge computing-type server (edge server, 22). Furthermore, in addition to the cloud computing or edge computing methods, the server (20) may be applied to the present invention as long as it is capable of controlling a robot.

Meanwhile, the server (20) according to the present invention may, in some cases, perform control of at least one of the robot and the facility infrastructure provided in the building (1000) by combining the server (21) of the cloud computing method and the edge computing method.

Meanwhile, looking more specifically at the cloud server (21) and the edge server (22), the edge server (22) is an electronic device that can operate as the brain of the robot (R). That is, each edge server (22) can wirelessly control at least one robot (R). At this time, the edge server (22) can control the robot (R) based on a set control cycle. The control cycle can be determined as the sum of the time given to process data related to the robot (R) and the time given to provide a control command to the robot (R). The cloud server (21) can manage at least one of the robot (R) or the edge server (22). At this time, the edge server (22) can operate as a server corresponding to the robot (R) and as a client corresponding to the cloud server (21).

The robot (R) and the edge server (22) can communicate wirelessly, and the edge server (22) and the cloud server (21) can communicate wiredly or wirelessly. At this time, the robot (R) and the edge server (22) can communicate via a wireless network capable of ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC). For example, the wireless network may include at least one of a 5G network or WiFi-6 (WiFi ad/ay). Here, the 5G network may have features that not only enable ultra-reliable and low latency communications, but also enable enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and massive machine type communications (mMTC). As an example, the edge server (22) may include an MEC (mobile edge computing, multi-access edge computing) server and may be deployed at a base station. Through this, the latency time due to communication between the robot (R) and the edge server (22) can be shortened. At this time, as the time given to provide a control command to the robot (R) in the control cycle of the edge server (22) is shortened, the time given to process data can be extended. Meanwhile, the edge server (22) and the cloud server (21) can communicate via a wireless network, such as the Internet, for example.

Meanwhile, in some cases, a plurality of edge servers may be connected via a wireless mesh network, and the function of the cloud server (21) may be distributed to the plurality of edge servers. In this case, for a certain robot (R), one of the edge servers may operate as an edge server (22) for the robot (R), and at least one other of the edge servers may operate as a cloud server (21) for the robot (R) in cooperation with one of the edge servers.

A network or communication network formed in a building (1000) according to the present invention may include communication between at least one robot (R) configured to collect data, at least one edge server (22) configured to wirelessly control the robot (R), and a cloud server (21) connected to the edge server (22) and configured to manage the robot (R) and the edge server (22).

The edge server (22) can be configured to wirelessly receive the data from the robot (R), determine a control command based on the data, and wirelessly transmit the control command to the robot (R).

According to various embodiments, the edge server (22) may be configured to determine whether to cooperate with the cloud server (21) based on the data, and if it is determined that there is no need to cooperate with the cloud server (21), determine the control command and transmit the control command within a set control period.

According to various embodiments, the edge server (22) may be configured to communicate with the cloud server (21) based on the data to determine the control command when it is determined that cooperation with the cloud server (21) is required.

Meanwhile, the robot (R) can be driven according to control commands. For example, the robot (R) can move its position or change its posture by changing its movement, and can perform software updates.

In the present invention, for the convenience of explanation, the server (20) is uniformly named as a “cloud server” and is given the drawing symbol “20”. Meanwhile, it goes without saying that the cloud server (20) can also be replaced with the term edge server (22) of edge computing.

Furthermore, the term “cloud server” can be variously changed to terms such as cloud robot system, cloud system, cloud robot control system, and cloud control system.

Meanwhile, the cloud server (20) according to the present invention can perform integrated control for a plurality of robots running in a building (1000). That is, the cloud server (20) can i) monitor a plurality of robots (R) located in the building (1000), ii) assign tasks (or work) to the plurality of robots, iii) directly control the facility infrastructure provided in the building (1000) so that the plurality of robots (R) successfully perform the tasks, or iv) control the facility infrastructure through communication with a control system that controls the facility infrastructure.

In addition, the cloud server (20) can check the status information of robots located in the building and provide (or support) various functions required for the robots. Here, various functions may exist, such as a charging function for robots, a cleaning function for contaminated robots, and a standby function for robots whose tasks have been completed.

The cloud server (20) can control the robots so that the robots can use various facility infrastructures equipped in the building (1000) to provide various functions to the robots. Furthermore, the cloud server can directly control the facility infrastructure equipped in the building (1000) or control the facility infrastructure through communication with a control system that controls the facility infrastructure to provide various functions to the robots.

In this way, robots controlled by the cloud server (20) can move around the building (1000) and provide various services.

Meanwhile, the cloud server (20) can perform various controls based on the information stored in the database, and there is no particular limitation on the type and location of the database in the present invention. The term of the database can be freely modified and used as long as it means a means for storing information, such as memory, storage, storage, cloud storage, external storage, external server, etc. In the following, the term “database” will be used for explanation.

Meanwhile, the cloud server (20) according to the present invention can perform distributed control of robots based on various criteria such as the type of service provided by the robots, the type of control for the robots, etc., and in this case, the cloud server (20) can have sub-servers of lower concept.

Furthermore, the cloud server (20) according to the present invention can control a robot moving through a building (1000) based on various artificial intelligence algorithms.

Furthermore, the cloud server (20) performs artificial intelligence-based learning that utilizes data collected in the process of controlling the robot as learning data, and utilizes this to control the robot, so that the robot can be operated more accurately and efficiently as the control of the robot is performed. That is, the cloud server (20) can be configured to perform deep learning or machine learning. In addition, the cloud server (20) can perform deep learning or machine learning through simulation, etc., and perform control of the robot using the artificial intelligence model constructed as a result.

Meanwhile, the building (1000) may be equipped with various facility infrastructures for robot driving, robot function provision, robot function maintenance, robot mission performance, or coexistence of robots and humans.

For example, as illustrated in (a) of FIG. 1, various facility infrastructures (1, 2) capable of supporting the driving (or movement) of the robot (R) may be provided within the building (1000). These facility infrastructures (1, 2) may support horizontal movement of the robot (R) within a floor of the building (1000) or vertical movement of the robot (R) between different floors of the building (1000). In this way, the facility infrastructures (1, 2) may be provided with a transportation system that supports the movement of the robot. The cloud server (20) may control the robot (R) to utilize these various facility infrastructures (1, 2) so that the robot (R) may move within the building (1000) to provide a service, as illustrated in (b) of FIG. 1.

Meanwhile, robots according to the present invention can be controlled based on at least one of a cloud server (20) and a control unit provided in the robot itself to drive within a building (1000) or provide a service corresponding to an assigned task.

Furthermore, as illustrated in (c) of FIG. 1, a building according to the present invention is a building where robots and people coexist, and the robots are configured to avoid obstacles such as people (U), objects used by people (e.g., baby strollers, carts, etc.), and animals while driving, and in some cases, may be configured to output notification information (3) related to the driving of the robot. Such driving of the robot may be configured to avoid obstacles based on at least one of a cloud server (20) and a control unit equipped in the robot. The cloud server (20) may control the robot so that the robot moves within the building (1000) while avoiding obstacles based on information received through various sensors equipped in the robot (e.g., a camera (image sensor), a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, etc.).

In addition, a robot that moves inside a building through the processes of (a) to (c) of FIG. 1 can be configured to provide a service to a person or target object existing inside the building, as shown in (d) of FIG. 1.

The types of services provided by robots may vary from robot to robot. In other words, robots may exist in various types depending on their purpose, robots may have different structures depending on their purpose, and robots may be equipped with programs appropriate for their purpose.

For example, a building (1000) may be equipped with robots that provide at least one of the following services: delivery, logistics, guidance, interpretation, parking assistance, security, crime prevention, guarding, public safety, cleaning, quarantine, disinfection, laundry, beverage preparation, food preparation, serving, fire suppression, medical assistance, and entertainment. The services provided by the robots may vary in addition to the examples listed above.

Meanwhile, the cloud server (20) can assign appropriate tasks to the robots by considering the purpose of each robot and control the robots so that the assigned tasks are performed.

At least some of the robots described in the present invention can drive or perform tasks under the control of a cloud server (20), and in this case, the amount of data processed by the robot itself for driving or performing tasks can be minimized. In the present invention, such a robot can be called a brainless robot. Such a brainless robot can depend on the control of the cloud server (20) for at least some of the control when performing actions such as driving, performing tasks, charging, waiting, and washing within a building (1000).

However, in this specification, brainless robots are not named separately, but are all referred to as “robots.”

As described above, the building (1000) according to the present invention can be equipped with various facility infrastructures that can be used by the robot, and as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the facility infrastructures are placed within the building (1000) and, through linkage with the building (1000) and a cloud server (20), can support movement (or driving) of the robot or provide various functions to the robot.

More specifically, the facility infrastructure may include facilities to support the movement of the robot within the building.

The facilities that support the movement of the robot can have either a robot-only facility for exclusive use by the robot or a shared facility for joint use with people.

Furthermore, the facilities supporting the movement of the robot can support the horizontal movement of the robot or the vertical movement of the robot. The robots can move horizontally or vertically using the facilities within the building (1000). Movement in the horizontal direction means movement within the same floor, and movement in the vertical direction can mean movement between different floors. Therefore, in the present invention, moving up and down within the same floor can be referred to as movement in the horizontal direction.

The facilities supporting the movement of the robot may be diverse, and for example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a building (1000) may be provided with a robot passage (robot road, 201, 202, 203) supporting the horizontal movement of the robot. This robot passage may include a robot-only passage exclusively used by the robot. Meanwhile, the robot-only passage may be formed so that access by humans is fundamentally blocked, but may not necessarily be limited thereto. That is, the robot-only passage may be formed in a structure that allows humans to pass through or access it.

