Electronic device and control method thereof

Abstract

To provide an electronic device and a control method that reduce burden on a transport device server by eliminating communication with a target robot and a standby robot, omit API calls for each robot type, and can reduce robot development costs.SOLUTION: An embodiment of the present invention includes: a memory storing computer-executable instruction words; and at least one processor that accesses the memory to execute the instruction words. At least one processor receives state information of a target robot and boarding requests from the target robot attempting to board a transport device, compares boarding procedures of a standby robots located in a standby area with the boarding procedures of the target robot to determine boarding conditions of the target robot, and transmits a disembarkation command to the target robot so that the target robot gets off the transport device based on the destination of the transport device that the target robot has boarded in accordance with the boarding conditions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device and a control method thereof, and more particularly to a technique for controlling boarding of a transport device of a robot.

Background Art

[0002] With the development of the robot industry, many robots of different manufacturers or operators are mixed and introduced for different purposes within the same building (or area). However, each robot is unaware of the presence of other company robots (e.g., different models). Also, when each robot moves by boarding a transport device (e.g., an elevator), there is a possibility of causing a situation where it collides with or gets stuck with other company robots by attempting to board while ignoring other robots that are boarding or waiting to board. Such a situation may cause a delay in the robot service using the elevator.

[0003] In particular, existing robot control systems can only manage robots of each manufacturer. Existing robot control systems provide an elevator boarding service to robots through interlocking with an elevator via a server of an elevator manufacturer. In such a system, multiple robots of different models can attempt to board the elevator simultaneously or even attempt to board when there is a robot getting off. Multiple robots of different models may interfere with each other's progress, delay or make impossible the elevator service. Existing robot control systems may result in a decline in the quality of robot service, inconvenience to customers, damage to robots and elevators due to elevator operations (e.g., forced door closing, etc.) caused by the delay time, and may induce system maintenance costs and service gaps. In order to solve such problems, it is necessary to develop a technique for controlling boarding of a robot's transport device by obtaining the position and status through interlocking between robots.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 7415064 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] Unlike the target robot, an embodiment of the present invention determines the boarding conditions of the target robot by comparing the boarding procedure of the standby robot located in the standby area with the boarding procedure of the target robot, so that the target robot and the standby robot do not directly communicate with the server of the transport device, reducing the burden on the server of the transport device, omitting the call of the API (Application Programming Interface; API) for each type of robot, and reducing the development cost of the robot. An electronic device and its control method are to be provided.

[0006] Further, an embodiment of the present invention determines the boarding procedure of the target robot based on at least one or more of the remaining battery level of the target robot, the type of the target robot, the service state of the target robot, or any combination thereof from the state information, thereby solving the bottleneck phenomenon generated by the robot waiting for boarding inside the transport device or in the space where the transport device is located, and determining the boarding procedure preferentially according to the urgency of each service of the robot to improve the quality of the service. An electronic device and its control method are to be provided.

[0007] Further, an embodiment of the present invention determines the first communication unit or the second communication unit based on at least one or more of the signal strength, the signal latency, or any combination thereof in order to communicate with the robot, thereby preventing network disconnection due to issues such as shielding and / or shadow areas when the robot moves to the destination after boarding the transport device. An electronic device and its control method are to be provided. The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] An electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a memory storing computer-executable instructions; and at least one or more processors accessing the memory and executing the instructions. The at least one or more processors receive state information and a boarding request of a target robot from the target robot attempting to board a transport device, and determine boarding conditions of the target robot by comparing boarding procedures of a standby robot located in a standby area with those of the target robot, which is different from the standby robot. Based on a destination of the transport device on which the target robot has boarded according to the boarding conditions, a disembarkation command can be transmitted to the target robot so that the target robot disembarks from the transport device.

[0009] In one embodiment, the at least one or more processors transmit a movement command to the target robot so that the target robot moves to the standby area based on identification of the standby robot located in the standby area, and transmit a boarding command and information about the transport device to the target robot so that the target robot boards the transport device based on non-identification of the standby robot located in the standby area or based on the boarding conditions of the target robot.

[0010] In one embodiment, the at least one or more processors identify at least one or more of the remaining battery charge of the target robot, the type of the target robot, the service status of the target robot, or any combination thereof from the status information, and determine the boarding procedure of the target robot based on at least one or more of the remaining battery charge of the target robot, the type of the target robot, the service status of the target robot, or any combination thereof, and can determine the boarding procedure of the standby robot based on at least one or more of the remaining battery charge of the standby robot, the type of the standby robot, the service status of the standby robot, or any combination thereof.

[0011] In one embodiment, the at least one or more processors receive a request from a user who uses the target robot based on the target robot being a delivery robot, and skip the determination of the boarding conditions of the target robot based on the user's request being identified as an emergency request, and based on the determination of the boarding conditions of the target robot being skipped, can transmit a boarding command to the target robot so that the target robot boards the transport device.

[0012] In one embodiment, the at least one or more processors can receive requests from the user regarding registration, modification, and deletion of the target robot, or receive setting information from the user regarding inspection of the transport device and availability of dedicated operation via a user interface (UI) that receives the user's requests.

[0013] In one embodiment, based on receiving the status information and the boarding request, the at least one processor identifies the MAC address and the secret key of the target robot from the status information, authenticates the target robot based on the MAC address and the secret key, and determines the boarding conditions of the target robot based on the fact that the target robot is an authenticated robot.

[0014] In one embodiment, the at least one processor generates a JWT (JSON Web Token) related to the authentication of the target robot based on the MAC address and the secret key, verifies the signature of the JWT, and can identify the payload included in the JWT based on the fact that the signature verification has been performed.

