Robot and control method thereof

Abstract

A robot is disclosed. The robot according to the present disclosure includes: a light emitting unit; a camera; and a processor, wherein the processor can obtain first information about the object by using the camera when the light emitting unit outputs light for obtaining distance information about the object, obtain second information about the object by using the camera when the light emitting unit does not output light, obtain third information about the object based on the first information and the second information, obtain information about an external light area based on at least one of the first information, the second information, and the third information, and generate a driving path of the robot based on the information about the external light area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a robot and a control method thereof. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a robot that generates a travel path based on information about an external light area and a control method thereof.

[0002] This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0100228 filed on August 11, 2020 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art

[0003] Recently, with the development of electronic technology, research on autonomous robots is actively progressing. For the smooth driving of the robot, it is important to obtain distance information to the robot's surroundings. As an example of a method of obtaining distance information, the robot may output light and obtain distance information to the object by receiving light reflected from the object.

[0004] When the robot travels in an environment exposed to external light (such as sunlight), the robot may receive external light. In this case, since the robot cannot distinguish between the light output by the robot and the external light, the robot may recognize the external light as an object, so there is a problem of low travel efficiency.

[0005] Therefore, there is an increasing need for technologies that prevent false detection of objects and generate efficient driving paths. Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] A technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a robot that generates an effective driving path based on information about an external light area.

[0008] The technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical problems not described will be clearly understood from the following description by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs.

[0009] Technical Solution

[0010] According to an embodiment, a robot may be provided, comprising a light-emitting component, a camera, and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to perform the following operations: obtaining first information about the object using the camera when the light-emitting component outputs light for obtaining distance information to the object, and obtaining second information about the object using the camera when the light-emitting component does not output the light, obtaining third information about the object based on the first information and the second information, obtaining information about an external light area based on at least one of the first information, the second information, and the third information, and generating a driving path of the robot based on the information about the external light area.

[0011] The first information may include a first image captured by the camera when the light-emitting component outputs the light, the second information may include a second image captured by the camera when the light-emitting component does not output the light, and the third information may include a third image, wherein in the third image, pixel values ​​of the second image are subtracted from pixel values ​​of the first image.

[0012] The processor may be configured to obtain position information of pixels having a size greater than or equal to a threshold value among the pixels of the second image, and obtain the obtained position information of the pixels as the position information about the external light area.

[0013] The processor may be configured to identify at least one pixel having a size greater than or equal to a threshold from pixels of the first image, obtain thickness information of an area corresponding to the identified at least one pixel, compare the obtained thickness information with pre-stored thickness information of the light, and identify whether the area corresponding to the identified at least one pixel corresponds to an external light area.

[0014] The processor may be configured to obtain thickness information of an area corresponding to the at least one identified pixel, and obtain thickness information of an area corresponding to the at least one identified pixel based on position information of a first pixel located at a lower end of the at least one identified pixel and position information of a second pixel located at an upper end of the at least one identified pixel.

[0015] The first information may include first distance information to at least one object included in a first image, wherein the first image is captured by the camera when the light-emitting component outputs the light, the second information may include second distance information to at least one object included in a second image, wherein the second image is captured by the camera when the light-emitting component does not output the light, and the third information may include third distance information, wherein in the third distance information, the second distance information is subtracted from the first distance information.

[0016] The processor may be configured to identify distance information within a threshold range from the second distance information, obtain position information of pixels of the second image corresponding to the identified distance information, and obtain the obtained position information of the pixels as position information about the external light area.

[0017] The processor may be configured to obtain distance information to an object included in the third image, and generate a driving path that bypasses the object and the external light area based on the distance information to the object and the information about the external light area.

[0018] According to one embodiment, a robot control method may be provided, comprising: obtaining first information about an object using a camera when a light-emitting component outputs light for obtaining distance information to the object, and obtaining second information about the object using the camera when the light-emitting component does not output the light, obtaining third information about the object based on the first information and the second information, obtaining information about an external light area based on at least one of the first information, the second information, and the third information, and generating a driving path of the robot based on the information about the external light area.