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the robot-only passage may be formed of at least one of a first-only passage (or a first-type passage, 201) and a second-only passage (or a second-type passage, 202). The first-only passage and the second-only passage (201, 202) may be provided together on the same floor or on different floors.

As another example, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the building (1000) may be equipped with a moving means (204, 205) that supports vertical movement of the robot. The moving means (204, 205) may include at least one of an elevator or an escalator. The robot may move between different floors using the elevator (204) or the escalator (205) equipped in the building (1000).

Meanwhile, these elevators (204) or escalators (205) may be for robot use only or may be for shared use with people.

For example, the building (1000) may include at least one of a robot-only elevator or a public elevator. Likewise, further, the building (1000) may include at least one of a robot-only escalator or a public escalator.

Meanwhile, the building (1000) may be equipped with a means of movement that can be utilized for both vertical and horizontal movement. For example, a means of movement in the form of a moving walkway may support horizontal movement of the robot within a floor or vertical movement between floors.

The robot can move within the building (1000) in a horizontal or vertical direction under its own control or under the control of a cloud server (20), and at this time, the robot can move within the building (1000) using various facilities that support the movement of the robot.

Furthermore, the building (1000) may include at least one of an entrance door (206, or automatic door) and an access control gate (gate, 207) that control access to the building (1000) or a specific area within the building (1000). At least one of the entrance door (206) and the access control gate (207) may be configured to be accessible to a robot. The robot may be configured to pass through the entrance door (or automatic door, 206) or the access control gate (207) under the control of the cloud server (20).

Meanwhile, the access control gate (207) may be named in various ways, such as a speed gate.

In addition, the building (1000) may further include a waiting space facility (208) corresponding to a waiting space where the robot waits, a charging facility (209) for charging the robot, and a cleaning facility (210) for cleaning the robot.

Additionally, the building (1000) may include facilities (211) specialized for specific services provided by the robot, for example facilities for delivery services.

Additionally, the building (1000) may include equipment for monitoring the robot (see drawing symbol 212), examples of which may include various sensors (e.g., cameras (or image sensors, 121).

As seen with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the building (1000) according to the present invention may be equipped with various facilities for providing services, moving the robot, driving, maintaining functions, maintaining cleanliness, etc.

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a building (1000) according to the present invention is interconnected with a cloud server (20), a robot (R), and equipment infrastructure (200), so that the robots can provide various services within the building (1000) and use the equipment appropriately for this purpose.

Here, “interconnected” may mean that various data and control commands related to services provided within a building, movement, driving, function maintenance, and cleaning of the robot are transmitted and received unidirectionally or bidirectionally from at least one entity to at least one other entity through a network (or communication network).

Here, the subject can be a building (1000), a cloud server (20), a robot (R), facility infrastructure (200), etc.

Furthermore, the facility infrastructure (200) may include at least one of the various facilities (see drawing symbols 201 to 213) examined together with FIGS. 2 and 3 and a control system (201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, ...) that controls them.

A robot (R) running in a building (1000) is configured to communicate with a cloud server (20) via a network (40) and can provide services within the building (1000) under the control of the cloud server (20).

More specifically, the building (1000) may include a building system (1000a) for communicating with various facilities provided in the building (1000) or directly controlling the facilities. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the building system (1000a) may include a communication unit (110), a sensing unit (120), an output unit (130), a storage unit (140), and a control unit (150).

The communication unit (110) forms at least one of a wired communication network and a wireless communication network within the building (1000), thereby connecting i) between the cloud server (20) and the robot (R), ii) between the cloud server (20) and the building (1000), iii) between the cloud server (20) and the facility infrastructure (200), iv) between the facility infrastructure (200) and the robot (R), and v) between the facility infrastructure (200) and the building (1000). That is, the communication unit (110) can act as a medium for communication between different entities. This communication unit (110) can also be referred to as a base station, a router, etc., and the communication unit (110) can form a communication network or network so that the robot (R), the cloud server (20), and the facility infrastructure (200) can communicate with each other within the building (1000).

Meanwhile, in this specification, being connected to a building (1000) through a communication network may mean being connected to at least one of the components included in the building system (1000a).

As illustrated in FIG. 5, a plurality of robots (R) placed in a building (1000) can be remotely controlled by a cloud server (20) by performing communication with the cloud server (20) through at least one of a wired communication network and a wireless communication network formed through a communication unit (110). Such a communication network, such as a wired communication network or a wireless communication network, can be understood as a network (40).

In this way, the building (1000), the cloud server (20), the robot (R), and the equipment infrastructure (200) can form a network (40) based on the communication network formed within the building (1000). Based on this network, the robot (R) can provide a service corresponding to an assigned task by utilizing various equipment provided within the building (1000) under the control of the cloud server (20).

Meanwhile, the facility infrastructure (200) may include at least one of the various facilities (see drawing symbols 201 to 213) examined with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 and the control systems (201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, …) that control them (such control systems may also be referred to as “control servers”).

As illustrated in FIG. 4, different types of equipment may have their own control systems. For example, in the case of a robot passageway (or a robot-only passageway, a robot road, a robot-only road, 201, 202, 203), there may be a control system (201a, 202a, 203a) for independently controlling each of the robot passageways (201, 202, 203), and in the case of an elevator (or a robot-only elevator, 204), there may be a control system (204) for controlling the elevator (204).

These unique control systems for controlling the facilities can communicate with at least one of the cloud server (20), the robot (R), and the building (1000) to perform appropriate control of each facility so that the robot (R) can use the facility.

Meanwhile, the sensing unit (201b, 202b, 203b, 204b, ...) included in each facility control system (201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, ...) may be provided in the facility itself and configured to sense various information related to the facility.

Furthermore, the control unit (201c, 202c, 203c, 204c, ...) included in each facility control system (201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, ...) performs control for driving each facility, and can perform appropriate control so that the robot (R) can use the facility through communication with the cloud server (20). For example, the control system (204b) of the elevator (204) can control the elevator (204) to stop at the floor where the robot (R) is located so that the robot (R) can board the elevator (204) through communication with the cloud server (20).

At least some of the control units (201c, 202c, 203c, 204c, …) included in each facility control system (201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, …) may be located within the building (1000) together with each facility (201, 202, 203, 204, …) or may be located outside the building (1000).

Furthermore, at least some of the facilities included in the building (1000) according to the present invention may be controlled by a cloud server (20) or by a control unit (150) of the building (1000). In this case, the facilities may not be equipped with a separate facility control system.

In the following description, each facility is provided with an example of having its own control system. However, as mentioned above, it goes without saying that the role of the control system for controlling the facility can be replaced by the control unit (150) of the cloud server (20) or the building (1000). In this case, it goes without saying that the term of the control unit (201c, 202c, 203c, 204c, ...) of the facility control system described in this specification can be replaced with the term of the cloud server (20) or the control unit (150, or the control unit (150) of the building.

Meanwhile, the components of each facility control system (201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, …) in FIG. 4 are for example only, and various components may be added or excluded depending on the characteristics of each facility.

In this way, in the present invention, a robot (R), a cloud server (20), and a facility control system (201a, 202a, 203a, 204a, …) provide various services within a building (1000) by utilizing the facility infrastructure.

In this case, the robot (R) mainly drives inside the building to provide various services. To this end, the robot (R) may be equipped with at least one of a body part, a driving part, a sensing part, a communication part, an interface part, and a power supply part.

The body part includes a case (casing, housing, cover, etc.) forming the exterior. In the present embodiment, the case can be divided into a plurality of parts, and various electronic components are built into the space formed by the case. In this case, the body part can be formed in different shapes according to various services exemplified in the present invention. For example, in the case of a robot providing a delivery service, a storage compartment for storing items can be provided on the upper part of the body part. As another example, in the case of a robot providing a cleaning service, a suction port for sucking dust using a vacuum can be provided on the lower part of the body part.

The driving unit is configured to perform specific operations according to control commands transmitted from the cloud server (20).

The drive unit provides a means for the body of the robot to move within a specific space in relation to driving. More specifically, the drive unit includes a motor and a plurality of wheels, which are combined to perform functions of driving, turning, and rotating the robot (R). As another example, the drive unit may include at least one of an end effector, a manipulator, and an actuator to perform other operations than driving, such as picking up.

The sensing unit may include one or more sensors for sensing at least one of information within the robot (in particular, the operating status of the robot), information about the surrounding environment surrounding the robot, location information of the robot, and user information.

For example, the sensing unit may be equipped with a camera (image sensor), proximity sensor, infrared sensor, laser scanner (lidar sensor), RGBD sensor, geomagnetic sensor, ultrasonic sensor, inertial sensor, UWB sensor, etc.

The communication unit of the robot is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals in the robot in order to perform wireless communication between the robot (R) and the communication unit of the building, between the robot (R) and another robot, or between the robot (R) and the control system of the facility. As examples of this, the communication unit may be equipped with a wireless Internet module, a short-distance communication module, a location information module, etc.

The interface unit may be provided as a passage that can connect the robot (R) to an external device. For example, the interface unit may be a terminal (a charging terminal, a connection terminal, a power terminal), a port, or a connector. The power supply unit may be a device that receives external power or internal power and supplies power to each component included in the robot (R). As another example, the power supply unit may be a device that generates electric energy inside the robot (R) and supplies it to each component.

In the above, the robot (R) was mainly described as driving inside a building, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the robot of the present invention can also be in the form of a robot that flies inside a building, such as a drone. More specifically, a robot that provides guidance services can fly around a person inside a building and provide guidance to the person about the building.

