A mobile service robot and method of operating such a robot

Abstract

A robot (110) for providing a service to a user (120) carrying a user communication device (130) is disclosed. The robot (110) comprises a drive unit (112) configured to move the robot (110) and a communication interface (113) configured to transmit a plurality of sensing and messaging signals towards the user (120). Moreover, the robot (110) comprises a control unit (111) configured to determine a position of a plurality of targets (120, 140) within the vicinity of the robot (110) based on the plurality of sensing and messaging signals and to determine the position of the user (120) based on the positions of the plurality of targets (120, 140) within the vicinity of the robot (110). The control unit (111) is further configured to control the drive unit (112) to move the robot (110) based on the position of the user (120). The mobile robot (110) allows accurately localizing the user (120) even under low visibility and / or out-of-coverage conditions.

Description

[0001] A MOBILE SERVICE ROBOT AND METHOD OF OPERATING SUCH A ROBOT

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to robotics. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a mobile robot for providing a service to a user carrying a user communication device and a method of operating such a robot.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Service robotics includes robotics applications that are intended to perform useful tasks for humans. Human-following robots are a special type of service robots, whose distinctive feature is the capability of following a user and which may be used as cargo-carrying robots, for smart catering, as disinfection robots, and as cleaning robots to name a few. The technical challenges for human-following robots include localization, identification, and tracking of the user as well as avoiding obstacles.

[0006] US2021072750A1 discloses a mobile servicing robot making use of on-board sensors, in particular cameras and computer vision techniques to localize, identify, and track the user, and to detect obstacles. Computer vision techniques, however, rely on visual information to identify the user. When operating in a crowded area where people look similar (e.g., workplaces where workers wear the same uniform), it may be difficult for the human-following robot to identify the intended user. Moreover, visual information captured by cameras strongly depends on lighting conditions and, thus, the performance may degrade in case of low visibility. Furthermore, visual information used by computer vision techniques may include images of the user and other subjects. This may trigger privacy concerns.

[0007] EP3909488A1 discloses a mobile servicing robot making relying on information provided by a communication network to localize, identify, and track the user. A drawback of this solution that operations in out-of-coverage conditions are not supported.

[0008] SUMMARY

[0009] It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide an improved mobile robot for providing a service to a user carrying a user communication device and a method of operating such a robot. The foregoing and other objectives are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further implementation forms are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the figures.

[0010] According to a first aspect a robot for providing a service to a user, in particular a human user carrying a user communication device is provided. The robot comprises a drive unit, which may include a motor, configured to move the robot. Moreover, the robot comprises a communication interface (herein also referred to as robot terminal, RT) configured to transmit a plurality of sensing and messaging signals towards the user. The plurality of sensing and messaging signals may be signals of an Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) scheme (sometimes also referred to as joint sensing and communication or dual function radar communication systems). The ISAC scheme may employ different waveforms, such as OFDM, FMCW. OTFS, and the like.

[0011] The robot further comprises a control unit configured to determine a respective position of a plurality of targets within the vicinity of the robot based on the plurality of sensing and messaging signals and to determine the position of, i.e. localize the user based on the positions of the plurality of targets within the vicinity of the robot. The control unit is further configured to control the drive unit to move the robot based on the determined position of the user, in particular in the direction of the determined position of the user in order to achieve a desired separation distance between the robot and the user. The mobile robot according to the first aspect allows accurately localizing the user even under low visibility and / or out-of-coverage conditions.

[0012] In a further possible implementation form, in response to transmitting the plurality of sensing and messaging signals, the communication interface is configured to receive a feedback signal from the user communication device and the control unit is configured to determine the position of the user based on the feedback signal and the positions of the plurality of targets within the vicinity of the robot.

[0013] In a further possible implementation form, the feedback signal from the user communication device comprises an identifier of the user communication device, position information, for instance, GPS coordinates of the user communication device, motion speed information of the user communication device, motion direction information of the user communication device, and / or channel state information, such as channel quality information (CQI) , precoding matrix indicator (PMI), SS / PBCH Resource Block Indicator (SSBRI), reference signal received power (RSRP). In a further possible implementation form, the control unit is configured to predict the position of the user and to determine the position of the user as the position of the target of the plurality of targets being closest to the predicted position of the user.