[0015] In one embodiment, the at least one processor receives the status information and the boarding request via a first communication unit related to long-distance communication, and can receive the status information and the boarding request via a second communication unit related to short-distance communication based on at least one of the strength of the signal received via the first communication unit, the latency of the signal, or any combination thereof.

[0016] In one embodiment, based on the boarding conditions of the target robot being determined, the at least one processor can transmit at least one of the identification information of the target robot, the boarding location of the target robot, the alighting location of the target robot, the movement information of the transport device, the boarding conditions of the target robot, the waiting area of the target robot, or any combination thereof to the target robot.

[0017] In one embodiment, based on transmitting a getting-off command to the target robot, the at least one or more processors deactivate the service related to boarding the transport device of the target robot, and at a time subsequent to the time when the getting-off command is transmitted, can generate command data related to the service provided by the target robot.

[0018] In one embodiment, based on the standby robot located in the standby area being identified, the at least one or more processors identify at least one or more of the movement information of the standby robot, the movement information of the transport device on which the standby robot boards, or any combination thereof, and based on the movement information of the standby robot, the movement information of the transport device on which the standby robot boards, and the status information of the target robot, generate a target group including the standby robot and the target robot, and can transmit boarding commands to each of the robots included in the target group to board the transport device.

[0019] The control method according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an operation of receiving the status information and a boarding request of the target robot from the target robot that intends to board a transport device; an operation of determining the boarding conditions of the target robot by comparing the boarding procedures of the standby robot located in the standby area and the boarding procedures of the target robot, which are different from the target robot; and an operation of transmitting a getting-off command to the target robot so that the target robot gets off the transport device based on the destination of the transport device on which the target robot has boarded according to the boarding conditions.

[0020] In one embodiment, the operation of transmitting a getting-off command to the target robot includes an operation of transmitting a movement command to the target robot so that the target robot moves to the standby area based on the standby robot located in the standby area being identified; and an operation of transmitting a boarding command and information related to the transport device to the target robot so that the target robot boards the transport device based on the standby robot located in the standby area not being identified or based on the boarding conditions of the target robot.

[0021] In one embodiment, the operation of determining the boarding conditions of the target robot includes: an operation of identifying at least one or more of the remaining battery charge of the target robot, the type of the target robot, the service state of the target robot, or any combination thereof from the state information; an operation of determining the boarding procedure of the target robot based on at least one or more of the remaining battery charge of the target robot, the type of the target robot, the service state of the target robot, or any combination thereof; and an operation of determining the boarding procedure of the standby robot based on at least one or more of the remaining battery charge of the standby robot, the type of the standby robot, the service state of the standby robot, or any combination thereof.

[0022] In one embodiment, the operation of determining the boarding conditions of the target robot includes: an operation of receiving a request from a user who uses the target robot based on the fact that the target robot is a delivery robot; an operation of skipping the determination of the boarding conditions of the target robot based on the fact that the user's request is identified as an emergency request; and an operation of transmitting a boarding command to the target robot so that the target robot boards the transport device based on the fact that the determination of the boarding conditions of the target robot is skipped.

[0023] In one embodiment, the operation of determining the boarding conditions of the target robot includes: an operation of identifying the MAC address and the secret key of the target robot from the state information based on the state information and the reception of the boarding request; an operation of authenticating the target robot based on the MAC address and the secret key; and an operation of determining the boarding conditions of the target robot based on the fact that the target robot is an authenticated robot.

[0024] In one embodiment, the operation of determining the boarding conditions of the target robot may include: generating a JWT (JSON Web Token) related to the authentication of the target robot based on the MAC address and the secret key; verifying the signature of the JWT; and identifying the payload included in the JWT based on the verification of the signature being performed.

[0025] In one embodiment, the operation of receiving the status information and the boarding request may include: receiving the status information and the boarding request via a first communication unit related to long-distance communication; and receiving the status information and the boarding request via a second communication unit related to short-distance communication based on at least one of the strength of the signal received via the first communication unit, the latency of the signal, or any combination thereof.

[0026] In one embodiment, the operation of determining the boarding conditions of the target robot may include: transmitting at least one of the identification information of the target robot, the boarding location of the target robot, the alighting location of the target robot, the movement information of the transport device, the boarding conditions of the target robot, the standby area of the target robot, or any combination thereof to the target robot based on the boarding conditions of the target robot being determined.

[0027] In one embodiment, based on the standby robot located in the standby area being identified, the operation may include: identifying at least one of the movement information of the standby robot, the movement information of the transport device on which the standby robot boards, or any combination thereof; generating a target group including the standby robot and the target robot based on the movement information of the standby robot, the movement information of the transport device on which the standby robot boards, and the status information of the target robot; and transmitting a boarding command to each of the robots included in the target group to board the transport device.

Advantages of the Invention

[0028] The effects of the electronic device and its control method according to the present invention will be described as follows. According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, unlike the target robot, by determining the boarding conditions of the target robot by comparing the boarding procedures of the standby robot located in the standby area and the boarding procedures of the target robot, the target robot and the standby robot do not directly communicate with the server of the transport device, reducing the burden on the server of the transport device, omitting the API calls for each type of robot, and having the effect of reducing the development cost of the robot.

[0029] Also, according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, by determining the boarding procedure of the target robot based on at least one or more of the remaining battery level of the target robot, the type of the target robot, the service state of the target robot, or any combination thereof from the state information, the bottleneck phenomenon generated by the robot waiting for boarding inside the transport device or in the space where the transport device is located can be solved, and the boarding procedure can be preferentially determined according to the urgency of each service of the robot, having the effect of improving the quality of the service.