Meanwhile, the overall operation of the robot of the present invention is controlled by the cloud server (20). In addition, the robot may be equipped with a separate control unit as a sub-controller of the cloud server (20). For example, the control unit of the robot receives a control command for driving from the cloud server (20) and controls the driving unit of the robot. In this case, the control unit may calculate the torque or current to be applied to the motor using data sensed by the sensing unit of the robot. The motor, etc. is driven by a position controller, a speed controller, a current controller, etc. using the calculated result, and through this, the robot executes the control command of the cloud server (20).

Meanwhile, in the present invention, the building (1000) may include a building system (1000a) for communicating with various facilities provided in the building (1000) or directly controlling the facilities. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the building system (1000a) may include at least one of a communication unit (110), a sensing unit (120), an output unit (130), a storage unit (140), and a control unit (150).

The communication unit (110) forms at least one of a wired communication network and a wireless communication network within the building (1000), thereby connecting i) between the cloud server (20) and the robot (R), ii) between the cloud server (20) and the building (1000), iii) between the cloud server (20) and the facility infrastructure (200), iv) between the facility infrastructure (200) and the robot (R), and v) between the facility infrastructure (200) and the building (1000). That is, the communication unit (110) can act as a medium for communication between different entities.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the communication unit (110) may be configured to include at least one of a mobile communication module (111), a wired Internet module (112), a wireless Internet module (113), and a short-range communication module (114).

The communication unit (110) can support various communication methods based on the communication modules listed above.

For example, the mobile communication module (111) may be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals with at least one of a building system (1000a), a cloud server (20), a robot (R), and facility infrastructure (200) on a mobile communication network constructed according to technical standards or communication methods for mobile communications (e.g., 5G, 4G, GSM (Global System for Mobile communication), CDMA (Code Division Multi Access), CDMA2000 (Code Division Multi Access 2000), EV-DO (Enhanced Voice-Data Optimized or Enhanced Voice-Data Only), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (Long Term Evolution-Advanced), etc.). At this time, as a more specific example, the robot (R) can transmit and receive wireless signals with the mobile communication module (111) using the communication unit of the robot (R) described above.

Next, the wired Internet module (112) provides communication in a wired manner, and can be configured to transmit and receive signals with at least one of a cloud server (20), a robot (R), and equipment infrastructure (200) using a physical communication line as a medium.

In addition, the wireless Internet module (113) is a concept that includes a mobile communication module (111), and may mean a module capable of wireless Internet access. The wireless Internet module (113) is placed in a building (1000) and is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals with at least one of a building system (1000a), a cloud server (20), a robot (R), and facility infrastructure (200) in a communication network according to wireless Internet technologies.

Wireless Internet technologies can be very diverse, and in addition to the communication technology of the mobile communication module (111) discussed above, there are WLAN (Wireless LAN), Wi-Fi (Wireless-Fidelity), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) Direct, DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), WiBro (Wireless Broadband), WiMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), etc. Furthermore, in the present invention, the wireless Internet module (113) transmits and receives data according to at least one wireless Internet technology, including Internet technologies not listed above.

Next, the short-range communication module (114) is for short-range communication, and can perform short-range communication with at least one of the building system (1000a), the cloud server (20), the robot (R), and the facility infrastructure (200) by using at least one of Bluetooth™, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), UWB (Ultra Wideband), ZigBee, NFC (Near Field Communication), Wi-Fi (Wireless-Fidelity), Wi-Fi Direct, and Wireless USB (Wireless Universal Serial Bus) technologies.

The communication unit (110) may include at least one of the communication modules discussed above, and these communication modules may be placed in various spaces inside the building (1000) to form a communication network. Through this communication network, i) the cloud server (20) and the robot (R), ii) the cloud server (20) and the building (1000), iii) the cloud server (20) and the facility infrastructure (200, iv) the facility infrastructure (200) and the robot (R), and v) the facility infrastructure (200) and the building (1000) may be configured to communicate with each other.

Next, the building (1000) may include a sensing unit (120), and the sensing unit (120) may be configured to include various sensors. At least some of the information sensed through the sensing unit (120) of the building (1000) may be transmitted to at least one of the cloud server (20), the robot (R), and the facility infrastructure (200) through a communication network formed through the communication unit (110). At least one of the cloud server (20), the robot (R), and the facility infrastructure (200) may control the robot (R) or the facility infrastructure (200) using the information sensed through the sensing unit (120).

The types of sensors included in the sensing unit (120) may be very diverse. The sensing unit (120) may be installed in the building (1000) and configured to sense various pieces of information about the building (1000). The information sensed by the sensing unit (120) may be information about a robot (R) moving in the building (1000), a person located in the building (1000), an obstacle, etc., and may include various environmental information related to the building (e.g., temperature, humidity, etc.).

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the sensing unit (120) may include at least one of an image sensor (121), a microphone (122), a biosensor (123), a proximity sensor (124), an illuminance sensor (125), an infrared sensor (126), a temperature sensor (127), and a humidity sensor (128).

Here, the image sensor (121) may correspond to a camera. As seen in FIG. 3, a camera corresponding to the image sensor (121) may be placed in the building (1000). In this specification, the camera is given the same drawing symbol “121” as the image sensor (121).

Meanwhile, there is no limitation on the number of cameras (121) placed in the building (1000). The types of cameras (121) placed in the building (1000) may vary, and as an example, the camera (121) placed in the building (1000) may be a CCTV (closed circuit television). Meanwhile, the fact that the camera (121) is placed in the building (1000) may mean that the camera (121) is placed in the indoor space (10) of the building (1000).

Next, the microphone (122) can be configured to sense various sound information occurring in the building (1000).

The biosensor (123) is for sensing biometric information and can sense biometric information (e.g., fingerprint information, facial information, iris information, etc.) about a person or animal located in a building (1000).

The proximity sensor (124) can be configured to sense an object (such as a robot or a person) approaching the proximity sensor (124) or located around the proximity sensor (124).

In addition, the light sensor (125) is configured to sense the light around the light sensor (125), and the infrared sensor (126) has a built-in infrared sensor (LED) that can be used to take pictures of a building (1000) in a dark room or at night.

Furthermore, the temperature sensor (127) can sense the temperature around the temperature sensor (127), and the humidity sensor (128) can sense the temperature around the humidity sensor (128).

Meanwhile, there is no particular limitation on the type of sensor constituting the sensing unit (120) in the present invention, and it is sufficient as long as the function defined by each sensor is implemented.

Next, the output unit (130) may include at least one of a display unit (131), an audio output unit (132), and a lighting unit (133) as a means for outputting at least one of visual, auditory, and tactile information to a person or a robot (R) in the building (1000). This output unit (130) may be placed at an appropriate location in the indoor space of the building (1000) depending on necessity or circumstances.

Next, the storage (140) may be configured to store various information related to at least one of the building (1000), the robot, and the facility infrastructure. In the present invention, the storage (140) may be provided in the building (1000) itself. Alternatively, at least a part of the storage (140) may mean at least one of a cloud server (20) or an external database. That is, the storage (140) may be sufficient as long as it is a space where various information according to the present invention is stored, and it may be understood that there is no limitation on the physical space.

Next, the control unit (150) is a means for performing overall control of the building (1000), and can control at least one of the communication unit (110), the sensing unit (120), the output unit (130), and the storage unit (140). The control unit (150) can perform control of the robot by linking with the cloud server (20). Furthermore, the control unit (150) can exist in the form of a cloud server (20). In this case, the building (1000) can be controlled together by the cloud server (20), which is a control means of the robot (R). Alternatively, the cloud server controlling the building (1000) can exist separately from the cloud server (20) controlling the robot (R). In this case, the cloud server controlling the building (1000) and the cloud server (20) controlling the robot (R) may be interconnected with each other through mutual communication so that the robot (R) can provide services, or may be interconnected with each other for the movement, function maintenance, and cleanliness maintenance of the robot. Meanwhile, the control unit of the building (1000) may also be named a “processor,” and the processor may be configured to process various commands by performing basic arithmetic, logic, and input/output operations.

As described above, at least one of the building (1000), the robot (R), the cloud server (20), and the facility infrastructure (200) forms a network (40) based on a communication network, so that various services using the robot can be provided within the building (1000).

As described above, in a building (1000) according to the present invention, a robot (R), facility infrastructure (200) provided within the building, and a cloud server (20) can be organically connected so that various services can be provided by the robot. At least some of the robot (R), facility infrastructure (200), and cloud server (20) can exist in the form of a platform for constructing a robot-friendly building.

Hereinafter, with reference to the contents of the building (1000), building system (1000a), facility infrastructure (200), and cloud server (20) discussed above, the process in which the robot (R) utilizes the facility infrastructure (200) will be examined in more detail. At this time, the robot (R) may drive in the indoor space (10) of the building (1000) or move using the facility infrastructure (200) for the purpose of performing a task (or providing a service), driving, charging, maintaining cleanliness, waiting, etc., and may further utilize the facility infrastructure (200).

In this way, the robot (R) can drive within the indoor space of the building (1000) or move using the facility infrastructure (200) to achieve the “purpose” based on a certain “purpose”, and further, can utilize the facility infrastructure (200).

At this time, the purpose that the robot must achieve can be specified based on various reasons. The purpose that the robot must achieve can exist as a first type purpose and a second type purpose.

Here, the first type of purpose may be for the robot to perform its original mission, and the second type of purpose may be for the robot to perform a mission or function other than its original mission.

That is, the purpose that a robot of the first type must achieve may be the purpose of performing the robot's original mission. This purpose may also be understood as the robot's "task."