[0019] The obtaining of the information about the external light region may include obtaining position information of pixels having a size greater than or equal to a threshold among pixels of the second image, and obtaining the obtained position information of the pixels as the position information about the external light region.

[0020] The step of obtaining information about the external light area may include: identifying at least one pixel having a size greater than or equal to a threshold from the pixels of the first image, obtaining thickness information of an area corresponding to the identified at least one pixel, and comparing the obtained thickness information with pre-stored thickness information of the light, and identifying whether the area corresponding to the identified at least one pixel corresponds to the external light area.

[0021] The step of obtaining thickness information of the area corresponding to the at least one identified pixel may include: obtaining thickness information of the area corresponding to the at least one identified pixel based on position information of a first pixel located at the lower end of the at least one identified pixel and position information of a second pixel located at the upper end of the at least one identified pixel.

[0022] The step of obtaining information about the external light area may include: identifying distance information within a threshold range from the second distance information, obtaining position information of pixels of the second image corresponding to the identified distance information, and obtaining the obtained position information of the pixels as position information about the external light area.

[0023] The control method may further include obtaining distance information about an object included in the third image, and the step of generating the driving path may include generating a driving path that bypasses the object and the external light area based on the distance information about the object and the information about the external light area.

[0024] The technical solutions of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned technical solutions, and a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs will clearly understand the technical solutions not mentioned in the present disclosure from the description and drawings of the present disclosure.

[0025] Effects of the Invention

[0026] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure as described above, the robot can generate an effective driving path based on information about the external light area. Therefore, user satisfaction and convenience can be enhanced.

[0027] In addition, the effects that can be obtained or predicted by the embodiments of the present disclosure will be directly or implicitly described in the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, various effects that can be predicted according to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in the detailed description to be described below.

[0028] Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, describes various embodiments of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent through the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0030] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a method of obtaining distance information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an image according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 4a is a diagram illustrating a method of obtaining information about an external light area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 4b is a diagram illustrating a method of obtaining information about an external light area according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 4c is a diagram illustrating a method of obtaining information about an external light area according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 5 is a diagram showing a driving path according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating a camera according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 8is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0040] Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a robot according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] Terms used in the present disclosure will be briefly described, and the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0042] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are currently widely used general terms selected in consideration of their functions in this article. However, these terms may change according to the intention of ordinary technicians in the relevant field, legal or technical interpretations, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in some cases, there may be arbitrarily selected terms, and in this case, the meaning of the term will be disclosed in more detail in the corresponding description. Therefore, the terms used herein should be defined based on the meaning of the term and the overall context of the present disclosure, rather than simply defined by their names.

[0043] Various modifications may be made to the embodiments of the present disclosure, and various types of embodiments may exist. Therefore, specific embodiments will be shown in the drawings, and the embodiments will be described in detail in the specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the various embodiments are not used to limit the scope of the present disclosure to specific embodiments, but it should be understood that they include all modifications, equivalents or substitutions of the embodiments included in the ideas and technical scope disclosed herein. In the case where it is determined that the detailed description of the relevant known technology may unnecessarily confuse the main purpose of the present disclosure when describing the embodiments, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0044] Terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited by the terms. These terms may be used only to distinguish one element from another element.

[0045] Unless otherwise specified, singular expressions include plural expressions. In the present disclosure, it should be understood that terms such as "consisting of" or "comprising" are used herein to indicate the presence of features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, without excluding the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0046] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings to help those skilled in the art understand. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in various different forms, and it should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the various embodiments described herein. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, parts that are not related to the description have been omitted to clearly describe the present disclosure, and throughout the present disclosure, the same reference numerals may be used to indicate the same elements.