[0030] Also, according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, in order to communicate with the robot, by determining the first communication unit or the second communication unit based on at least one or more of the signal strength, the signal latency, or any combination thereof, when the robot moves to the destination after boarding the transport device, the network disconnection can be prevented due to issues such as shielding and / or shadow areas. In addition, various effects directly or indirectly grasped through this document can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0031]

Figure 1

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Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0032] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail through exemplary drawings. When adding reference signs to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that for the same components, as much as possible, the same signs should be used even if they are shown on other drawings. Further, in describing the embodiments of the present invention, when it is determined that a specific description of a related known configuration or function will impede the understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In particular, various embodiments of this document are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the technology described in this document to specific embodiments, and it should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments of this document. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference signs may be used for similar components.

[0033] In describing the components of the embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. Such terms are for distinguishing the components from other components, and do not limit the essence, order, or procedure of the components. Also, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. Terms similar to those defined in commonly used dictionaries shall be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and shall not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless clearly defined in this application. For example, expressions such as "first", "second", "primary", or "secondary" used in this document can modify various components regardless of the procedure and / or importance, and are only used to distinguish one component from another, and do not limit the component. For example, the first user device and the second user device can indicate different user devices regardless of the procedure or importance. For example, without departing from the scope of the rights described in this document, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be named in place of the first component.

[0034] In this document, expressions such as "have", "may have", "include", or "may include" indicate the presence of the feature (e.g., a component such as a numerical value, a function, an operation, or a part), and do not exclude the presence of additional features. When it is mentioned that a certain component (e.g., the first component) is "(operatively or communicatively) coupled with / to" or "connected to" another component (e.g., the second component), it should be understood that the certain component may be directly coupled to the other component or may be coupled via another component (e.g., the third component). On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a certain component (e.g., the first component) is "directly coupled to" or "directly connected to" another component (e.g., the second component), it may be understood that there is no other component (e.g., the third component) between the certain component and the other component.

[0035] As used herein, the expression "configured to" may, depending on the context, be used interchangeably with, for example, "suitable for", "having the capacity to", "designed to", "adapted to", "made to", or "capable of".

[0036] The term "configured (or set) to ~" does not necessarily mean only "specifically designed to" in terms of hardware. Instead, depending on the situation, the expression "a device configured to ~" may mean that the device "can ~" together with other devices or components. For example, the phrase "a processor configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C" may mean a dedicated processor for performing the operation (e.g., an embedded processor), or a general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or an application processor) that can perform the operation by executing one or more software programs stored in a memory device. The terms used in this document are merely used to describe specific embodiments and may not be intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly has a different meaning. Including technical and scientific terms, the terms used here may have the same meaning as generally understood by those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field described in this document. Among the terms used in this document, terms defined in a general dictionary may be interpreted as having the same or similar meaning as the meaning they have in the context of the related art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal and overly formal sense unless clearly defined in this document. In some cases, even terms defined in this document should not be interpreted as excluding the embodiments of this document.

[0037] In this document, expressions such as "A or B", "at least one of A or / and B", or "one or more of A or / and B" may all include all possible combinations of the listed items. For example, "A or B", "at least one of A and B", or "at least one of A or B" may all refer to cases where (1) includes at least one A, (2) includes at least one B, or (3) includes both at least one A and at least one B. Also, when describing the components of an embodiment of the present invention, each of the phrases such as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", "at least one of A, B, or C", and "at least one of A, B, C, or some combination thereof" may include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. In particular, a phrase such as "at least one of A, B, C, or some combination thereof" may include A or B or C or combinations thereof such as AB or ABC.

[0038] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. An electronic device 100 according to an embodiment may include a processor 110, a memory 120 including instruction words 122, a communication unit 130, an authentication unit 140, and a log management unit.

[0039] The electronic device 100 can represent a device that determines the boarding conditions of a target robot attempting to board the transport device 170. Specifically, the electronic device 100 can be an interface server of the transport device 170. The electronic device 100 can respond to the boarding request of the target robot. For example, the transport device 170 can represent a device capable of moving a robot (e.g., the target robot). The transport device 170 can illustratively include an elevator, but is not limited thereto. The transport device 170 can move the target robot, a robot different from the target robot, and a user. The target robot can transmit a boarding request to the electronic device 100 for boarding the transport device 170. The target robot can illustratively include at least one or more of a delivery robot, a patrol robot, a guiding robot, or any combination thereof, but is not limited thereto. The target robot can move according to the command of the electronic device 100. Illustratively, the target robot can receive a command from the electronic device 100 and board the transport device 170 according to the received command. As shown in FIG. 1, the target robot can be at least one robot from the first robot to the fourth robot. The boarding conditions can be conditions determined by the electronic device 100 and can include conditions under which the target robot can board the transport device 170. The boarding conditions can include conditions under which the target robot boards the transport device 170 and conditions under which the target robot cannot board the transport device 170.

[0040] The electronic device 100 can receive the status information and boarding request of the target robot from the target robot. For example, the status information of the target robot can include the status of the target robot at the time when the target robot transmits the boarding request to the electronic device 100. Specifically, the status information of the target robot can include at least one or more of the type of the target robot, the manufacturer of the target robot, the performance of the target robot, the function of the target robot, or any combination thereof, but is not limited thereto.

[0041] The electronic device 100 can identify the area where the target robot is located (for example, the target area) and the area where a robot different from the target robot is located (for example, the standby area). The target robot may be located in the target area or the standby area, and the standby robot may be located in the standby area. The electronic device 100 can identify the standby robot located in the standby area. The electronic device 100 can determine the boarding procedure of the robot (that is, the procedure for the robot to board the transport device 170).