For example, if the robot is a robot that provides a serving service, the robot may drive in an indoor space of a building (1000) or move using the facility infrastructure (200) and further utilize the facility infrastructure (200) in order to achieve the purpose or mission of providing the serving service. In addition, if the robot is a robot that provides a route guidance service, the robot may drive in an indoor space of a building (1000) or move using the facility infrastructure (200) and further utilize the facility infrastructure (200) in order to achieve the purpose or mission of providing the route guidance service.

Meanwhile, a plurality of robots operating for different purposes may be positioned in the building according to the present invention. That is, different robots capable of performing different tasks may be placed in the building, and different types of robots may be placed in the building according to the needs of the building manager and various entities occupying the building.

For example, a building may be equipped with robots that provide at least one of the following services: delivery, logistics, guidance, interpretation, parking assistance, security, crime prevention, guarding, public safety, cleaning, quarantine, disinfection, laundry, beverage preparation, food preparation, serving, fire suppression, medical assistance, and entertainment services. The services provided by the robots may vary in addition to the examples listed above.

Meanwhile, the second type of purpose is for the robot to perform a task or function other than the robot's original task, which may be a purpose unrelated to the robot's original task. This second type of purpose may be a task or function that is not directly related to the robot performing the robot's original task, but is indirectly necessary.

For example, in order for a robot to perform its original mission, it needs sufficient power for its operation, and in order for the robot to provide pleasant services to people, it needs to be kept clean. Furthermore, in order for multiple robots to operate efficiently within a building, there may be times when they have to wait in a certain space.

In this way, in order to achieve the second type of purpose, the robot in the present invention can drive in an indoor space of a building (1000) or move using the facility infrastructure (200), and further, can utilize the facility infrastructure (200).

For example, a robot may utilize charging infrastructure to achieve a purpose according to its charging function, and may utilize washing infrastructure to achieve a purpose according to its washing function.

In this way, in the present invention, the robot can drive in an indoor space of a building (1000) or move using the facility infrastructure (200) to achieve a certain purpose, and further, can utilize the facility infrastructure (200).

Meanwhile, the cloud server (20) can perform appropriate control on each of the robots located in the building based on information corresponding to each of the multiple robots located in the building stored in the database.

Meanwhile, various information about each of a plurality of robots located in a building may be stored in the database, and information about the robot (R) may be very diverse. For example, there may be i) identification information for identifying the robot (R) placed in the space (10) (e.g., serial number, TAG information, QR code information, etc.), ii) mission information assigned to the robot (R) (e.g., type of mission, operation according to the mission, target user information that is the subject of the mission, mission performance location, mission performance scheduled time, etc.), iii) driving path information set for the robot (R), iv) location information of the robot (R), v) status information of the robot (R) (e.g., power status, breakdown status, cleaning status, battery status, etc.), vi) image information received from a camera equipped in the robot (R), vii) operation information related to the operation of the robot (R), etc.

Meanwhile, appropriate control of robots may be related to the control of operating robots according to the purpose of the first type or the purpose of the second type discussed above.

Here, operation of the robot may mean control to enable the robot to drive within the indoor space of the building (1000), move using the facility infrastructure (200), and further, utilize the facility infrastructure (200).

The movement of the robot may be referred to as the driving of the robot, and therefore, in the present invention, the movement path and the driving path may be used interchangeably.

The cloud server (20) can assign appropriate tasks to the robots based on the information about each robot stored in the database according to the purpose (or original mission) of each robot, and control the robots so that the assigned tasks are performed. At this time, the assigned tasks may be tasks for achieving the first type of purpose discussed above.

Furthermore, the cloud server (20) can perform control on each robot to achieve a second type of purpose based on information about each robot stored in the database.

At this time, the robot that has received a control command to achieve the second type of purpose from the cloud server (20) can move to the charging facility infrastructure or the washing facility infrastructure, etc., based on the control command, to achieve the second type of purpose.

Meanwhile, in the following, the terms “purpose” or “mission” will be used without distinguishing between the first type or the second type of purpose. The purpose described below may be either the first type of purpose or the second type of purpose.

Likewise, the mission described below may be a mission to achieve the first type of objective or a mission to achieve the second type of objective.

For example, if there is a robot capable of providing a serving service and there is a target user to serve, the cloud server (20) can control the robot so that the robot performs the task of serving the target user.

As another example, if there is a robot that needs to be charged, the cloud server (20) can perform control to move the robot to the charging facility infrastructure so that the robot performs a task corresponding to charging.

Hereinafter, a method in which a robot performs a purpose or task by using the facility infrastructure (200) under the control of a cloud server (20), regardless of whether the purpose is a first type or a second type, will be examined in more detail. Meanwhile, in this specification, a robot controlled by a cloud server (20) to perform a task may also be referred to as a “target robot.”

The cloud server (20) can, upon request or at its own discretion, specify at least one robot to perform a task.

Here, the request can be received from various subjects. For example, the cloud server can receive requests in various ways (e.g., user input via electronic devices, user input via gestures) from various subjects such as visitors, managers, residents, and workers located in the building. Here, the request can be a service request for a specific service (or a specific task) to be provided by the robot.

Based on the request, the cloud server (20) can specify a robot among multiple robots located within the building (1000) that can perform the service. The cloud server (20) can specify a robot that can respond to the request based on i) the type of service that the robot can perform, ii) the task assigned to the robot, iii) the current location of the robot, and iv) the status of the robot (e.g., power status, cleanliness status, battery status, etc.). As described above, there is various information about each robot in the database, and the cloud server (20) can specify a robot that will perform the task based on the request based on the database.

Furthermore, the cloud server (20) can, based on its own judgment, specify at least one robot to perform the task.

Here, the cloud server (20) can perform its own judgment based on various causes.

As an example, the cloud server (20) can determine whether a specific user or a specific space within a building (1000) requires provision of a service. The cloud server (20) can extract a specific target requiring provision of a service based on information sensed and received from at least one of a sensing unit (120, see FIGS. 4 to 6) within the building (1000), a sensing unit included in the facility infrastructure (200), and a sensing unit equipped in a robot.

Here, a specific target may include at least one of a person, a space, or an object. The object may mean a facility, an object, etc. located within a building (1000). In addition, the cloud server (20) may specify the type of service required for the extracted specific target and control the robot so that the specific service is provided to the specific target.

To this end, the cloud server (20) can specify at least one robot that will provide a specific service to a specific target.

The cloud server (20) can determine a target that requires service provision based on various judgment algorithms. For example, the cloud server (20) can specify a type of service, such as route guidance, serving, or stairway movement, based on information sensed and received from at least one of a sensing unit (120, see FIGS. 4 to 6) existing in a building (1000), a sensing unit included in the facility infrastructure (200), and a sensing unit equipped in a robot. In addition, the cloud server (20) can specify a target that requires the service. Furthermore, the cloud server (20) can specify a robot capable of providing a specified service so that the service is provided by the robot.

Furthermore, the cloud server (20) can determine a specific space requiring service provision based on various judgment algorithms. For example, the cloud server (20) can extract a specific space or object requiring service provision, such as a target user for delivery, a guest requiring guidance, a contaminated space, a contaminated facility, a fire zone, etc., based on information sensed and received from at least one of a sensing unit (120, see FIGS. 4 to 6) existing in a building (1000), a sensing unit included in the facility infrastructure (200), and a sensing unit equipped in a robot, and can specify a robot capable of providing the service so that the service is provided by the robot to the specific space or object.

In this way, when a robot to perform a specific task (or service) is specified, the cloud server (20) can assign a task to the robot and perform a series of controls necessary for the robot to perform the task.

At this time, a series of controls may include at least one of i) setting a movement path of the robot, ii) specifying a facility infrastructure to be used for moving to a destination where the mission is to be performed, iii) communicating with a specific facility infrastructure, iv) controlling a specific facility infrastructure, v) monitoring the robot performing the mission, vi) evaluating the driving of the robot, and vii) monitoring whether the robot has completed the mission.

The cloud server (20) can specify the destination where the robot's mission is to be performed and set a movement path for the robot to reach the destination. When the movement path is set by the cloud server (20), the robot (R) can be controlled to move to the destination in order to perform the mission.

Meanwhile, the cloud server (20) can set a movement path from the location where the robot starts (initiates) performing a task (hereinafter referred to as “task performance start location”) to reach the destination. Here, the location where the robot starts performing a task can be the current location of the robot or the location of the robot at the time when the robot starts performing the task.

The cloud server (20) can generate a movement path of a robot to perform a mission based on a map (or map information) corresponding to an indoor space (10) of a building (1000).

Here, the map may include map information for each space of multiple floors (10a, 10b, 10c, …) that constitute the interior space of the building.

Furthermore, the movement path may be a movement path from a mission execution start location to a destination where the mission is performed.

In the present invention, the map information and movement path are described as being for indoor spaces, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the map information may include information on outdoor spaces, and the movement path may be a path connecting an indoor space to an outdoor space.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the indoor space (10) of the building (1000) may be composed of a plurality of different floors (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, ...), and the mission execution start location and destination may be located on the same floor or on different floors.

The cloud server (20) can generate a movement path of a robot that performs a service within a building (1000) by using map information for multiple floors (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, …).

The cloud server (20) can specify at least one facility among the facility infrastructure (multiple facilities) placed in the building (1000) that the robot must use or pass through to move to the destination.

For example, when a robot needs to move from the first floor (10a) to the second floor (10b), the cloud server (20) can specify at least one facility (204, 205) to assist the robot in moving between floors, and generate a movement path including the point where the specified facility is located. Here, the facility assisting the robot in moving between floors can be at least one of a robot-only elevator (204), a public elevator (213), and an escalator (205). In addition, there can be various types of facilities assisting the robot in moving between floors.