[0014] In a further possible implementation form, the control unit is configured to predict the position of the user based on a previously determined position, movement speed and / or movement direction of the user.

[0015] In a further possible implementation form, one or more of the plurality of sensing and messaging signals comprises an identifier of the robot.

[0016] In a further possible implementation form, one or more of the plurality of sensing and messaging signals comprises an indication of whether a feedback signal from the user communication device is expected, i.e. requested.

[0017] In a further possible implementation form, the communication interface is further configured to receive one or more reference signals from the user communication device and wherein the control unit is configured to determine the position of the user further based on the one or more reference signals. In an implementation form, the communication interface of the robot may receive the one or more reference signals from the user communication device, in response to transmitting the plurality of sensing and messaging signals towards the user. Thus, in an implementation form the one or more reference signals from the user communication device may include the feedback signal.

[0018] In a further possible implementation form, in response to receiving one or more of the reference signals and / or the feedback signal from the user communication device, one or more of the plurality of sensing and messaging signals transmitted towards the user comprise an indication for the user communication device for adjusting the transmission power of the one or more reference signals and / or the feedback signal.

[0019] In a further possible implementation form, the communication interface of the robot is configured to transmit the plurality of sensing and messaging signals one after the other with a defined sensing and messaging signal period.

[0020] In a further possible implementation form, the control unit of the robot is configured to adjust the sensing and messaging signal period based on a desired separation distance between the robot and the user, based on an energy consumption constraint of the robot and / or based on an energy consumption constraint of the user communication device.

[0021] In a further possible implementation form, the communication interface of the robot is configured to transmit the plurality of sensing and messaging signals with a defined sensing and messaging signal transmission power and the control unit is configured to adjust the sensing and messaging signal transmission power based on a desired separation distance between the robot and the user, and / or based on an energy consumption constraint of the robot.

[0022] In a further possible implementation form, the communication interface of the robot is configured to transmit the plurality of sensing and messaging signals towards the user via a base station and / or a sidelink of a mobile communication network.

[0023] According to a second aspect a method for operating a robot for providing a service to a human user carrying a user communication device is provided. The method comprises the following steps: transmitting by a communication interface of the robot a plurality of sensing and messaging signals towards the user; determining a respective position of a plurality of targets within the vicinity of the robot based on the plurality of sensing and messaging signals; determining the position of the user based on the positions of the plurality of targets within the vicinity of the robot; and controlling a drive unit of the robot to move the robot based on the determined position of the user, in particular in the direction of the determined position of the user.

[0024] The method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure can be performed by the robot according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. Thus, further features of the method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure result directly from the functionality of the robot according to the first aspect of the present disclosure as well as its different implementation forms described above and below.

[0025] According to a third aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer- readable storage medium for storing a program code which causes a computer or a processor to perform the method according to the second aspect, when the program code is executed by the computer or the processor. Details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims.

[0026] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In the following, embodiments of the present disclosure are described in more detail with reference to the attached figures and drawings, in which:

[0028] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a robot according to an embodiment for providing a service to a user carrying a user communication device;

[0029] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating different interaction stages between a robot according to an embodiment and a user;

[0030] Fig. 3 is a signalling diagram illustrating different interaction stages between a robot according to an embodiment and a user;

[0031] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating aspects of the localization of the human user by a robot according to an embodiment;

[0032] Figs. 5a and 5b illustrate two operation scenarios for a robot according to an embodiment; and

[0033] Fig. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for operating a robot according to an embodiment for providing a service to a user.

[0034] In the following, identical reference signs refer to identical or at least functionally equivalent features.