[0047] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] Reference Figure 1 The robot 100 may include a light emitting component 110 , a camera 120 , a traveling component 130 , a memory 140 and a processor 150 .

[0049] The light emitting component 110 may output light for obtaining distance information to an object. At this time, the distance information to the object may refer to the distance between the robot 100 and the object. The light emitting component 110 may output light at preset time intervals. For example, the light emitting component 110 may output light in a first time period and not output light in a second time period. The light emitting component 110 may output lasers in various forms. For example, the light emitting component 110 may output lasers in the form of a line beam in a direction horizontal to the ground. The light emitting component 110 may be implemented as various laser devices. For example, the light emitting component 110 may be implemented as a laser diode (LD) or a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL).

[0050] The camera 120 may capture the surroundings of the robot 100 and obtain reflected light reflected from an object. Specifically, the camera 120 may obtain reflected light reflected from an object after being output from the light emitting component 110. In addition, the camera 120 may obtain external light. Here, the external light may include sunlight. The camera 120 may include various types of sensor devices. For example, the camera 120 may include a charge coupled device (CCD) sensor, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, a photodiode (PD), and an avalanche photodiode (APD).

[0051] The traveling part 130 may be a structure for moving the robot 100. Specifically, the traveling part 130 may include an actuator for traveling the robot 100.

[0052] The memory 140 may store an operating system (OS) for controlling the overall operations of the elements of the robot 100 and commands or data associated with the elements of the robot 100. To this end, the memory 140 may be implemented as a nonvolatile memory (e.g., a hard disk, a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory), a volatile memory, or the like.

[0053] The processor 150 may control the overall operation of the robot 100. The processor 150 may include an image acquisition module 151, a distance information acquisition module 152, a correction image acquisition module 153, a driving path generation module 154, and an external light region recognition module 155.

[0054] The image acquisition module 151 may obtain an image of the environment around the robot 100 using the camera 120. The image acquisition module 151 may generate an image based on the light obtained by the camera 120. In the image obtained by the image acquisition module 151, objects existing in the environment around the robot 100 and light reflected from the objects after being output from the light emitting component 110 may be included. For example, the image acquisition module 151 may obtain a first image when the light emitting component 110 outputs light, and obtain a second image when the light emitting component 110 does not output light. At this time, the light output from the light emitting component 110 may be included in the first image, but the light output from the light emitting component 110 may not be included in the second image.

[0055] The distance information acquisition module 152 may analyze the image obtained by the image acquisition module 151 and obtain distance information to the object included in the image. For example, the distance information acquisition module 152 may obtain the distance information to the object based on triangulation. Specifically, the distance information acquisition module 152 may identify pixels whose sizes are within a threshold range from pixels in the image. Then, the distance information acquisition module 152 may calculate the distance to the object corresponding to the identified pixel based on the position of the identified pixel. The distance information acquisition module 152 may calculate the distance to the object based on the position of the pixel corresponding to the light output from the light emitting component 110 on the image.

[0056] Based on the distance information obtained by the distance information obtaining module 152, the robot may generate a driving path and travel according to the generated driving path. The light obtained by the camera 120 may include not only the light output from the light emitting component 110, but also external light (e.g., sunlight). Therefore, the external light area (or external light) may exist in the image obtained by the image obtaining module 151. When the distance information is obtained based on the image including the external light area and the driving path is generated, since the external light area is processed like an object (or obstacle), the accuracy of the distance information and the driving efficiency of the robot 100 may be reduced. That is, although there is actually no object, a driving path that bypasses the external light area is generated based on the external light being recognized as an object.

[0057] As described above, in order to prevent the driving efficiency of the robot 100 from being reduced due to external light, the correction image acquisition module 153 may obtain a new image from which the external light area is removed. Figure 2 As shown, the correction image acquisition module 153 may generate the third image 30 based on the first image 10 obtained when the light emitting component 110 outputs light and the second image 20 obtained when the light emitting component 110 does not output light. Specifically, the correction image acquisition module 153 may generate the third image 30 by subtracting the pixel value of the second image 20 from the pixel value of the first image 10. Figure 2As shown, the first image 10 may include the region A (or the laser region) corresponding to the light output from the light emitting part 110 and the external light region B, but the third image 30 may not include the external light region B.