[0042] The electronic device 100 can determine the boarding conditions of the target robot by comparing the boarding procedures of the robots. That is, the electronic device 100 can determine the boarding procedures of the robots located in the target area and the standby area, and determine the boarding conditions of the target robot based on the determined boarding procedures. The electronic device 100 can transmit a command to the target robot based on the determined boarding conditions so that the target robot boards the transport device 170 or gets off the transport device 170. A detailed description of this will be given later in FIG. 5 below.

[0043] The processor 110 can execute software and control at least one other component (for example, a hardware or software component) connected to the processor 110. The processor 110 can also perform various other data processing or operations. For example, the processor 110 can store at least one or more of the state information of the target robot, the boarding request of the target robot, the boarding conditions of the target robot, the information about the transport device 170, the remaining battery level of the target robot, the type of the target robot, the service status of the target robot, or any combination thereof in the memory 120.

[0044] For reference, the processor 110 can direct all operations performed by the electronic device 100. Therefore, for convenience of explanation in this specification, the operations performed by the electronic device 100 will mainly be described as the operations performed by the processor 110. Also, for convenience of explanation in this specification, the processor 110 will mainly be described as a single processor, but is not limited thereto. For example, the electronic device 100 may include at least one or more processors. Each of the at least one or more processors can perform all operations related to the operation of determining the boarding conditions of the target robot attempting to board the transport device 170.

[0045] The memory 120 can temporarily and / or permanently store various data and / or information required to perform the operation of determining the boarding conditions of the target robot attempting to board the transport device 170. For example, the memory 120 can store at least one or more of the status information of the target robot, the boarding request of the target robot, the boarding conditions of the target robot, information regarding the transport device 170, the battery remaining amount of the target robot, the type of the target robot, the service status of the target robot, or any combination thereof.

[0046] The communication unit 130 can assist in performing communication between the electronic device 100 and the transport device 170. For example, the communication unit 130 may include one or more components that enable communication between the electronic device 100 and the transport device 170. For example, the communication unit 130 may include a short range wireless communication unit, a microphone, and the like. At this time, the short range communication technology may include, but is not limited to, wireless LAN (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), WFD (Wi-Fi Direct), UWB (ultra-wideband), infrared communication (IrDA, infrared Data Association), BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), NFC (Near Field Communication), and the like.

[0047] When the authentication unit 140 receives a boarding request from a robot (for example, the first robot to the fourth robot), it can indicate a device that authenticates the robot that transmitted the boarding request. The authentication unit 140 can receive information of the robot that transmitted the boarding request via the communication unit 130. The authentication unit 140 can transmit the authentication result for the robot that transmitted the boarding request to the user 150 and the transportation device management server 160.

[0048] The user 150 can transmit requests regarding registration of the target robot, modification of the target robot, and deletion of the target robot via the user interface (UI) of the electronic device 100. The user 150 can transmit inspection of the transportation device and setting information regarding availability of dedicated operation via the user interface of the electronic device 100.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. An electronic device according to an embodiment (for example, the electronic device 100 in FIG. 1) can receive status information and a boarding request of a target robot from the target robot that attempts to board a transportation device (for example, the transportation device 170 in FIG. 1) in operation 210. When the electronic device receives a boarding request from the target robot, it can determine a boarding condition indicating whether the target robot can board the transportation device.

[0050] In operation 220, the electronic device can determine the boarding condition of the target robot by comparing the boarding procedure of the standby robot located in the standby area with that of the target robot, which is different from the target robot. For example, the boarding procedure can indicate a procedure for boarding a transportation device within a robot group including a plurality of robots. The method for determining the boarding procedure of the robot will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 below.

[0051] In operation 230, the electronic device can transmit a getting-off command to the target robot so that the target robot gets off the transport device based on the destination of the transport device on which the target robot has boarded according to the boarding conditions of the target robot. However, the commands transmitted by the electronic device to the target robot are not limited to this. For example, the electronic device can transmit a boarding command to the target robot so that the target robot boards the transport device based on the position of the transport device on which the target robot boards according to the boarding conditions of the target robot. In this way, the target robot can board and / or get off the transport device based on the boarding conditions determined by the electronic device.

[0052] FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a method of authenticating a target robot in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. An electronic device according to an embodiment (e.g., the electronic device 100 in FIG. 1) can receive a boarding request from a target robot in operation 310. The target robot can transmit the boarding request to the electronic device without transmitting the boarding request to the transport device management server (e.g., the transport device management server 160 in FIG. 1). The electronic device can receive boarding requests from robots different from the target robot (e.g., at least one or more of the first robot to the fourth robot shown in FIG. 1). The electronic device can receive boarding requests from a plurality of robots and determine the boarding conditions for the transport devices of the plurality of robots (e.g., the transport device 170 in FIG. 1).

[0053] In operation 320, the electronic device can identify the MAC address (mac address) of the target robot and the secret key of the target robot from the status information of the target robot. Specifically, the electronic device can receive status information and a boarding request from the target robot. The electronic device can apply the status information transmitted from the target robot to the authentication operation of the target robot. For example, the electronic device can identify the MAC address and the secret key from the status information. The electronic device can authenticate the target robot in the following operations based on the MAC address and the secret key.

[0054] In operation 330, the electronic device can authenticate the target robot. For example, the electronic device can authenticate the target robot based on the MAC address and the secret key identified from the status information. The electronic device can perform an operation of determining boarding conditions only for the authenticated target robot via operation 330. Thereby, the electronic device can block the approach of unauthenticated (i.e., unauthorized) robots.

[0055] In operation 340, the electronic device can generate a JWT token (JSON Web Token; JWT) related to the authentication of the target robot. For example, the JWT token may include at least one or more numbers or characters. The JWT token may include the status information of the target robot input by a portable electronic device, a desktop computer, or a smartphone.