[0035] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0036] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying figures, which form part of the disclosure, and which show, by way of illustration, specific aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure or specific aspects in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be used. It is understood that embodiments of the present disclosure may be used in other aspects and comprise structural or logical changes not depicted in the figures. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

[0037] For instance, it is to be understood that a disclosure in connection with a described method may also hold true for a corresponding device or system configured to perform the method and vice versa. For example, if one or a plurality of specific method steps are described, a corresponding device may include one or a plurality of units, e.g. functional units, to perform the described one or plurality of method steps (e.g. one unit performing the one or plurality of steps, or a plurality of units each performing one or more of the plurality of steps), even if such one or more units are not explicitly described or illustrated in the figures. Moreover, if a specific apparatus is described based on one or a plurality of units, e.g. functional units, a corresponding method may include one step to perform the functionality of the one or plurality of units (e.g. one step performing the functionality of the one or plurality of units, or a plurality of steps each performing the functionality of one or more of the plurality of units), even if such one or plurality of steps are not explicitly described or illustrated in the figures. Further, it is understood that the features of the various exemplary embodiments and / or aspects described herein may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise.

[0038] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a robot 110 according to an embodiment for providing a service to a human user 120 carrying a user communication device 130. As will be described in more detail in the following, the mobile robot 110 is configured to localize and follow the user 120. The human-following robot 110 may be, for instance, a cargo-carrying robot, a robot used for smart catering, a disinfection robot, a cleaning robot and the like. The user communication device 130 carried or worn by the user 120 may be, for instance, a smartphone 130, a smartwatch 130 or another type of wearable device 130.

[0039] As illustrated in figure 1 , the user communication device UE 130 may comprise a processing circuitry, e.g. one or more processors 131 and a communication interface 133 (herein also referred to as user terminal, UT) configured to communicate with the robot 110. The processing circuitry 131 may be implemented in hardware and / or software. The hardware may comprise digital circuitry, or both analog and digital circuitry. Digital circuitry may comprise components such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more general-purpose processors. Moreover, the user communication device 130 may comprise a memory 135 configured to store executable program code which, when executed by the processing circuitry 131 , causes the user communication device 130 to perform the functions and operations described herein. According to embodiments disclosed herein the user-following robot 110 is configured to localize, identify and track the intended user 120 while detecting surrounding obstacles 140. According to an embodiment the robot 110 implements an Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) scheme, where the same wireless communication interface 113 (herein also referred to as robot terminal, RT) is used for data communication and to acquire sensing information. In an embodiment, the robot 110 and the user communication device 130 may be assigned with unique IDs (herein referred to as the RID and UID, respectively).

[0040] As illustrated in figure 1 , the robot 110 comprises a drive unit 112, which may include an electric motor, configured to move the robot 110. The communication interface, i.e. the robot terminal 113 of the robot 110 is configured to transmit a plurality of sensing and messaging signals in the direction of the user 120. The plurality of sensing and messaging signals may be signals of an Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) scheme (sometimes also referred to as joint sensing and communication or dual function radar communication systems). The ISAC scheme may employ different waveforms, such as OFDM, CW, FMCW, OTFS, and the like.

[0041] As illustrated in figure 1 , the robot 110 further comprises a control unit 111 configured to determine a respective position of a plurality of targets within the vicinity of the robot 110 based on the plurality of sensing and messaging signals. These targets may include the user 120 as well as one or more obstacles 140 in the vicinity of the robot 110 and / or the user 120. The control unit 111 may be implemented in hardware and / or software. The hardware may comprise digital circuitry, or both analog and digital circuitry. Digital circuitry may comprise components such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more general-purpose processors. As will be described in more detail below, the control unit is further configured to determine the position of, i.e. localize the user 120 based on the respective positions of the plurality of targets within the vicinity of the robot 110. The control unit 110 is further configured to control the drive unit 112 to move the robot 110 based on the determined position of the user 120, in particular in the direction of the determined position of the user 120 in order to achieve a desired separation distance between the robot 110 and the user 120. As will be appreciated, the mobile robot 110 allows accurately localizing the user 120 even under low visibility and / or out-of- coverage conditions. In the following further embodiments of the robot 110 will be described under further reference to figures 2 and 3 making use of the following definitions:

[0042] As used herein, a detected target is an unidentified object detected using the plurality of sensing and messaging signals and may be an obstacle 140 or the user 120. pT. denotes the position of detected target i. pu(t) and pRt) denote the position of the user 120 and the robot 110 at time t, respectively. p^(t) denotes the estimated position of the user 120 at time t.

[0043] A? denotes the time interval between two consecutive sensing steps. d(t) denotes the separation distance between the robot 110 and the user 120 at time t.