[0058] The distance information obtaining module 152 may obtain the third distance information 31 based on the third image 30 from which the external light region is removed. The distance information obtaining module 152 may obtain the third distance information 31 based on the position of the laser region A on the third image 30. The third distance information 31 may include distance data r corresponding to each of the plurality of angles (θ).

[0059] The driving path generation module 154 may generate a driving path based on the third distance information 31. The processor 150 may control the driving component 130 of the robot 100 to drive along the generated driving path. As described above, by obtaining distance information based on the third image, the accuracy of the distance information may be improved, and the driving efficiency of the robot 100 may be improved.

[0060] like Figure 3 As shown, the laser area A and the external light area B may overlap. Since the correction image acquisition module 153 generates the third image 30 by subtracting the pixel value of the second image 20 from the pixel value of the first image 10, not only the external light area B but also a portion of the laser area A may be removed. In this case, when a driving path is generated based on the third image 30, the laser area A removed when the driving path is generated is not reflected, so that a problem of collision with an object existing in the external light area B may occur because the robot 100 must travel to the external light area B.

[0061] To prevent problems such as those described above, when the laser area A and the external light area B overlap, the external light area recognition module 155 may recognize the external light area B, and the driving path generation module 154 may generate a driving path that bypasses the recognized external light area B.

[0062] The external light region recognition module 155 may recognize the external light region B based on the information about the object. Here, the information about the object may include an image of the captured object and distance information to the object. For example, the information about the object may include a first image captured when the light emitting component 110 outputs light and a second image captured when the light emitting component 110 does not output light. Alternatively, the information about the object may include distance information to the object included in the first image and distance information to the object included in the second image.

[0063] A method of recognizing an external light region according to various embodiments will be described below.

[0064] According to an embodiment, the external light region recognition module 155 may recognize the external light region B by analyzing the first image 10. Specifically, the external light region recognition module 155 may recognize pixels having a size greater than or equal to a threshold value from pixels of the first image 10. The external light region recognition module 155 may recognize a region corresponding to the recognized pixels. The external light region recognition module 155 may obtain thickness information of the recognized region. The external light region recognition module 155 may obtain thickness information of the recognized region based on position information of pixels located at the lower end and pixels located at the upper end among a plurality of pixels having a size greater than or equal to the threshold value.

[0065] The external light region recognition module 155 may compare the obtained information about the thickness with the pre-stored information about the thickness of the light, and recognize whether the region corresponding to the recognized pixel corresponds to the external light region B. Here, the pre-stored information about the thickness of the light may include a lookup table in which information about the position within the image and the thickness of the light are matched and stored. For example, if the thickness of the region corresponding to the recognized pixel is greater than the thickness stored in the lookup table, the external light region recognition module 155 may recognize the region corresponding to the recognized pixel as the external light region B. Alternatively, if the difference between the thickness of the region corresponding to the recognized pixel and the thickness stored in the lookup table is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the external light region recognition module 155 may recognize the region corresponding to the recognized pixel as the external light region B.

[0066] The external light region recognition module 155 may recognize the external light region B by analyzing the pattern of the first image 10. Specifically, the external light region recognition module 155 may recognize pixels having a size greater than or equal to a threshold value from the pixels of the first image 10. The external light region recognition module 155 may compare the pattern of the region corresponding to the recognized pixel with a pre-stored pattern and recognize the external light region B. For example, the external light region recognition module 155 may obtain a similarity with a pre-stored pattern based on the pattern of the region corresponding to the recognized pixel, and the obtained similarity is less than or equal to the threshold value, and recognize the recognized region as the external light region B. Here, the pre-stored pattern may be defined based on the form of light output from the light emitting part 110 (for example, a line beam form).