[0056] In operation 350, the electronic device can return the JWT token. For example, the electronic device can return the JWT token to the user (e.g., user 150 in FIG. 1) via the authentication unit (e.g., authentication unit 140 in FIG. 1). Thereafter, the electronic device can determine the boarding conditions of the target robot based on the fact that the target robot is an authenticated robot.

[0057] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operations according to the authentication result of the target robot in the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] An electronic device according to an embodiment (e.g., the electronic device 100 in FIG. 1) can verify the signature of a JWT token in operation 410. For example, the JWT token may include data in JSON format. Specifically, the JWT token may include a header, a payload, and a signature. The header may include the type of the JWT token and a hash algorithm. The payload may include data in which the content of the JWT token is encoded. The signature may include data that can confirm whether the JWT token has been forged and / or altered. Therefore, the electronic device can verify the signature of the JWT token based on the generation of the JWT token.

[0059] In operation 420, the electronic device can determine whether the authentication is valid. For example, the electronic device can authenticate the target robot based on the MAC address and the secret key identified from the status information of the target robot. The electronic device can determine whether the authentication of the target robot is valid by means of the operations described above.

[0060] In operation 430, based on the authentication being valid, the electronic device can identify a payload including status information and a boarding request. For example, the electronic device can generate a JWT token to receive information regarding a boarding request from the target robot that has completed authentication. The electronic device can receive information regarding the boarding request from the target robot via the generated JWT token. The electronic device can identify the operation of identifying the information regarding the boarding request received via the JWT token by verifying the signature of the JWT token.

[0061] In operation 440, the electronic device can transmit the requested data based on the identified payload. For example, by identifying the payload, the electronic device can identify the status information of the target robot and the boarding request. The electronic device can respond to the boarding request of the target robot and transmit data related to boarding the carrier device of the target robot (i.e., the requested data) to the target robot.

[0062] In operation 450, the electronic device can transmit an authentication failure based on the invalidity of the authentication. For example, the electronic device can transmit the authentication failure to at least one or more of a user (e.g., user 150 in FIG. 1), a carrier device management server (e.g., carrier device management server 160 in FIG. 1), or any combination thereof.

[0063] FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a method of controlling a target robot based on boarding conditions of the target robot in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] An electronic device according to an embodiment (e.g., electronic device 100 in FIG. 1) can receive a boarding request in operation 510. Specifically, the electronic device can receive a request related to boarding a carrier device (e.g., carrier device 170 in FIG. 1) from the target robot.

[0065] In operation 520, the electronic device can determine the boarding conditions of the target robot. For example, the electronic device can determine the boarding conditions of the target robot based on an operation of identifying a standby robot in a standby area. Specifically, the electronic device can individually determine the boarding conditions of the target robot depending on whether a standby robot is identified in the standby area and whether a standby robot is not identified in the standby area. The operations of the electronic device related to the above-described content will be described later.

[0066] In operations 530 to 540, based on the fact that a standby robot located in the standby area is not identified, the electronic device can transmit a boarding command and information regarding the transport device to the target robot so that the target robot can board the transport device. Specifically, based on the fact that a standby robot located in the standby area is not identified, the electronic device can determine the boarding condition of the target robot as activated (for example, the condition that the target robot can board the transport device). However, the operation of determining the boarding condition may be performed on the premise of the authentication operation of the target robot described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Exemplarily, after authenticating the target robot, the electronic device can determine the boarding condition of the target robot according to whether the standby robot can be identified. Therefore, based on the fact that the standby robot is not identified, the electronic device can activate the boarding condition of the target robot and transmit a boarding command to the target robot. Based on the fact that the boarding condition of the target robot is determined as activated, the electronic device can transmit to the target robot at least one or more of the identification information of the target robot, the boarding location of the target robot, the disembarking location of the target robot, the movement information of the transport device, or any combination thereof. Based on the fact that the boarding condition of the target robot is in an activated state, the electronic device can call the transport device.

[0067] The electronic device can control the target robot so that the target robot boards the transport device based on calling the transport device. For example, the electronic device can control the target robot by transmitting a boarding command to the target robot. The electronic device can identify the state of the target robot that has boarded the transport device. When the target robot arrives at the destination by the transport device, the electronic device can transmit a getting-off command to the target robot. Based on transmitting the getting-off command to the target robot, the electronic device can deactivate the service related to the boarding of the target robot on the transport device. Specifically, when the electronic device transmits a getting-off command to the target robot and there is no standby robot located in the standby area, the electronic device can deactivate the service related to the boarding of the target robot on the transport device. After that, at a time point subsequent to the time point when the getting-off command is transmitted, the electronic device can generate command data related to the service provided by the target robot. Thus, the electronic device can control the target robot that has got off the transport device by transmitting the command data related to the service provided by the target robot to the target robot.

[0068] In operations 530 to 560, the electronic device can transmit a movement command to the target robot so that the target robot moves to the standby area based on the identification of the standby robot located in the standby area. For example, in operation 550, the electronic device can compare the boarding procedures of the standby robot and the target robot. Specifically, the electronic device can determine to deactivate the boarding condition of the target robot based on the identification of the standby robot located in the standby area. Based on the determination that the boarding condition of the target robot is deactivated, the electronic device can transmit to the target robot at least one or more of the identification information of the target robot, the movement information of the transport device, the boarding condition of the target robot, the standby area of the target robot, or any combination thereof. The electronic device can add the target robot with the deactivated boarding condition to the standby list. Exemplarily, the standby list may include a list of robots located in and / or at the standby area. The electronic device can control the movement of the robots located in the standby area by querying the standby list.