As an example, the cloud server (20) can identify a specific floor corresponding to a destination among multiple floors (10a, 10b, 10c, ...) of an indoor space (10), and determine whether the robot needs to move between floors to perform a service based on the robot's task execution start position (ex: the robot's position at the time of starting a task corresponding to the service).

And, the cloud server (20) may include a facility (means) that assists the movement of the robot between floors on the movement path based on the judgment result. At this time, the facility that assists the movement of the robot between floors may be at least one of a robot-only elevator (204), a public elevator (213), and an escalator (205). For example, when the movement of the robot between floors is required, the cloud server (20) may generate a movement path so that the facility that assists the movement of the robot between floors is included on the movement path of the robot.

As another example, if a robot-only passageway (201, 202) is located on the movement path of the robot, the cloud server (20) can generate a movement path including a point where the robot-only passageway (201, 202) is located so that the robot can move using the robot-only passageway (201, 202). As discussed above with reference to FIG. 3, the robot-only passageway can be formed of at least one of a first-only passageway (or a first-type passageway, 201) and a second-only passageway (or a second-type passageway, 202). The first-only passageway and the second-only passageway (201, 202) can be provided together on the same floor or can be provided on different floors. The first-only passageway (201) and the second-only passageway (202) can have different heights with respect to the floor surface of the building.

Meanwhile, the cloud server (20) can control the driving characteristics of the robot on the robot-only passage to vary based on the type of the robot-only passage used by the robot and the degree of congestion around the robot-only passage. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 8, the cloud server (20) can control the driving characteristics of the robot to vary based on the degree of congestion around the robot-only passage when the robot is driving on the second dedicated passage. Since the second dedicated passage is a passage accessible to people or animals, this is to consider both safety and movement efficiency.

Here, the driving characteristics of the robot may be related to the driving speed of the robot. Furthermore, the degree of congestion may be calculated based on images received from at least one of a camera (or image sensor, 121) placed in the building (1000) and a camera placed in the robot. Based on these images, the cloud server (20) may control the driving speed of the robot to be lower than (or below) a preset speed when the robot-only passageway at the point where the robot is located and in the direction of travel is congested.

In this way, the cloud server (20) uses map information for multiple floors (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, ...) to generate a movement path of a robot that will perform a service within a building (1000), and at this time, among the facility infrastructure (multiple facilities) placed in the building (1000), at least one facility that the robot must use or pass through to move to a destination can be specified. In addition, a movement path can be generated so that at least one specified facility is included in the movement path.

Meanwhile, a robot driving in an indoor space (10) to perform a service can drive to a destination by sequentially using or passing through at least one of the facilities along a movement path received from a cloud server (20).

Meanwhile, the order of the facilities to be used by the robot can be determined under the control of the cloud server (20). Furthermore, the order of the facilities to be used by the robot can be included in the information about the movement path received from the cloud server (20).

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the building (1000) may include at least one of robot-only facilities (201, 202, 204, 208, 209, 211) exclusively used by robots and common facilities (205, 206, 207, 213) jointly used by people.

Robot-specific equipment exclusively used by the robot may include equipment (208, 209) that provides functions required by the robot (e.g., charging function, washing function, standby function) and equipment (201, 202, 204, 211) used for movement of the robot.

When the cloud server (20) generates a movement path for the robot, if there is a robot-only facility on the path from the task execution start position to the destination, the cloud server (20) can generate a movement path that allows the robot to move (or pass) using the robot-only facility. That is, the cloud server (20) can generate a movement path by giving priority to the robot-only facility. This is to increase the efficiency of the robot's movement. For example, if there is both a robot-only elevator (204) and a public elevator (213) on the movement path to the destination, the cloud server (20) can generate a movement path that includes the robot-only elevator (204).

As described above, a robot that drives a building (1000) according to the present invention can drive within an indoor space of the building (1000) to perform a task by utilizing various facilities provided in the building (1000).

The cloud server (20) may be configured to communicate with a control system (or control server) of at least one facility used or scheduled to be used by the robot for smooth movement of the robot. As previously discussed with reference to FIG. 4, unique control systems for controlling the facilities may communicate with at least one of the cloud server (20), the robot (R), and the building (1000) to perform appropriate control of each facility so that the robot (R) may use the facility.

Meanwhile, the cloud server (20) has a need to secure the location information of the robot within the building (1000). That is, the cloud server (200) can monitor the location of the robot running in the building (1000) in real time or at preset time intervals. The cloud server (1000) can monitor the location information of all the robots running in the building (1000), or selectively monitor the location information of only a specific robot as needed. The location information of the monitored robot can be stored in a database where the robot information is stored, and the location information of the robot can be continuously updated over time.

There are many different ways to estimate the location information of a robot located in a building (1000), and below, we will look at an example of estimating the location information of a robot.

FIGS. 9 to 11 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a method for estimating the position of a robot moving through a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.

As an example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the cloud server (20) according to the present invention is configured to receive an image of a space (10) using a camera (not illustrated) equipped on a robot (R) and perform Visual Localization to estimate the location of the robot from the received image. At this time, the camera is configured to capture (or sense) an image of the space (10), that is, an image of the surroundings of the robot (R). Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, an image acquired using a camera equipped on the robot (R) will be referred to as a “robot image.” And, an image acquired through a camera placed in a space (10) will be referred to as a “space image.”

The cloud server (20) is configured to obtain a robot image (910) through a camera (not shown) equipped on the robot (R), as shown in (a) of Fig. 9. Then, the cloud server (20) can estimate the current location of the robot (R) using the obtained robot image (910).

The cloud server (20) can compare the robot image (910) with the map information stored in the database to extract location information corresponding to the current location of the robot (R) (e.g., “3rd floor, Zone A (3, 1, 1)”), as shown in (b) of FIG. 9.

As previously discussed, in the present invention, the map for the space (10) may be a map created based on SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) by at least one robot moving through the space (10) in advance. In particular, the map for the space (10) may be a map created based on image information.

That is, the map for space (10) may be a map generated by vision (or visual)-based SLAM technology.

Accordingly, the cloud server (20) can specify coordinate information (e.g., (3rd floor, area A (3, 1, 1,)) for the robot image (910) acquired from the robot (R) as shown in (b) of FIG. 9. In this way, the specified coordinate information can become the current location information of the robot (R).

At this time, the cloud server (20) can estimate the current location of the robot (R) by comparing the robot image (910) obtained from the robot (R) with the map generated by the vision (or visual)-based SLAM technology. In this case, the cloud server (20) can specify the location information of the robot (R) by i) specifying the image most similar to the robot image (910) by using image comparison between the robot image (910) and the images constituting the previously generated map, and ii) obtaining location information matching the specified image.

In this way, when a robot image (910) is acquired from a robot (R) as shown in (a) of FIG. 9, the cloud server (20) can use the acquired robot image (910) to identify the current location of the robot. As described above, the cloud server (20) can extract location information (e.g., coordinate information) corresponding to the robot image (910) from map information (e.g., also called a “reference map”) stored in a database.

Meanwhile, in the above description, an example of estimating the position of the robot (R) in the cloud server (20) was described, but as previously discussed, the position estimation of the robot (R) can be performed in the robot (R) itself. That is, the robot (R) can estimate the current position based on the image received from the robot (R) itself in the previously discussed manner. Then, the robot (R) can transmit the estimated position information to the cloud server (20). In this case, the cloud server (20) can perform a series of controls based on the position information received from the robot.

In this way, when the location information of the robot (R) is extracted from the robot image (910), the cloud server (20) can specify at least one camera (121) positioned in an indoor space (10) corresponding to the location information. The cloud server (20) can specify the camera (121) positioned in an indoor space (10) corresponding to the location information from matching information related to the camera (121) stored in the database.

These images can be utilized not only for estimating the location of the robot but also for controlling the robot. For example, the cloud server (20) can output the robot image (910) acquired from the robot (R) itself and the image acquired from the camera (121) placed in the space where the robot (R) is located together on the display unit of the control system for controlling the robot (R). Accordingly, a manager who remotely manages and controls the robot (R) inside or outside the building (1000) can perform remote control of the robot (R) by considering not only the robot image (910) acquired from the robot (R) but also the image of the space where the robot (R) is located.

As another example, position estimation of a robot moving in an indoor space (10) can be performed based on a tag (1010) provided in the indoor space (10), as shown in (a) of FIG. 10.

Referring to FIG. 10, the tag (1010) may have location information corresponding to the point where the tag (1010) is attached, as shown in (b) of FIG. 10. That is, tags (1010) having different identification information may be provided at different points in the indoor space (10) of the building (1000). The identification information of each tag and the location information of the point where the tag is attached may be matched with each other and may exist in the database.

Furthermore, the tags (1010) may be configured to include location information matching each tag (1010).

The robot (R) can recognize a tag (1010) equipped in a space (10) using a sensor equipped in the robot (R). Through this recognition, the robot (R) can extract location information included in the tag (1010) to determine the current location of the robot (R). This extracted location information can be transmitted from the robot (R) to the cloud server (20) through the communication unit (110). Accordingly, the cloud server (20) can monitor the locations of robots moving in the building (20) based on the location information received from the robot (R) that sensed the tag.

Furthermore, the robot (R) can transmit the identification information of the recognized tag (1010) to the cloud server (20). The cloud server (20) can extract location information matching the identification information of the tag (1010) from the database and monitor the location of the robot within the building (1000).

Meanwhile, the term of the tag (1010) described above may be named in various ways. For example, the tag (1010) may be named in various ways, such as QR code, barcode, identification mark, etc. Meanwhile, the term of the tag examined above may be used instead of “marker.”