[0067] According to another embodiment, the external light region recognition module 155 may recognize the external light region B by analyzing the second image 20. Specifically, the external light region recognition module 155 may recognize pixels having a size greater than or equal to a threshold value from pixels of the second image 20. The external light region recognition module 155 may recognize a region corresponding to the recognized pixels as the external light region B. That is, since the second image 20 is an image obtained when the light emitting part 110 does not output light, the external light region recognition module 155 may determine that the corresponding pixel has a size greater than or equal to the threshold value based on the presence of pixels having a size greater than or equal to the threshold value in the second image 20 according to the external light.

[0068] The external light region recognition module 155 may recognize the external light region based on the distance information obtained by the distance information obtaining module 152. The distance information may include the distance from the robot 100 and information based on the angle (or position) of the robot 100. Figure 4a As shown, the distance information may include distance data r respectively corresponding to a plurality of angles (θ). As described above, the distance information obtaining module 152 may obtain the first distance information 11 based on the first image 10 and obtain the second distance information 21 based on the second image 20 using triangulation.

[0069] The external light region recognition module 155 may recognize the external light region B based on the second distance information 21. For example, the external light region recognition module 155 may obtain distance data (r 3 ,r 4 ,r 5 ,r 6 ,r 7 Then, the external light region recognition module 155 may obtain the distance data (r 3 ,r 4 ,r 5 ,r 6 ,r 7 ) The external light region identifying module 155 may obtain the obtained position information of the pixel as position information about the external light region B.

[0070] The distance information obtaining module 152 may obtain the third distance information 31 by subtracting the second distance information 21 from the first distance information 11. Then, the driving path generating module 154 may generate a driving path based on the third distance information 31 and the position information about the external light area B. In one example, the driving path generating module 154 may generate a driving path that bypasses the laser area A and the external light area B.

[0071] When the external light region B is recognized based on the second distance information 21, the external light region recognition module 155 may change the value of the distance data corresponding to the recognized external light region B to a preset value and store it. Figure 4b As shown, the external light region recognition module 155 can convert the distance data (r 3 ,r 4 ,r 5 ,r 6 ,r 7 ) is changed to a preset value c and the preset value c is stored. Therefore, the third distance information 31 obtained by the distance information obtaining module 152 may include distance data reflected by the preset value c. In this case, the driving path generating module 154 may 3 ,r 4 ,r 5 ,r 6 ,r 7 ) to generate bypass and distance data (r 3 ,r 4 ,r 5 ,r 6 ,r 7 ) The driving path of the area corresponding to the external light area B. As described above, the external light area recognition module 155 may change the distance data corresponding to the external light area B into a preset value so that the preset value may be reflected and stored when generating the driving path.

[0072] exist Figure 4a and Figure 4b Although an embodiment has been described in which the distance information obtaining module 152 obtains the third distance information 31 by subtracting the second distance information 21 from the first distance information 11, the distance information obtaining module 152 may obtain the third distance information 31 based on the third image 30 obtained by the corrected image obtaining module 153.

[0073] Reference Figure 4c, the correction image acquisition module 153 may generate the third image 30 by subtracting the pixel value of the second image 20 from the pixel value of the first image 10. The robot 100 may move between the time point of capturing the first image 10 and the time point of capturing the second image. Therefore, it may be necessary to match the positions of the pixels of the first image 10 and the pixels of the second image 20. The correction image acquisition module 153 may correct the positions of the pixels of the first image 10 or the second image 20 before subtracting the pixel values ​​of the second image 20 from the pixel values ​​of the first image 10. Then, the distance information acquisition module 152 may generate the third image 30 by subtracting the pixel values ​​of the second image 20 from the pixel values ​​of the first image 10. The distance information acquisition module 152 may obtain the third distance information 31 including the distance information to the laser area A based on the positions of the pixels corresponding to the laser area A included in the third image 30. That is, the distance information acquisition module 152 may obtain the third distance information 31 based on triangulation.