[0044] D denotes the desired separation distance between the robot 110 and the user 120.

[0045] 8 denotes maximum tolerated error of the separation distance.

[0046] Ttdenotes the i-th target.

[0047] U denotes the maximum tolerated uncertainty of the position of the user 120.

[0048] According to an embodiment, in a first initialization stage illustrated in figures 2 and 3 the robot 110 and the user communication device 130 exchange their IDs (e.g., by means of wireless communication or manual insertion). Thus, the robot 110 stores the UID, while the user communication device 130 stores the RID. In an embodiment, the communication interface, i.e. the RT 113 of the robot 110 may RT enable a “feedback request (FR)” flag, e.g. FR=1 , indicating that one or more feedback signals are expected / requested.

[0049] In a stage 2 illustrated in figures 2 and 3 every AT, the RT 113 transmits sensing and messaging signals, detects the presence of targets in its vicinity, and estimates the respective position of the detected targets. In an embodiment, the sensing and messaging signals may embed information indicating the RID, and whether a feedback message from the user is requested (FR=1) or not (FR=0).

[0050] In a stage 3 illustrated in figures 2 and 3 the user 120 is localized and identified. According to a first default option (referred to as stage 3A in figures 2 and 3) the robot 110 is configured to localize and identify the user 120 based on one or more feedback signals from the user communication device 130. More specifically, if feedback is requested (FR=1), the UT 133 of the user communication device 130 sends a response feedback message containing at least its UID to the robot 110. The UT 133 may also include information related to the user position (e.g., speed, direction, GPS coordinates, etc.), and / or transmit a reference sensing signal to aid positioning. The control unit 111 of the robot 110 uses the received message to identify and localize the user 120, distinguishing the user among other obstacles 140. Thereafter, in an embodiment, the RT 113 of the robot 110 may set FR=0.

[0051] According to a second option (referred to as stage 3B in figures 2 and 3) the robot 110 is configured to localize and identify the user 120 based on tracking. More specifically, if feedback is not requested (FR=0), the control unit 111 of the robot 110 may predict the user position based on previous information. If there exists a target Ti close to the predicted position, then the target Ti is assumed to be the user 120. If the predicted position is not close to any of the T / ns, then RT sets FR=1 (for requesting feedback from the user communication device 130) and returns to stage 2.

[0052] In a stage 4 illustrated in figures 2 and 3 the control unit 110 of the robot 110 is configured to control the drive unit 112 to move the robot 110 based on the determined position of the user 120 closer to user 120 while maintaining a desired separation distance between the user 120 and the robot 110 and avoiding any detected obstacles 140.

[0053] In a further embodiment, the robot 110 is configured to adapt the periodicity of the sensing and messaging signals (e.g., based on the desired separation distance and the tolerated error on the separation distance) by configuring the value of the parameter AT. This step may be beneficial for ensuring efficient operations. In case of frequent sensing and messaging signals, i.e. , AT is small, the robot 110 can accurately estimate the position of the user 120 at the cost of higher power consumption. Conversely, in case of less frequent sensing and messaging signals, i.e., AT is large, the power consumption of the robot 110 is reduced but the accuracy of the user position may be decreased.

[0054] In an embodiment, the robot 110 may choose AT in such a way to ensure that the estimation error on the separation distance between the robot 110 and the user 120 is always smaller than the maximum tolerated error, i.e., |d(t) - D\ < 8, Vt . Moreover, depending on the selected AT, the UT 133 can adapt its Discontinues Reception (DRX) cycle to ensure the power consumption. To this aim, the RT 113 may inform the UT 133 about the selected AT by embedding this information in the sensing and messaging signal(s). In a further embodiment, when the robot 110 and the user communication device 130 are operating in an in-coverage scenario of a communication network, e.g. a cellular network, the sensing periodicity AT may be configured by the communication network. In a further embodiment, the robot 110 may be configured to adjust the transmission power used by the RT 113 to transmit the sensing and messaging signals (e.g., based on the desired separation distance) to minimize its power consumption and, at the same time, combat the spreading loss due to wireless propagation and ensure that (i) the sensing target is properly illuminated, and (ii) the information carried by the sensing and messaging signals can be decoded at the UT 133. Similarly, the transmission power used by the UT 133 to transmit the feedback message signals can be adjusted to minimize its power consumption and ensure reliable message delivery at the RT 113. Given that the spreading loss due to wireless propagation is distance-dependent, the transmission power may be computed depending on the separation distance between the robot 110 and the user 120. Moreover, as the separation distance is estimated at the robot side, the power adaptation at the UT 133 may be assisted by the RT 113, e.g., informing the UT 133 about the transmission power to use. In a further embodiment, when the robot 110 and the user communication device 130 are operating in an in-coverage scenario of a communication network, e.g. a cellular network, the transmission power may be configured by the communication network.