Below, a method of monitoring the location of a robot (R) located in an indoor space (10) of a building (1000) by using an identification mark provided on the robot (R) will be described.

As mentioned above, we have seen that various information about a robot (R) can be stored in a database. The various information about a robot (R) can include identification information (e.g., serial number, TAG information, QR code information, etc.) for identifying a robot (R) located in an indoor space (10).

Meanwhile, the identification information of the robot (R) may be included in an identification mark (or identification mark) provided on the robot (R), as illustrated in FIG. 11. This identification mark may be sensed or scanned by the building control system (1000a) or the facility infrastructure (200). As illustrated in (a), (b), and (c) of FIG. 11, the identification marks (1101, 1102, 1103) of the robot (R) may include identification information of the robot. As illustrated, the identification marks (1101, 1102, 1103) may be represented by a barcode (1101), serial information (or serial information, 1102), a QR code (1103), an RFID tag (not illustrated), or an NFC tag (not illustrated). A barcode (1101), serial information (or serial information, 1102), QR code (1103), RFID tag (not shown), or NFC tag (not shown) may be used to include identification information of a robot equipped with (or attached to) an identification mark.

The identification information of the robot is information for distinguishing each robot, and even if they are the same type of robot, they may have different identification information. Meanwhile, the information constituting the identification mark may be composed of various other than the barcode, serial information, QR code, RFID tag (not shown), or NFC tag (not shown) discussed above.

The cloud server (20) can extract identification information of the robot (R) from images received from a camera placed in the indoor space (10), a camera equipped on another robot, or a camera equipped on the facility infrastructure, and can identify and monitor the location of the robot in the indoor space (10). Meanwhile, the means for sensing the identification mark is not necessarily limited to a camera, and a sensing unit (e.g., a scanning unit) can be used depending on the shape of the identification mark. Such a sensing unit can be equipped in at least one of the indoor space (10), the robots, and the facility infrastructure (200).

For example, when an identification mark is sensed from an image captured by a camera, the cloud server (20) can identify the location of the robot (R) from the image received from the camera. At this time, the cloud server (20) can identify the location of the robot (R) based on at least one of the location information of the camera placement and the location information of the robot in the image (more precisely, the location information of the graphic object corresponding to the robot in the image captured with the robot as the subject).

In the database, location information about the location where the camera is placed can be matched with identification information about the camera placed in the indoor space (10). Accordingly, the cloud server (20) can extract location information matched with the identification information of the camera that captured the image from the database, so that the robot (R) can extract location information.

As another example, when an identification mark is sensed by a scanning unit, the cloud server (20) can identify the location of the robot (R) from the scan information sensed by the scanning unit. In the database, the location information for the place where the scanning unit is placed can be matched with the identification information for the scanning unit placed in the indoor space (10). Accordingly, the cloud server (20) can extract the location information matched to the scanning unit that scanned the identification mark equipped on the robot from the database, and extract the location information of the robot (R).

As discussed above, in a building according to the present invention, it is possible to extract and monitor the location of a robot by utilizing various infrastructures provided in the building. Furthermore, the cloud server (20) monitors the location of the robot, thereby enabling efficient and accurate control of the robot within the building.

Before explaining the robot control method according to the present invention, the robot included in the robot system according to the present invention will be explained in more detail.

Figure 12 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a robot included in a robot system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 12, the robot may include a communication unit (1201), a storage unit (1202), a driving unit (1203), a control unit (1204), and a sensor unit. The communication unit (1201) and the storage unit (1202) have been described above, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The driving unit (1203) is configured to enable the robot to move within a space. The driving unit (1203) is configured to control at least one of the moving direction and moving speed of the robot, and the control unit (1204) controls the driving unit (1203) to enable the robot to move along a set moving path.

The driving unit (1203) can be controlled by the control unit (1204) included in the robot and the cloud server (20). Unless otherwise specified in this specification, the robot control by either the control unit (1204) included in the robot or the cloud server (20) can also be controlled by the other.

Next, the control unit (1204) may be configured to control the overall operation of the robot related to the present invention. The control unit (1204) may process signals, data, information, etc. input or output through the components discussed above, or provide or process appropriate information or functions to the user. Unless otherwise specified in this specification, the control unit (1204) means a control unit equipped in the robot.

Meanwhile, the control unit (1204) generates a control command based on the occurrence of a failure event related to an obstacle in the present invention, and generates an avoidance path by utilizing at least one of the control command received from the server and the control command generated within the robot. Unless otherwise specified in this specification, the second control command and the generation of the avoidance path are performed by the control unit (1204) provided within the robot.

Meanwhile, each robot may include at least one sensor, and the at least one sensor periodically senses the surrounding environment to generate sensing information. The robot transmits the generated sensing information to a server.

Meanwhile, as examined above, the present invention can set a driving path of a robot within a space by using map information previously stored in a server (20). Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the server (20) utilizes a node map to set a driving path of a robot will be described in more detail.

Figure 13 is a conceptual diagram explaining a node map used to set the robot's movement path.

The server (20) can control the robot to move from its current location to a specific destination. Specifically, the present invention specifies the current location information and the destination location information of the robot, sets a path to reach the destination, and controls the robot to move along the set path to reach the destination.

Accordingly, the present invention proposes map information (node map) for efficiently setting a driving path of a robot. However, the map information described below only describes an example of map information utilized for setting a driving path of a robot, and the robot driving control method according to the present invention is not performed solely by the map information described below.

As described above, a map (or map information) for a building may be stored in the server (20). Referring to FIG. 13, the map for a building stored in the server (20) may be in the form of a two-dimensional plan view, but is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, as shown in Fig. 13, map information may include multiple nodes. In this specification, a ‘node’ means a point or area that serves as a unit target for the movement of a robot. A node may include two pieces of information.

First, the node contains coordinate information. A single node specifies a specific coordinate or coordinate range on the map. For example, a node may be configured to specify a circular area having a certain area on the map. To this end, the coordinate information contained in the node may be configured as a specific coordinate or coordinate range. That is, each node corresponds to a different location in the building.

Second, nodes contain connection information. A single node contains information defining other nodes to which the robot can move from that node. Connection information may include a unique number of another node to which the robot can move from that node, or coordinate information specified by said other node.

The server (20) controls the robot to move from one node to another, and repeats this process so that the robot can reach the target point. In this specification, the robot moving to a specific node means that the robot moves within coordinate information or a coordinate range specified by a specific node.

The present invention uses the above-described location information estimation method and map information to set a movement path for moving a robot from a current location (S) to a destination (A), and then transmits the same to the robot. However, the method using a node map corresponds to one embodiment of controlling the driving of the robot, and the present invention can set the movement path of the robot using a method other than the above-described node map. In other words, the implementation method of the map (map) for setting the movement path of the robot can be very diverse.

In this specification, for convenience of explanation, the node map described above is used to specify the location, shape, etc. of virtual obstacles, but settings related to virtual obstacles do not necessarily have to be made through the node map.

The present invention provides a robot control method and system that enables a plurality of robots driving within a building to efficiently avoid virtual obstacles set within the building when performing control related to the driving of the robot. Hereinafter, this will be examined in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining a robot control method according to the present invention, and FIGS. 15 and 16 are conceptual diagrams showing a robot control method according to the present invention.

First, a step of specifying the location of a virtual obstacle in the building is performed (S120).

The server (20) can input the location of a virtual obstacle or receive the location of a virtual obstacle from a preset terminal. Specifically, the building manager can transmit the location of a virtual obstacle to the server (20) through a preset terminal so that a virtual obstacle is set in a specific area within the building.

The location of a virtual obstacle can be set as a coordinate or coordinate range within the map, or as a node unit as described above.

For example, the location specification of the virtual obstacle can be performed by having the user select at least one coordinate within the map. The screen information for specifying the location of the virtual obstacle can display a map within the building. The user can specify the location of the virtual obstacle by selecting a location or range where the virtual obstacle is to be installed in the screen information.

For another example, the location specification of a virtual obstacle can be performed by having the user select at least one of a plurality of nodes. The screen information for specifying the location of the virtual obstacle can output a plurality of nodes together with a map within the building. The user can specify the location of the virtual obstacle by selecting at least one of the plurality of nodes displayed in the screen information.

Next, a step is performed in which the server (20) uses the location of the specified virtual obstacle to reflect virtual obstacle information about the virtual obstacle on the map (S120).

The server (20) generates virtual obstacle information for the virtual obstacle by using the location of the specified virtual obstacle. Here, the virtual obstacle information includes information on at least one of obstacle location information defining the location of the specified virtual obstacle, the type of the virtual obstacle, the shape of the virtual obstacle, and the size of the virtual obstacle.

Obstacle location information included in virtual obstacle information can define a specific line or a specific area on a map for a building. That is, obstacle location information can define the location of an obstacle in the form of a line or surface.

For example, obstacle location information may define a line connecting multiple coordinates. Alternatively, obstacle location information may define an installed area of an obstacle by including coordinate information of a border for a certain area on a map.

For convenience of explanation, in this specification, the location of an obstacle defined by obstacle location information is expressed as an ‘area where a virtual obstacle is installed.’

Here, the location of the specified virtual obstacle and the obstacle location information included in the virtual obstacle information may be different.

For example, while the location of the specified virtual obstacle may be a plurality of points on the map, the obstacle location information included in the virtual obstacle information may define a line connecting the plurality of points.

For another example, the location of the specified virtual obstacle may be a plurality of points on the map, while the obstacle location information included in the virtual obstacle information may define a specific area on the map.