[0074] Each module of the processor 150 described above may be implemented by software, or in a combination of software and hardware.

[0075] exist Figure 1 , a plurality of modules 151 to 155 have been shown as one configuration of the processor 150. However, this is merely one embodiment, and the plurality of modules 151 to 155 may be stored in the memory 140. At this time, the processor 150 may load the plurality of modules 151 to 155 stored in the memory 140 from the nonvolatile memory to the volatile memory, and execute the corresponding functions of the plurality of modules 151 to 155.

[0076] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a travel path of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0077] like Figure 5 As shown, the robot 100 can generate a driving path P that bypasses the laser area A and the external light area B. Because the robot of the prior art is only based on Figure 4a and Figure 4b Since the driving path is generated based on the third distance information 31 without considering the external light area B, the area where the distance value from the third distance information 31 is 0 has been determined as a free space, and a driving path passing through the free space has been generated. Therefore, the robot of the prior art generates a driving path passing through the external light area B, and if there is an object in the external light area B, there is a problem of a collision accident. On the other hand, since the robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure generates a driving path considering not only the third distance information 31 but also the external light area B, it is possible to generate a driving path that bypasses the external light area B, thereby improving driving stability.

[0078] In the above, the robot 100 obtains the first image 10 when the light emitting component 110 outputs light, and obtains the second image 20 when the light emitting component 110 does not output light. However, this is only one embodiment, and the robot 100 can be implemented so that the second image 20 can be obtained when the light emitting component 110 outputs light.

[0079] Figure 6 is a block diagram of a robot showing a method of obtaining a second image according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 , the camera 120 may include a first sensor 121 and a second sensor 122. At this time, the second sensor 122 may include a filter (e.g., a band-stop filter) that rejects light corresponding to the wavelength (e.g., 905 nm) of the light output from the light emitting component 110. Therefore, even in the case where the light emitting component 110 outputs light, the second sensor 122 can obtain the second image 20 that does not include the laser area. In addition, the first sensor 121 can obtain the first image 10 that includes the laser area. The processor 150 may obtain a third image 30 from which the external light area is removed based on the first image 10 and the second image 20.

[0080] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0081] The robot 100 may obtain first information about the object using a camera when the light emitting component outputs light for obtaining distance information to the object, and obtain second information about the object using a camera when the light emitting component does not output light (S710). Here, the first information and the second information may be images captured by the camera. Alternatively, the first information and the second information may be distance information obtained based on the image. In the present disclosure, the information may include an image and distance information.

[0082] The robot 100 may obtain third information about the object based on the first information and the second information (S720). Based on the first information and the second information as images, the robot 100 may subtract the pixel value of the second information from the pixel value of the first information and obtain third information (third image). If the first information and the second information are distance data to each area within the image, the robot 100 may obtain the third information by subtracting the second information from the first information.

[0083] The robot 100 may obtain information about the external light area based on at least one of the first information, the second information, and the third information (S730). In one example, the robot 100 may obtain information about the external light area by analyzing the second information. Specifically, based on the second information being an image, the robot 100 may obtain position information of pixels whose sizes are greater than or equal to a threshold value among pixels of the second information. The robot 100 may obtain the obtained position information of the pixels as position information about the external light area. Based on the second information being distance information, the robot 100 may identify distance information within a threshold range from the second information. The robot 100 may obtain position information corresponding to the identified distance information, and obtain the obtained position information of the pixels as position information about the external light area.

[0084] The robot 100 may generate a driving path of the robot 100 based on the information about the external light area (S740). The robot 100 may generate a driving path that bypasses the external light area. Therefore, the driving stability of the robot 100 can be improved.