[0055] In the following more detailed embodiments of the embodiments disclosed above will be described. In an embodiment in the initialization stage illustrated in figures 2 and 3 the RID and UID may be inserted manually by the user 120. In an embodiment, the robot 110 may comprise a RID label and an input device (e.g., keyboard). Likewise, the user communication device 130 may comprise an input device (e.g., keyboard). In an embodiment, the user 120 may approach the robot 110, read the RID, and insert RID in UT. Then, the user may insert the UID in the RT.

[0056] In a further embodiment, the RID and the UID can be exchanged between the robot 110 and the user communication device 120 by means of a ProSe direct discovery procedure. In an embodiment, the RT 113 of the robot 110 may send periodic discovery messages in which the ProSe UE ID field corresponds to the RID. When the UT 133 of the user communication device 130 receives an announcement message, it retrieves the RID value and replies with a response message where the ProSe UE ID field corresponds to UID.

[0057] In an embodiment the target detection stage 2 illustrated in figures 2 and 3, including the transmission of the plurality of sensing and messaging signals, may be implemented by providing a set of independent pseudo-noise sequences at the RT 113 of the robot 110 (e.g., m-sequence, Gold, Zadoff-Chu, and the like). In an embodiment, the RT 113 of robot 110 is configured to transmits wireless signals according to one of the available sequences. In an embodiment, the sequence is selected in such a way to encode RID and FR fields, as shown in the following table:

[0058] In a further embodiment the RT 113 of the robot 110 may be configured to act as a ProSe SyncRef UE and to transmit Sidelink Synchronization Signal Blocks (S-SSBs) composed of Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), Sidelink Primary Synchronization Signal (S- PSS), and Sidelink Secondary Synchronization Signal (S-SSS). S-PSS and S-SSS are generated from PN sequences and, therefore, are suitable for radar-based target detection. As in the previous embodiment, the RID and FR information may be encoded by selecting the S-PSS and S-SSS sequences, i.e., the Sidelink Synchronization Signal ID (SLSS ID) may be chosen according to RID and FR values (a total of 672 unique IDs are available). An encoding example is provided in the following table:

[0059] In a further embodiment, the RT 113 of the robot 110 is configured to transmit Channel State Information (CSI)-Reference Signal (RS) in the Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) and to embed the RID in the associated 2nd stage Sidelink Control Information (SCI). The CSI- RS is generated from a PN sequence and, therefore, is suitable for radar-based target detection. The FR information may be embedded in the 2ndstage SCI by enabling / disabling the CSI request field.

[0060] In a further embodiment, the RT 113 of the robot 110 is configured to transmit DeModulation Reference Signal (DMRS) in the PSSCH and to embed the RID information in the associated 2ndstage SCI. DMRS signals have been already used for radar-based target detection applications. As in the previous embodiment, the FR information may be embedded in the 2nd stage SCI by enabling / disabling the CSI request field. In all of the above embodiments, the RT 113 of the robot 110 may receive the echoed sensing and messaging signals and the control unit 111 of the robot 110 may generate a range- speed / range-angle response pattern on the basis thereof. Moreover, the control unit 111 of the robot 110 may be configured to detect local peaks in the range-speed / range-angle response pattern to identify the targets, as illustrated in figure 4.

[0061] In an embodiment in the default stage 3A illustrated in figures 2 and 3 for user localization and identification based on feedback the control unit 111 of the robot 110 may determine the estimated user location p^(t) based on information embedded in the feedback signal, e.g., index of the best beam received at the UT 133, channel state information (CSI), GPS coordinates, and the like. In a further embodiment, the control unit 111 of the robot 110 may compute the estimated user location p^(t) by using the reference signals received from the UT 133 (e.g., DM RS) and apply known localization algorithms.