[0069] The electronic device can identify the type of the target robot based on the fact that the boarding condition of the target robot is deactivated. The electronic device can receive a user's request to use the target robot based on the fact that the target robot is a delivery robot. For example, the user's request may include at least one or more of a delivery request, a cancellation request, a call request, an emergency request, or any combination thereof. The electronic device can skip the determination of the boarding condition of the target robot based on the fact that the user's request is identified as an emergency request. Specifically, the electronic device can skip the boarding condition in the deactivated state and perform the operations described below based on the fact that the user's request is identified as an emergency request. The electronic device can transmit a boarding command to the target robot so that the target robot boards the transport device based on the fact that the determination of the boarding condition is skipped. Here, the electronic device can transmit at least one or more of the identification information of the target robot, the boarding location of the target robot, the disembarking location of the target robot, the movement information of the transport device, or any combination thereof to the target robot based on the fact that the determination of the boarding condition is skipped.

[0070] FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a method of determining a boarding procedure of a target robot in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0071] An electronic device according to an embodiment (e.g., the electronic device 100 in FIG. 1) can receive a boarding request in operation 610. The electronic device can determine whether there is a standby robot in the standby area based on the fact that the boarding request has been received in operation 620. Here, if there is no standby robot in the standby area, the electronic device can transmit a boarding command to the target robot in operation 680.

[0072] When there is a standby robot in the standby area, the electronic device can query the standby list in operation 630. For example, by querying the standby list, the electronic device can identify a list of robots waiting for the transport device that the target robot intends to board.

[0073] In operation 640, the electronic device can identify the remaining battery level of the standby robot. For example, based on the fact that the remaining amount of the standby robot is less than a predetermined value, in operation 660, the electronic device can determine the boarding procedure of the standby robot with higher priority than the boarding procedure of the target robot.

[0074] In operation 650, based on the fact that the remaining battery level of the standby robot is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the electronic device can determine whether the standby robot is loading goods. Here, if the standby robot is loading goods, in operation 660, the electronic device can determine the boarding procedure of the standby robot with higher priority than the boarding procedure of the target robot.

[0075] In operation 670, if the remaining battery level of the standby robot is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and there are no items loaded on the standby robot, the electronic device can add the target robot to the standby list. Specifically, the electronic device can perform the following operations to add the target robot to the standby list. The electronic device can identify at least one or more of the remaining battery level of the target robot, the type of the target robot, the service status of the target robot, or any combination thereof from the status information. The electronic device can determine the boarding procedure of the target robot based on at least one or more of the remaining battery level of the target robot, the type of the target robot, the service status of the target robot, or any combination thereof. The electronic device can determine the boarding procedure of the standby robot based on at least one or more of the remaining battery level of the standby robot, the type of the standby robot, the service status of the standby robot, or any combination thereof. In other words, the electronic device can determine the boarding procedures of the standby robot and the target robot before adding the target robot to the standby list.

[0076] FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a method of generating a target group in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0077] An electronic device according to an embodiment (e.g., the electronic device 100 in FIG. 1) can receive a boarding request from a target robot in operation 710. Based on receiving the boarding request, the electronic device can generate a target group through the following operations. For example, the target group can indicate a group including the target robot and robots different from the target robot. The electronic device can control the robots included in the target group to board the transport device collectively.

[0078] In operation 720, the electronic device can determine whether there is a robot among the standby robots that is on board the transport device. For example, if there is a robot among the standby robots that is on board the transport device, the electronic device can add the target robot to the standby list in operation 750. Here, the electronic device may not generate a target group based on the addition of the target robot to the standby list.

[0079] In operation 730, based on identifying a robot among the standby robots that is on board the transport device, the electronic device can determine whether the moving directions of the standby robot and the target robot are the same. For example, if the moving directions of the standby robot and the target robot are the same, the electronic device can include the two robots in one group and control them collectively (i.e., control the movement and / or boarding on the transport device). If there is a robot among the standby robots that is on board the transport device, the electronic device can add the target robot to the standby list in operation 750.

[0080] In operation 740, the electronic device can determine whether the moving directions of the transport devices on which the standby robot and the target robot board are the same. For example, if the moving directions of the target robot and the standby robot are the same and the moving directions of the transport devices on which the two robots board are the same, the electronic device can include the two robots in one group and control them collectively (i.e., control the movement and / or boarding on the transport device).

[0081] The electronic device can generate a target group including a standby robot and a target robot in operation 760 by performing operations 720 to 740. Specifically, in operation 760, the electronic device can generate a target group including a standby robot and a target robot based on the movement information of the standby robot, the movement information of the transport device on which the standby robot rides, and the status information of the target robot. The electronic device can transmit boarding commands to each of the robots included in the target group to board the transport device. In contrast, when there is a robot among the standby robots that is boarding the transport device, the electronic device can add the target robot to the standby list in operation 750.

[0082] FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a method of receiving status information and boarding requests via a first communication unit and a second communication unit in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] An electronic device according to an embodiment (e.g., the electronic device 100 in FIG. 1) can receive status information and boarding requests via the first communication unit in operation 810. The communication unit (e.g., the communication unit 130 in FIG. 1) may include a first communication unit and a second communication unit. The description of the second communication unit will be described later in operation 830.

[0084] The electronic device can determine whether the target robot is located in a shadow area in operation 820. For example, the shadow area may include an area where communication between the target robot and the first communication unit of the electronic device is restricted. Specifically, the electronic device can determine whether the target robot is located in the shadow area based on at least one of the strength of the signal received via the first communication unit, the latency of the signal, or a combination of these.