For another example, the location information of the obstacle may include at least one node information. Specifically, the location information of the obstacle may include a plurality of node information, and a virtual line connecting the plurality of nodes or a virtual surface including each of the plurality of nodes may be defined as an area where the obstacle is installed.

The server (20) updates virtual obstacle information on the map. Accordingly, the map includes information about virtual obstacles installed at locations corresponding to obstacle location information.

Next, a step of specifying at least one robot among the robots located in the building that satisfies a preset distance condition for the virtual obstacle is performed (S130), and a step of transmitting the virtual obstacle information to the specified robot so that the specified robot can drive while avoiding the virtual obstacle is performed (S140).

The server (20) transmits virtual obstacle information to multiple robots moving within the building. At this time, in order to minimize unnecessary communication, the virtual obstacle information may be transmitted only to some of the multiple robots.

Specifically, the server (20) can selectively transmit virtual obstacle information only to robots that satisfy preset distance conditions among robots located in the building.

In one embodiment, the preset distance condition may be a robot located within a preset distance from an area where a virtual obstacle is installed. The server (20) may periodically monitor the location of a robot located within a building, and when the robot approaches within a preset distance from an area where a virtual obstacle is installed, virtual obstacle information may be transmitted to the robot.

In another embodiment, the preset distance condition may be that an area where a virtual obstacle is installed is located on the path where the robot is scheduled to drive. When a virtual obstacle is installed, the server (20) may transmit information about the virtual obstacle to the robot scheduled to drive to the area where the virtual obstacle is installed.

In another embodiment, the server (20) may specify a robot to which virtual obstacle information is to be transmitted based on the task of the robot. Specifically, the server (20) may specify a robot that cannot access an area beyond the virtual obstacle as a robot that drives while avoiding the virtual obstacle based on the task assigned to each robot driving the building. That is, the server (20) may distinguish a robot that can access an area beyond the virtual obstacle and a robot that cannot access it based on the task assigned to the robot, and may transmit virtual obstacle information only to a robot that cannot access an area beyond the virtual obstacle. Even if a robot that can access an area beyond the virtual obstacle approaches within a preset distance from the virtual obstacle, the server (20) may not transmit virtual obstacle information to the robot.

Meanwhile, there may be multiple virtual obstacles located within the building. When there are multiple virtual obstacles located within the building, at least one robot that needs to avoid each virtual obstacle is specified for each of the multiple virtual obstacles, and information about at least one virtual obstacle that needs to be avoided among the multiple virtual obstacles can be transmitted to each of the specified robots. The server (20) determines a preset distance condition for each of the multiple robots and the multiple virtual obstacles, and then specifies a robot that needs to avoid each of the multiple virtual obstacles.

Meanwhile, a robot that has received virtual obstacle information avoids the virtual obstacle based on the virtual obstacle information and sensing information collected from sensors included in the robot. Specifically, a specific robot that has received virtual obstacle information controls the robot's driving so that it can drive in an area other than an area where the virtual obstacle is installed and reach the destination.

In one embodiment, the specific robot determines the current location of the specific robot by using image information collected from an image sensor included in the robot, and, using obstacle location information included in the virtual obstacle information, specifies at least one of a distance between a virtual obstacle and the specific robot based on the current location of the specific robot and a direction in which the virtual obstacle is located. If a virtual obstacle is located on the driving path of the specific robot, the specific robot changes its driving direction to avoid the virtual obstacle.

For example, referring to FIG. 15, the location of a virtual obstacle can be specified through a plurality of nodes (1521) included in the map. The area where the virtual obstacle (1520) is located can be specified by a line connecting the plurality of nodes (1521). When a specific robot approaches an area where the virtual obstacle (1520) is located within a preset distance while driving along a preset driving path (1511), the server (20) transmits virtual obstacle information to the specific robot. The robot sets a new driving path (1512) to avoid the virtual obstacle (1520) by using the received virtual obstacle information and a sensor included in the robot, and reaches the destination through the new driving path (1512).

As described above, the building according to the present invention, the method and system for controlling a robot running in a building, and the building manager can easily set an area to which access by the robots should be restricted by storing information related to a virtual obstacle in a server and sharing it with each of a plurality of robots operating within the building. Furthermore, the present invention can minimize unnecessary communication between the robots and the server by transmitting information related to a virtual obstacle only to some robots close to the virtual obstacle.

Meanwhile, since the virtual obstacle is not actually located in space, the robot may pass through the virtual obstacle due to positioning errors, etc. The present invention provides a robot control method that enables the robot to return outside the virtual obstacle when it fails to avoid the virtual obstacle and passes through it.

The server (20) monitors the location of a specific robot that has transmitted information about the virtual obstacle, and determines whether the specific robot has passed the virtual obstacle based on the monitoring result. Thereafter, the server (20) performs an update on the virtual obstacle with respect to the specific robot based on the determination result.

Specifically, the server (20) determines whether a specific robot has passed a virtual obstacle by using the location of a specific robot monitored at different times. The server (20) can divide a first area and a second area based on the location of the virtual obstacle. The first area is an area where the specific robot was located before passing over the virtual obstacle, and the second area is an area corresponding to an area where the specific robot passed over the virtual obstacle.

The first and second regions may be variable regions based on the position of the robot. Specifically, when the robot is positioned in a first direction relative to a virtual obstacle, the first region is positioned in the first direction relative to the virtual obstacle, and the second region is positioned in a second direction opposite to the first direction relative to the virtual obstacle. In contrast, when the robot is positioned in a second direction relative to the virtual obstacle, the first region is positioned in the second direction relative to the virtual obstacle, and the second region is positioned in the first direction opposite to the second direction relative to the virtual obstacle.

When a robot located in the first area moves to the second area beyond the virtual obstacle, the server (20) determines that the robot has passed the virtual obstacle and performs an update on the virtual obstacle.

At this time, the server (20) can change at least part of the location of the virtual obstacle in the building so that at least part of the virtual obstacle is located in the second area. That is, the server (20) changes at least part of the location of the virtual obstacle based on the location of the robot after the robot passes through the virtual obstacle.

Thereafter, the server (20) can transmit updated information about the virtual obstacle so that the specific robot, which has driven to the second area over the virtual obstacle, returns from the second area to the first area.

The changed virtual obstacle is updated to prevent the robot from further driving in the second area after passing through the existing virtual obstacle. Specifically, the updated virtual obstacle is formed to be spaced apart from the virtual obstacle by a specific distance along one direction of the virtual obstacle.

Here, the direction of the virtual obstacle refers to the direction in which the virtual obstacle extends. For example, if the virtual obstacle has a shape that extends in a specific direction with a specific width, or has a line shape that extends in a specific direction, the direction in which the virtual obstacle extends refers to the specific direction.

Meanwhile, the specific distance means the distance in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the virtual obstacle extends from the virtual obstacle.

The above specific distance may be determined based on at least one of a size of the above specific robot and a driving speed of the above specific robot. The above specific distance may increase as the robot moves further away from an existing virtual obstacle.

Meanwhile, the map includes a plurality of nodes, each corresponding to a different location of the building, and a robot located in the building can drive through the building along at least some of the plurality of nodes. In this case, the virtual obstacle information may include node information for nodes each corresponding to the location of the virtual obstacle.

When the virtual obstacle information includes node information, changes to the virtual obstacle can be performed based on multiple nodes included in the map. Specifically, when performing an update on the virtual obstacle, the server (20) can perform modifications to the nodes each corresponding to the location of the virtual obstacle.

For example, if a virtual obstacle is set as a line connecting multiple nodes, the server (20) can change at least some of the multiple nodes related to the virtual obstacle to other nodes. Accordingly, the position and shape of the virtual obstacle can change. Referring to FIG. 16, the server (20) can change two of the four nodes (four points through which 1620a passes) related to the virtual obstacle to other nodes. Accordingly, the positions of some of the virtual obstacle change, and the shape of the virtual obstacle changes.

At this time, the modification to the nodes respectively corresponding to the positions of the virtual obstacles may be to exclude at least one of the nodes respectively corresponding to the positions of the virtual obstacles and add at least one node different from the nodes respectively corresponding to the positions of the virtual obstacles. Here, the excluded at least one node may be a node corresponding to a position where the specified robot has overcome the virtual obstacle, and the other at least one node may be a node included in the second area.

The node corresponding to the position beyond the above virtual obstacle may be at least one node selected in order of proximity to the position of the robot or a node within a predetermined distance when changing at least a part of the above virtual obstacle.

Meanwhile, the node added above may be a node located in the second area that the robot entered by passing through the virtual obstacle. That is, the present invention changes the location of the virtual obstacle by considering the moving direction of the robot.

Meanwhile, when modifying the above nodes, the number of nodes to be modified can be set by considering the distance the robot has escaped from an existing virtual obstacle, the size of the robot, and the operating range of the robot.

For example, the further the robot is from an existing virtual obstacle, or the larger the robot is, the greater the number of nodes that need to be modified.

For another example, the narrower the robot's operating range, the greater the number of nodes that can be modified. Through this, the present invention allows the robot to return to the area before passing through the virtual obstacle without abruptly changing the driving path and driving direction.

Referring again to FIG. 16, when the robot drives in the first direction and passes the virtual obstacle (1620a), the server (20) transmits information related to the changed virtual obstacle (1620b) to the robot. When the robot receives information related to the changed virtual obstacle (1620b), the robot can no longer drive in the first direction to avoid the changed virtual obstacle (1620b) and changes its driving direction. As the robot drives to avoid the changed virtual obstacle (1620b), it returns to the area where it was located before passing the existing virtual obstacle (1620a).