[0062] In a further embodiment, the UT 133 of the user communication device 130 may send a 1ststage SCI on the PSCCH and a 2ndstage SCI on PSSCH with Source ID = UID and Destination ID = RID. In this embodiment, the UT 133 of the user communication device 130 may include position information to aid its localization by using the reserved bits in the 1ststage SCI (e.g., index of the best beam received at the UT 133). Moreover, the UT 133 of the user communication device may transmit a Transport Block (TB) in the PSSCH containing additional position information (e.g., index of the best beam received at the UT 133, GPS coordinates, and the like). The control unit 111 of the robot 110 may compute the estimated user location p^(t) based on the position information embedded in the 1ststage SCI and / or in the TB received from the UT 133.

[0063] In a further embodiment, the UT 133 of the user communication device 130 may receive a 2ndstage SCI message from the RT 113 with CSI request field equal to 1. The UT 133 performs channel estimation using the CSI-RS signals transmitted by the RT 113. The UT 133 sends a TB in PSSCH including the CSI report in the corresponding MAC Control Element. As in the previous embodiment, UID and RID may be embedded in the corresponding 2ndstage SCI, and additional position information may be included in the TB. The control unit 111 of the robot 110 may compute the estimated user location p^(t) based on the received CSI report and additional position information embedded in the TB received from the UT 133.

[0064] In all of the above embodiments, the control unit 111 of the robot 110 may be configured to correlate the estimated user location (p^(t)) with the sensing information obtained during stage 2 to identify the intended user 120 among the detected targets. This can be done by determining the position of the closest target, i.e., mini\pu(t') - pr. |, and assigning pu(t) = PTf

[0065] In an embodiment in the stage 3B illustrated in figures 2 and 3 for user localization and identification based on tracking the control unit 111 of the robot 110 may predict the position of the user p^(t) using previous information (e.g., a previous position pu(t - l) , speed, direction, and the like of the user 120) and applying a tracking algorithm (e.g., Kalman filtering). Thereafter, the control unit 111 of the robot 110 may correlate the predicted position with the sensing information obtained in stage 2 by identifying the closest target. As illustrated in figures 5a and 5b, for this embodiment there can be two different situations. If there exists a target Ttclose enough to p^(t) (within the maximum tolerated uncertainty, i.e., - pT< U) then target Ttis assumed to be the user 120, i.e., pu(t) = pTi(this case is illustrated in figure 5a). If such target does not exist > U V 0 < i < T), then the robot 110 restarts stage 2 and sets FR=1 (this case is illustrated in figure 5b).

[0066] Figure 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 600 for operating the robot 110 for providing a service to the user 120 carrying the user communication device 130. The method 600 comprises a step 601 of transmitting by the communication interface 113 of the robot 110 a plurality of sensing and messaging signals towards the user 120. Moreover, the method 600 comprises a step 603 of determining a respective position of a plurality of targets, including the user 120 and one or more obstacles 140, within the vicinity of the robot 110 based on the plurality of sensing and messaging signals. The method 600 further comprises a step 605 of determining the position of, i.e. localizing the user 120 based on the positions of the plurality of targets within the vicinity of the robot 110. Moreover, the method 600 comprises a step 607 of controlling the drive unit 112 of the robot 110 to move the robot 110 based on the position of the user 120, in particular in the direction of the determined position of the user in order to achieve a desired separation distance between the robot 110 and the user 120.

[0067] The method 600 can be performed by the robot 110 according to an embodiment. Thus, further features of the method 600 result directly from the functionality of the robot 110 as well as the different embodiments thereof described above and below.

[0068] The person skilled in the art will understand that the "blocks" ("units") of the various figures (method and apparatus) represent or describe functionalities of embodiments of the present disclosure (rather than necessarily individual "units" in hardware or software) and thus describe equally functions or features of apparatus embodiments as well as method embodiments (unit = step).

[0069] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus, and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the described embodiment of an apparatus is merely exemplary. For example, the unit division is merely a logical function division and may be another division in an actual implementation. For example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not performed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be implemented by using some interfaces. The indirect couplings or communication connections between the apparatuses or units may be implemented in electronic, mechanical, or other forms.