[0085] In operation 830, the electronic device can receive status information and a boarding request via a second communication unit related to short-range communication based on the target robot being located in a shaded area. The second communication unit may include a communication unit different from the first communication unit. Specifically, the second communication unit can indicate a device related to long-range communication, and there may be, but is not limited to, Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee, WFD (Wi-Fi Direct), UWB (ultra-wideband), infrared communication (IrDA, infrared Data Association), BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), NFC (Near Field Communication), etc.

[0086] In operation 840, the electronic device can transmit a boarding command to the target robot. Specifically, the electronic device can transmit a boarding command to the target robot via at least one of the first communication unit or the second communication unit according to whether the target robot is located in a shaded area.

[0087] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a computing system related to an electronic device or a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0088] Referring to FIG. 9, a computing system 1000 related to an electronic device or a control method may include at least one processor 1100, a memory 1300, a user interface input device 1400, a user interface output device 1500, a storage 1600, and a network interface 1700 connected via a bus 1200.

[0089] Processor 1100 may be a semiconductor device that executes processing on instruction words stored in a central processing unit (CPU) or memory 1300 and / or storage 1600. Memory 1300 and storage 1600 may include various types of volatile or non-volatile storage media. For example, memory 1300 may include ROM (read only memory) and RAM (random access memory).

[0090] Accordingly, the steps of the methods or algorithms described with respect to the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, software modules, or a combination of the two executed by processor 1100. The software modules may reside in storage media such as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM (i.e., memory 1300 and / or storage 1600).

[0091] An exemplary storage medium is coupled to processor 1100, and that processor 1100 can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral with processor 1100. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may reside as separate components in a user terminal.

[0092] The above description merely exemplarily explains the technical idea of the present invention, and those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

[0093] The embodiments described above can be implemented by hardware components, software components, and / or combinations of hardware components and software components. For example, the devices, methods, and components described in the embodiments can be implemented using a general-purpose computer or a special-purpose computer, such as a processor, a controller, an ALU (arithmetic logic unit), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, an FPGA (field programmable gate array), a PLU (programmable logic unit), a microprocessor, or other devices capable of executing instructions and providing answers. The processing device can execute an operating system (OS) and software applications running on the operating system. The processing device can also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to the execution of software. For ease of understanding, the processing device may sometimes be described as being one, but those with ordinary knowledge in the art will understand that the processing device may include multiple processing elements and / or multiple types of processing elements. For example, the processing device may include multiple processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations, such as a parallel processor, are also possible.

[0094] Software may include a computer program, code, instruction, or a combination of one or more of these, and may configure a processing device to operate as desired, or may instruct the processing device independently or collectively. Software and / or data may be embodied permanently or temporarily in a certain type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage medium or device, or signalwave being transmitted, for the processing device to interpret or to provide instructions or data to the processing device. Software may be distributed over a network-connected computing system and stored or executed in a distributed manner. Software and data may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium.

[0095] The method according to an embodiment may be embodied in a program instruction form that may be performed via various computer means and may be recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination, and the program instructions recorded in the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the embodiment or those known to and usable by those skilled in the art of computer software.

[0096] Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices specifically configured to store program instructions such as ROMs, RAMs, and flash memories. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language code generated by a compiler but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like.

[0097] The above-described hardware devices may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa. Although the embodiments have been described with reference to the limited drawings as above, those having ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field can apply various technical modifications and variations based thereon. For example, even if the described technology is performed in a procedure different from the described method, and / or the components of the described system, structure, device, circuit, etc. are combined or assembled in a form different from the described method, or are opposed or replaced by other components or equivalents, appropriate results can be achieved.

[0098] Therefore, other embodiments, other implementations, and equivalents to the claims also fall within the scope of the claims described below. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not for limiting the technical idea of the present invention but for explaining it, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by such embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention must be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope must be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of the present invention.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0099] 100 Electronic device 110, 1100 Processor 120, 1300 Memory 122 Instruction words 130 Communication unit 140 Authentication unit 150 User 160 Conveyor device management server 170 Conveyor device 1000 Computing system 1200 Bus 1310 ROM 1320 RAM 1400 User interface input device 1500 User interface output device 1600 Storage 1700 Network interface

Claims

1. 1. An electronic device comprising: a memory storing computer-executable instructions; at least one processor that accesses the memory and executes the instructions; The at least one processor receiving status information of a target robot and a boarding request from the target robot that is to board the transport device; determining boarding conditions for the target robot by comparing a boarding procedure of a waiting robot located in a waiting area different from the target robot with the boarding procedure of the target robot; and transmitting a disembarkation command to the target robot so that the target robot disembarks from the transport device based on a destination of the transport device on which the target robot is boarded in accordance with the boarding conditions.

2. The at least one processor Based on the identification of the waiting robot located in the waiting area, transmitting a movement command to the target robot so that the target robot moves to the waiting area; The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting a boarding command and information regarding the transport device to the target robot so that the target robot boards the transport device based on the fact that the waiting robot located in the waiting area is not identified or based on the boarding conditions of the target robot.

3. The at least one processor Identifying at least one of a remaining battery charge of the target robot, a type of the target robot, a service status of the target robot, or any combination thereof from the status information; determining a boarding procedure for the target robot based on at least one of a remaining battery level of the target robot, a type of the target robot, a service status of the target robot, or any combination thereof; The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the boarding procedure for the waiting robot is determined based on at least one of the remaining battery charge of the waiting robot, the type of the waiting robot, the service status of the waiting robot, or any combination thereof.