Meanwhile, the server (20) may transmit a control command to the specified robot to stop the operation of the specified robot when the specified robot passes through the virtual obstacle. In particular, the server (20) may determine that there is a problem with the function of the robot when the robot passes through the updated virtual obstacle, and may stop the operation of the robot so that repair or recovery measures can be taken.

As described above, according to the present invention, when a robot passes through a virtual obstacle due to a positioning error, the position of the virtual obstacle is changed so that the robot can return to the position before passing through the virtual obstacle. Through this, the present invention minimizes the robot's driving in the restricted access area while simultaneously allowing the robot to naturally drive out of the restricted access area even when the robot enters an area where the robot's access is restricted.

Meanwhile, virtual obstacles can be installed in various forms and various locations within a building. Below, the forms of virtual obstacles and the locations where they are installed are described in more detail.

Figure 17 is a conceptual diagram showing the shape of a virtual obstacle, and Figures 18 and 19 are conceptual diagrams showing virtual obstacles installed inside a building.

In one embodiment, referring to (a) of FIG. 17, a virtual obstacle can be installed on a map by a user specifying a plurality of nodes. Specifically, when a user selects a plurality of nodes arranged in a row to specify the location of a virtual obstacle, a virtual obstacle is installed based on the selected nodes.

Referring to (b) of Fig. 17, the area where the virtual obstacle is located may be in the form of a line. Specifically, when a user selects multiple nodes, the virtual obstacle may be installed in the form of a line connecting the multiple nodes.

In contrast, referring to (c) of Fig. 17, the area where the virtual obstacle is located may be in the form of a plane. Specifically, when the user selects multiple nodes, the virtual obstacle may be installed on an area in the form of a plane that extends in the direction in which the multiple selected nodes are arranged and has a predetermined thickness.

Meanwhile, virtual obstacles can be installed in various locations within the building.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 18, virtual obstacles may be installed around facilities installed in a building. For example, virtual obstacles (1820) may be installed around facilities (1830) that are difficult to detect through sensors included in the robot. Specifically, virtual obstacles (1820) may be installed around facilities made of transparent materials (e.g., glass doors) to prevent the robot from colliding with the facilities.

In this case, the virtual obstacle (1820) can be installed to be spaced apart from the facility (1830) by a predetermined distance. The virtual obstacle (1820) can be installed based on the first node (1821) spaced apart from the facility (1830) by a predetermined distance. When the robot passes the virtual obstacle (1820), the location of the virtual obstacle (1820) is changed to a second node (1821') located closer to the facility (1830) than the first node (1821), thereby preventing the robot from driving in the direction in which the facility (1830) is located. Through this, the present invention can prevent the robot from colliding with the facility by changing the location of the virtual obstacle to be adjacent to the facility even if the robot passes the virtual obstacle due to a positioning error or the like.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 19, a virtual obstacle can be installed in any area of a building. For example, a virtual obstacle (1820) can be installed around a structure (1930) temporarily placed in a building. Specifically, if a structure (1930) is placed for an event held in a building, the map does not contain information about the structure (1930), so the robot cannot be prevented from entering the area where the structure (1930) is installed.

In a case where it is desired to prevent a robot from entering a specific area (hereinafter, a no-entry area) within a building, a virtual obstacle may be installed around the no-entry area. In this case, the virtual obstacle (1920) may be installed at a predetermined distance from the no-entry area. The virtual obstacle (1920) may be installed based on a first node (1921) located at a predetermined distance from the no-entry area. When the robot passes through the virtual obstacle (1920), the location of the virtual obstacle (1920) is changed to a second node (1921') located closer to the no-entry area than the first node (1921), thereby preventing the robot from driving in the direction where the no-entry area is located. Through this, even if the robot passes through the virtual obstacle due to a positioning error, the present invention can minimize the time the robot spends driving in the no-entry area and at the same time induce the robot to quickly escape from the no-entry area.

Meanwhile, the present invention discussed above can be implemented as a program that is executed by one or more processes on a computer and can be stored on a medium that can be read by the computer.

Furthermore, the present invention discussed above can be implemented as a computer-readable code or command on a medium in which a program is recorded. That is, various control methods according to the present invention can be provided in the form of a program, either integrated or individually.

Meanwhile, computer-readable media include all types of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable media include hard disk drives (HDDs), solid state disks (SSDs), silicon disk drives (SDDs), ROMs, RAMs, CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, and optical data storage devices.

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

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

Meanwhile, the above detailed description should not be construed as restrictive in all respects but should be considered as illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (19)

A method for controlling a robot moving through a building based on a map of the building,
A step of specifying the location of a virtual obstacle in the above building;
A step of reflecting virtual obstacle information about the virtual obstacle on the map by using the location of the specified virtual obstacle;
A step of specifying at least one robot among the robots located in the building that satisfies a preset distance condition to the virtual obstacle; and
Including a step of transmitting the virtual obstacle information to the specified robot so that the specified robot can drive while avoiding the virtual obstacle,
A robot control method characterized in that, following the step of reflecting the virtual obstacle information on the map, a step of specifying at least one robot satisfying the preset distance condition is performed, and the virtual obstacle information is transmitted to only some of the plurality of robots located in the building. In the first paragraph, a step of monitoring the position of the specified robot;
A step of determining whether the specified robot has passed the virtual obstacle based on the monitoring result; and
A robot control method, characterized by including a step of performing an update on the virtual obstacle with respect to the specified robot based on the judgment result. In the second paragraph,
As a result of the above judgment, if the specified robot passes through the virtual obstacle as it drives to an area beyond the virtual obstacle, an update is made to the virtual obstacle.
The above building,
The first area where the above-mentioned specific robot was located before it overcame the above-mentioned virtual obstacle, and
The above-mentioned specific robot includes a second area corresponding to an area beyond the virtual obstacle,
In the step of performing an update on the virtual obstacle in relation to the above-mentioned specific robot,
A robot control method characterized by changing at least a part of the position of the virtual obstacle in the building so that at least a part of the virtual obstacle is located in the second area. In the third paragraph,
A robot control method, characterized in that the position of the virtual obstacle is updated so as to be closer to the second area than to the first area, with the specified robot in between. In the third paragraph,
A robot control method, characterized in that it comprises a step of transmitting information about the updated virtual obstacle to the specified robot so that the specified robot, which has driven to the second area over the virtual obstacle, returns from the second area to the first area along the updated virtual obstacle. In the third paragraph,
The above map includes a plurality of nodes, each corresponding to a different location in the building,
A robot located in said building drives through said building along at least some of said plurality of nodes,
The above virtual obstacle information is,
A robot control method characterized in that it includes node information for nodes each corresponding to the location of the virtual obstacle. In Article 6,
In the step of performing an update on the virtual obstacle in relation to the above-mentioned specific robot,
A robot control method characterized by performing modifications to the nodes respectively corresponding to the positions of the virtual obstacles. In Article 7,
Modifications to the nodes corresponding to the positions of the virtual obstacles are as follows:
It is characterized by adding at least one node different from the nodes corresponding to the positions of the virtual obstacles, excluding at least one of the nodes corresponding to the positions of the virtual obstacles,
At least one node excluded is a node corresponding to a location where the specified robot has overcome the virtual obstacle,
A robot control method, characterized in that the at least one other node is a node included in the second area. In Article 8,
A robot control method, characterized in that the updated virtual obstacle is formed to be spaced apart from the virtual obstacle by a specific distance along one direction of the virtual obstacle. In Article 9,
The above specific distance is,
A robot control method characterized in that the method is determined based on at least one of the size of the specified robot and the driving speed of the specified robot. In the second paragraph,
A robot control method characterized by further comprising a step of transmitting a control command to the specified robot to stop driving of the specified robot if the specified robot passes the virtual obstacle as a result of the determination. In the first paragraph,
In the step of specifying at least one robot that satisfies the above preset distance condition,
A robot control method characterized by specifying at least one robot among the robots driving in the building that is located within a preset distance from the virtual obstacle or is scheduled to drive around the virtual obstacle. In the first paragraph,
In the step of specifying at least one robot that satisfies the above preset distance condition,
A robot control method characterized in that, based on the tasks assigned to each robot driving through the building, a robot that cannot access an area beyond the virtual obstacle is specified as a robot that drives while avoiding the virtual obstacle. In Article 13,
If there are multiple virtual obstacles located within the above building,
For each of the multiple virtual obstacles, at least one robot that needs to avoid each virtual obstacle is specified,
A robot control method, characterized in that information about at least one virtual obstacle that needs to be avoided among the plurality of virtual obstacles is transmitted to each specific robot. In a building where robots run and are controlled by cloud servers,
The above building,
Includes a communication unit that receives driving and control commands for the robot from the cloud server and transmits them to the robot.
The above cloud server,
Identify the location of the virtual obstacle in the above building,
By using the location of the specified virtual obstacle, virtual obstacle information about the virtual obstacle is reflected on the map,
Identify at least one robot among the robots located in the above building that satisfies the preset distance condition for the above virtual obstacle,
Transmitting the virtual obstacle information to the specified robot so that the specified robot can drive while avoiding the virtual obstacle,
A building characterized in that the virtual obstacle information is reflected on the map, and then at least one robot satisfying the preset distance condition is specified, and the virtual obstacle information is transmitted only to some of the plurality of robots located in the building. In Article 15,
The above cloud server,
A building characterized in that, based on the monitoring result, it is determined whether the specified robot has passed the virtual obstacle, and, based on the determination result, an update is performed on the virtual obstacle with respect to the specified robot. In Article 16,
The above cloud server,
A building characterized in that information about the updated virtual obstacle is transmitted to the specified robot so that the specified robot, having driven to an area beyond the virtual obstacle, returns to the area before overcoming the virtual obstacle along the updated virtual obstacle. delete delete