[0070] The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one position, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the objectives of the solutions of the embodiments.

[0071] In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the disclosure may be integrated into one processing unit, or each of the units may exist alone physically, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A robot (110) for providing a service to a user (120) carrying a user communication device (130), wherein the robot (110) comprises: a drive unit (112) configured to move the robot (110); a communication interface (113) configured to transmit a plurality of sensing and messaging signals towards the user (120); and a control unit (111) configured to determine a position of a plurality of targets (120, 140) within the vicinity of the robot (110) based on the plurality of sensing and messaging signals and to determine the position of the user (120) based on the positions of the plurality of targets (120, 140) within the vicinity of the robot (110), wherein the control unit (111) is further configured to control the drive unit (112) to move the robot (110) based on the position of the user (120).

2. The robot (110) of claim 1 , wherein, in response to transmitting the plurality of sensing and messaging signals, the communication interface (113) is configured to receive a feedback signal from the user communication device (130) and wherein the control unit (111) is configured to determine the position of the user (120) based on the feedback signal and the positions of the plurality of targets (120, 140) within the vicinity of the robot (110).

3. The robot (110) of claim 2, wherein the feedback signal from the user communication device (130) comprises an identifier of the user communication device (130), position information of the user communication device (130), motion speed information of the user communication device (130), motion direction information of the user communication device (130), and / or channel state information.

4. The robot (110) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (111) is configured to predict the position of the user (120) and to determine the position of the user (120) as the position of the target of the plurality of targets (120, 140) being closest to the predicted position of the user (120).

5. The robot (110) of claim 4, wherein the control unit (111) is configured to predict the position of the user (120) based on a previously determined position, movement speed and / or movement direction of the user (120).

6. The robot (110) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more of the plurality of sensing and messaging signals comprises an identifier of the robot (110).

7. The robot (110) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more of the plurality of sensing and messaging signals comprises an indication of whether a feedback signal from the user communication device (130) is expected.

8. The robot (110) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the communication interface (113) is further configured to receive one or more reference signals from the user communication device (130) and wherein the control unit (111) is configured to determine the position of the user (120) further based on the one or more reference signals.

9. The robot (110) of claim 8, wherein, in response to receiving one or more of the reference signals and / or the feedback signal from the user communication device (130), one or more of the plurality of sensing and messaging signals transmitted towards the user (120) comprise an indication for the user communication device (130) for adjusting the transmission power of the one or more reference signals and / or the feedback signal.

10. The robot (110) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the communication interface (113) is configured to transmit the plurality of sensing and messaging signals one after the other with a defined sensing and messaging signal period.

11. The robot (110) of claim 10, wherein the control unit (111) is configured to adjust the sensing and messaging signal period based on a desired separation distance between the robot (110) and the user (120), based on an energy consumption constraint of the robot (110) and / or based on an energy consumption constraint of the user communication device (130).

12. The robot (110) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the communication interface (113) is configured to transmit the plurality of sensing and messaging signals with a defined sensing and messaging signal transmission power and wherein the control unit (111) is configured to adjust the sensing and messaging signal transmission power based on a desired separation distance between the robot (110) and the user (120), and / or based on an energy consumption constraint of the robot (110).

13. The robot (110) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the communication interface (113) is configured to transmit the plurality of sensing and messaging signals towards the user (120) via a base station and / or a sidelink of a mobile communication network.

14. A method (600) for operating a robot (110) for providing a service to a user (120) carrying a user communication device (130), wherein the method (600) comprises: transmitting (601) by a communication interface (113) of the robot (110) a plurality of sensing and messaging signals towards the user (120); determining (603) a position of a plurality of targets (120, 140) within the vicinity of the robot (110) based on the plurality of sensing and messaging signals; determining (605) the position of the user (120) based on the positions of the plurality of targets (120, 140) within the vicinity of the robot (110); and controlling (607) a drive unit (112) of the robot (110) to move the robot (110) based on the position of the user (120).

15. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium for storing program code which causes a computer or a processor to perform the method (600) of claim 14, when the program code is executed by the computer or the processor.

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