[0085] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0086] The robot 100 may obtain a first image using a camera when the light emitting component outputs light for obtaining distance information to the object, and obtain a second image using a camera when the light emitting component does not output light (S810). Therefore, although information about the light output from the light emitting component may be included in the first image, information about the light output from the light emitting component may not be included in the second image.

[0087] The robot 100 may obtain a third image by subtracting the pixel value of the second image from the pixel value of the first image (S820). Therefore, information about the external light area may not be included in the third image. The robot 100 may obtain distance information to an object included in the third image by analyzing the third image (S830). At this time, the robot 100 may obtain distance information to the object based on the position of the light output from the light emitting component in the third image.

[0088] The robot 100 may obtain information about the external light region based on at least one of the first image, the second image, and the third image (S840). In one example, the robot 100 may identify pixels whose size is greater than or equal to a threshold value from the pixels of the first image. At this time, the robot 100 may obtain thickness information of the region corresponding to the identified pixels. Then, the robot 100 may compare the obtained thickness information with the pre-stored thickness information, and identify whether the region corresponding to the identified pixels corresponds to the external light region. In another example, the robot 100 may identify the external light region included in the first image by comparing and analyzing the pattern of the first image with the pre-stored pattern.

[0089] The robot 100 may generate a driving path based on the distance information to the object and the information about the external light area (S850). The robot 100 may generate a driving path to travel at a preset distance or more from the object and the external light area.

[0090] Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a robot according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0091] The robot 100 may obtain a first image using a camera when the light emitting component outputs light for obtaining distance information to an object, and obtain a second image using a camera when the light emitting component does not output light (S910). Figure 8 Corresponding to operation S810 in , a detailed description of this operation will be omitted.

[0092] The robot 100 may obtain first distance information based on the first image and obtain second distance information based on the second image (S920). The robot 100 may obtain the first distance information and the second distance information based on triangulation. Then, the robot 100 may obtain third distance information by subtracting the second distance information from the first distance information (S930).

[0093] The robot 100 may obtain information about the external light area based on the second distance information (S940). The robot 100 may identify distance information within a threshold range from the second distance information, and obtain position information of pixels of the second image corresponding to the identified distance information. The robot 100 may obtain the obtained position information of the pixels as position information about the external light area.

[0094] The robot 100 may generate a driving path based on the third distance information and the information about the external light area (S950). The robot 100 may generate a driving path to travel at a preset distance or more from the object and the external light area based on the distance information to the object and the position information of the external light area included in the third distance information. That is, the robot 100 may generate a driving path that bypasses the object and the external light area.

[0095] The various embodiments described above can be implemented in a computer or in a recording medium that can be read by a device similar to a computer using software, hardware, or a combination thereof. In some cases, the embodiments described in this disclosure can be implemented by a processor itself. Based on software implementation, the embodiments of the processes and functions described in this disclosure can be implemented with separate software modules. Each of the above software modules can perform at least one function and operation described in this disclosure.

[0096] Computer instructions for executing the processing operations according to the above-mentioned various embodiments may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. When the computer instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium are executed by a processor, a specific device may execute the processing operations according to the above-mentioned various embodiments.

[0097] A non-transitory computer-readable medium may refer to a medium that stores data semi-permanently rather than for a very short period of time, such as a register, a cache, a memory, etc., and can be read by a device. Specific examples of non-transitory computer-readable media may include, for example, but not limited to, a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a hard disk, a Blu-ray disc, a USB, a memory card, a ROM, etc.

[0098] Although the present disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the various exemplary embodiments are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and full scope of the present disclosure including the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A robot comprising: Light-emitting components; camera; as well as processor, The processor is configured to perform the following operations: obtaining first information about the object using the camera when the light emitting part outputs light for obtaining distance information to the object, and obtaining second information about the object using the camera when the light emitting part does not output the light, obtaining third information about the object based on the first information and the second information, obtaining information about the external light area based on at least one of the first information, the second information, and the third information, and generating a travel path of the robot based on information about the external light area, The second information includes a second image captured by the camera when the light emitting component does not output the light. Wherein, the step of obtaining information about the external light area comprises: obtaining position information of pixels of the second image including pixel values ​​greater than or equal to a threshold value, and The obtained position information of the pixel is obtained as position information on the external light area.