4. The at least one processor receiving a request from a user who uses the target robot based on the fact that the target robot is a delivery robot; Based on the fact that the user's request is identified as an emergency request, skipping the determination of the riding conditions of the target robot; The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a boarding command for transmitting to the target robot a boarding command for the target robot to board the transport device based on the fact that the determination of the boarding conditions for the target robot has been skipped.

5. The at least one processor Through a user interface (UI) that receives a user request, receiving requests from the user to register, modify, and delete the target robot; or The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising: receiving setting information from the user regarding inspection of the transport device and whether or not a dedicated operation is possible.

6. The at least one processor Based on the status information and the boarding request being received, identifying a MAC address of the target robot and a secret key of the target robot from the status information; authenticating the target robot based on the MAC address and the secret key; The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising: determining a riding condition for the target robot based on the fact that the target robot is an authenticated robot.

7. The at least one processor Generate a JWT token (JSON Web Token; JWT) for authenticating the target robot based on the MAC address and the private key; Verifying the signature of the JWT token; The electronic device of claim 6, further comprising: identifying a payload included in the JWT token based on verification of the signature.

8. The at least one processor receiving the status information and the boarding request via a first communication unit related to long-distance communication; 2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a second communication unit for short-range communication that receives the status information and the boarding request based on at least one of a strength of a signal received through the first communication unit, a latency of the signal, or any combination thereof.

9. The at least one processor The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, based on the determination of the boarding conditions of the target robot, at least one of the following is transmitted to the target robot: identification information of the target robot, the boarding point of the target robot, the disembarking point of the target robot, movement information of the transport device, the boarding conditions of the target robot, the waiting area of ​​the target robot, or any combination thereof.

10. The at least one processor deactivating a service related to the target robot getting on the transport device based on the transmission of the dismount command to the target robot; The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising: generating command data for a service to be provided by the target robot at a time point subsequent to the time point at which the dismount command is transmitted.

11. The at least one processor Based on the identification of the standby robot located in the standby area, identifying at least one of movement information of the standby robot, movement information of a transport device on which the standby robot is mounted, or any combination thereof; Generate a target group including the standby robot and the target robot based on movement information of the standby robot, movement information of a transport device on which the standby robot is mounted, and state information of the target robot; The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising: a boarding command for transmitting a boarding command to each of the robots included in the target group to board the transport device.

12. receiving status information and a boarding request from a target robot that is to board the transport device; An operation of determining boarding conditions for the target robot by comparing a boarding procedure of a waiting robot located in a waiting area different from the target robot with a boarding procedure of the target robot; and transmitting an disembarkation command to the target robot so that the target robot disembarks from the transport device based on the destination of the transport device on which the target robot is boarded in accordance with the boarding conditions.

13. The operation of transmitting a command to get off the target robot includes: transmitting a movement command to the target robot so that the target robot moves to the waiting area based on the identification of the waiting robot located in the waiting area; The control method of claim 12, further comprising an operation of transmitting a boarding command and information regarding the transport device to the target robot so that the target robot boards the transport device based on the waiting robot located in the waiting area not being identified or based on the boarding conditions of the target robot.

14. The operation of determining the boarding condition of the target robot includes: Identifying at least one of the remaining battery charge of the target robot, the type of the target robot, the service status of the target robot, or any combination thereof from the status information; An operation of determining a boarding procedure for the target robot based on at least one of a remaining battery level of the target robot, a type of the target robot, a service status of the target robot, or any combination thereof; The control method described in claim 12, further comprising an operation of determining a boarding procedure for the waiting robot based on at least one of the remaining battery capacity of the waiting robot, the type of the waiting robot, the service status of the waiting robot, or any combination thereof.

15. The operation of determining the boarding condition of the target robot includes: receiving a request from a user who uses the target robot based on the fact that the target robot is a delivery robot; skipping a determination of a riding condition of the target robot based on the user's request being identified as an emergency request; The control method of claim 12, further comprising an operation of transmitting a boarding command to the target robot so that the target robot boards the transport device based on the fact that the determination of the boarding conditions of the target robot has been skipped.

16. The operation of determining the boarding condition of the target robot includes: an operation of identifying a MAC address of the target robot and a secret key of the target robot from the status information based on receiving the status information and the boarding request; An operation of authenticating the target robot based on the MAC address and the secret key; The control method according to claim 12, further comprising an operation of determining riding conditions for the target robot based on the fact that the target robot is an authenticated robot.

17. The operation of determining the boarding condition of the target robot includes: generating a JWT token (json web token; JWT) for authenticating the target robot based on the MAC address and the private key; An operation of verifying a signature of the JWT token; and identifying a payload included in the JWT token based on the verification of the signature.

18. The operation of receiving the status information and the boarding request includes: receiving the status information and the boarding request via a first communication unit related to long-distance communication; receiving the status information and the boarding request via a second communication unit for short-range communication based on at least one of a strength of a signal received via the first communication unit, a latency of the signal, or any combination thereof.

19. The operation of determining the boarding condition of the target robot includes: The control method described in claim 12, characterized in that it includes an operation of transmitting to the target robot at least one of the following information based on the determination of the boarding conditions of the target robot: identification information of the target robot, the boarding point of the target robot, the disembarking point of the target robot, movement information of the transport device, the boarding conditions of the target robot, the waiting area of ​​the target robot, or any combination thereof.

20. Based on the identification of the standby robot located in the standby area, an operation of identifying at least one of movement information of the standby robot, movement information of a transport device on which the standby robot is mounted, or any combination thereof; An operation of generating a target group including the standby robot and the target robot based on movement information of the standby robot, movement information of a transport device on which the standby robot is mounted, and status information of the target robot; The method of claim 12 , further comprising: transmitting a boarding command to each of the robots included in the target group to board the transport device.

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