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein: The first information includes a first image captured by the camera when the light emitting component outputs the light, and The third information includes a third image in which pixel values ​​of the second image are subtracted from pixel values ​​of the first image.

3. The robot according to claim 2, wherein: The processor is configured to perform the following operations: identifying at least one pixel from the pixels of the first image that includes a pixel value greater than or equal to a threshold value, obtaining thickness information of a region corresponding to the identified at least one pixel, and The obtained thickness information is compared with pre-stored thickness information of the light, and it is identified whether a region corresponding to the identified at least one pixel corresponds to the external light region.

4. The robot according to claim 3, wherein: The processor is configured to perform the following operations: obtaining thickness information of a region corresponding to the identified at least one pixel, and Based on the position information of a first pixel located at a lower end among the at least one identified pixel and the position information of a second pixel located at an upper end among the at least one identified pixel, the thickness information of a region corresponding to the at least one identified pixel is obtained.

5. The robot according to claim 1, wherein: The first information includes first distance information to at least one object included in a first image, wherein the first image is captured by the camera when the light emitting component outputs the light, The second information includes second distance information to at least one object included in the second image, and The third information includes third distance information, wherein in the third distance information, the second distance information is subtracted from the first distance information.

6. The robot according to claim 5, wherein: The processor is configured to perform the following operations: identifying distance information within a threshold range from the second distance information, obtaining position information of pixels of the second image corresponding to the identified distance information, and The obtained position information of the pixel is obtained as position information on the external light area.

7. The robot according to claim 2, wherein: The processor is configured to perform the following operations: obtaining distance information to an object included in the third image, and Based on the distance information to the object and the information about the outside light area, a driving path that bypasses the object and the outside light area is generated.

8. A method for controlling a robot, the method comprising: obtaining first information about the object using a camera when a light emitting component outputs light for obtaining distance information to the object, and obtaining second information about the object using the camera when the light emitting component does not output the light; obtaining third information about the object based on the first information and the second information; obtaining information about the external light area based on at least one of the first information, the second information, and the third information; as well as generating a travel path of the robot based on information about the external light area, The second information includes a second image captured by the camera when the light emitting component does not output the light. Wherein, the step of obtaining information about the external light area comprises: obtaining position information of pixels of the second image including pixel values ​​greater than or equal to a threshold value, and The obtained position information of the pixel is obtained as position information on the external light area.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The first information includes a first image captured when the light emitting component outputs the light, and The third information includes a third image in which pixel values ​​of the second image are subtracted from pixel values ​​of the first image.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The step of obtaining information about the external light area comprises: identifying at least one pixel from the pixels of the first image that includes a pixel value greater than or equal to a threshold value, obtaining thickness information of a region corresponding to the identified at least one pixel, and The obtained thickness information is compared with pre-stored thickness information of the light, and it is identified whether a region corresponding to the identified at least one pixel corresponds to the external light region.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The step of obtaining thickness information of an area corresponding to the identified at least one pixel comprises: Based on the position information of a first pixel located at a lower end among the at least one identified pixel and the position information of a second pixel located at an upper end among the at least one identified pixel, the thickness information of a region corresponding to the at least one identified pixel is obtained.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The first information includes first distance information to at least one object included in a first image, wherein the first image is captured when the light emitting component outputs the light, The second information includes second distance information to at least one object included in the second image, and The third information includes third distance information, wherein in the third distance information, the second distance information is subtracted from the first distance information.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The step of obtaining information about the external light area comprises: identifying distance information within a threshold range from the second distance information, obtaining position information of pixels of the second image corresponding to the identified distance information, and The obtained position information of the pixel is obtained as position information on the external light area.

Images