Serving robot equipped with display means

Abstract

A serving robot is provided with a display means, the serving robot including a first display unit disposed on the front of the serving robot, and a second display unit and a third display unit disposed on the left and right sides of the serving robot at the same height as the first display unit, respectively, the first display unit, the second display unit, and the third display unit each including at least one LED matrix that emits light toward the outside of the serving robot, and a diffuser disposed on the at least one LED matrix.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 445,343, filed February 14, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a serving robot having a display means. [Background technology]

[0003] Serving refers to providing food or drink to customers in places such as restaurants, and recently, robots have been developed to serve food or drink instead of or as an aid to waiters or waitresses. These robots typically have the function of taking food and drink orders and serving them according to the order, and can also navigate autonomously using table position information. These robots may be configured with a means of movement (including sensors for obstacle avoidance), a display means for displaying menus or inputting orders, etc. The robot may also include a means for placing and transporting food and drink or food containers.

[0004] As an example of the related art, there is the technology disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1083700, which discloses a robot system for serving in a restaurant that receives orders in a restaurant and transports trays on which the ordered food and drink is placed, comprising a pair of synchronously driven articulated robot arms, an upper end portion including a tray gripper that is rotatably connected to the lower end of the articulated robot arms and fixes the tray, a lower end portion having a robot transport unit at its lower end that includes a main wheel and one or more auxiliary wheels, an intermediate portion fixed to the lower end portion and rotatably connected to the upper end portion, and a robotic arm assembly including the pair of articulated robot arms, the tray gripper, and the robot transport unit. a control unit for controlling the operation of a moving unit, wherein the tray gripping unit includes a hand rotatably connected to the end of the articulated robot arm; a fixed unit provided on the hand so as to be able to move up and down; a gripper located below the tray and connected to the fixed unit; a stopper located above the tray and connected to the fixed unit so as to face the gripper; a switch pressed by the fixed unit, which moves upward as the end of the articulated robot arm is driven downward and the stopper is pressed by the tray; a spring which contracts when the fixed unit moves upward; and a gripper angle sensor which detects the angle of the gripper.

[0005] On the other hand, although the technologies introduced so far have proposed various display means for visually displaying the operating status of the serving robot, they have the limitation of only displaying visual information in one direction (or only in a specific direction) through the traditional LCD screen installed on the serving robot, which means that they are unable to propose a means for correctly conveying the information displayed by the serving robot to customers and employees in various positions and situations within the restaurant.

[0006] Therefore, the inventors propose a serving robot that can provide (display) information in all directions through display units arranged along the front, left side, and right side of the serving robot's exterior. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] An object of the present invention is to solve all of the problems of the prior art mentioned above.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a serving robot that includes a first display unit disposed on the front of the serving robot, and a second display unit and a third display unit disposed on the left and right sides of the serving robot, respectively, at the same height as the first display unit, and the first, second, and third display units each include at least one LED matrix that emits light toward the outside of the serving robot, and a diffuser disposed on the at least one LED matrix.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to effectively convey visual information about the serving robot to people in various positions and situations within a restaurant by enabling the serving robot to display information in all directions (360 degrees).

[0010] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a serving robot that implements an omnidirectional display in a cost-effective manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A typical configuration of the present invention to achieve the above object is as follows.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a serving robot equipped with a display means, comprising: a first display unit arranged on the front of the serving robot; and a second display unit and a third display unit arranged on the left and right sides of the serving robot, respectively, at the same height as the first display unit, wherein the first display unit, the second display unit, and the third display unit each include at least one LED matrix that emits light toward the outside of the serving robot, and a diffuser arranged on the at least one LED matrix.

[0013] In addition, other serving robots for embodying the present invention are also provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, by enabling a serving robot to display information in all directions (360 degrees), visual information about the serving robot can be effectively conveyed to people in various positions and situations within a restaurant.

[0015] In addition, according to the present invention, an omnidirectional display that can interact with restaurant users (managers) can be realized using only an LED matrix and a capacitive touch sensor, thereby providing a serving robot that can dramatically improve human-robot interface and communication in a cost-effective manner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an entire system for controlling a serving robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating in detail the internal configuration of a robot control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a serving robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a display unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a display unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a display unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation in which information is displayed on a display unit of a serving robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The following detailed description of the present invention refers to the accompanying drawings, which show, by way of example, specific embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in detail to enable those skilled in the art to fully practice the present invention. It should be understood that although the various embodiments of the present invention are different from one another, they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, specific shapes, structures, and characteristics described herein may be embodied in different embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should also be understood that the location or arrangement of individual components within each embodiment may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention should be understood to encompass the scope of the appended claims and all equivalents thereof. Like reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same or similar components throughout the various aspects.

[0018] Hereinafter, in order to enable those skilled in the art to easily implement the present invention, a few preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Overall system configuration FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an entire system for controlling a serving robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the overall system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a communication network 100, a robot control system 200, and a serving robot 300.

[0021] First, the communication network 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured regardless of the communication mode, such as wired communication or wireless communication, and may be configured as various communication networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), or a wide area network (WAN). Preferably, the communication network 100 in this specification may be the well-known Internet or World Wide Web (WWW). However, the communication network 100 is not necessarily limited thereto and may include at least a portion of a well-known wired / wireless data communication network, a well-known telephone network, or a well-known wired / wireless television communication network.

[0022] For example, communication network 100 may be a wireless data communication network that at least partially implements a conventional communication method such as WiFi communication, WiFi-Direct communication, Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication, 5G communication, Bluetooth® communication (including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication), infrared communication, ultrasonic communication, etc. As another example, communication network 100 may be an optical communication network that at least partially implements a conventional communication method such as LiFi (Light Fidelity), etc.

[0023] Next, the robot control system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention can acquire information sensed or collected from the serving robot 300 and perform a function of controlling the display state or operation of the serving robot 300. In particular, the robot control system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention can control information displayed through a first display unit, a second display unit, and a third display unit of the serving robot 300 (described later), and can control the display state or operation of the serving robot 300 in response to a user operation input through electrostatic touch sensors disposed on the first display unit, the second display unit, and the third display unit.

[0024] The configuration and functions of the robot control system 200 according to the present invention will be explained in detail below.

[0025] Next, the serving robot 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a device that can communicate with the robot control system 200 through the communication network 100 and autonomously perform a predetermined function or assigned task (e.g., serving food or beverages, collecting containers, etc.) without operation by a user (e.g., an employee, a customer, etc.), and may include a support platform configured to support at least one object. The serving robot 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include at least one of a module (e.g., a grabber, a robot arm module, etc.) for loading and unloading an object (e.g., a food or beverage tray), an image module (e.g., a visible light camera, an infrared camera, etc.) for acquiring surrounding images, a scanner module (e.g., a LIDAR sensor, etc.) for acquiring obstacle information, an audio acquisition module (e.g., a microphone, etc.) for acquiring surrounding sounds, a display and speaker module for providing images and sounds, and a drive module (e.g., a motor, etc.) for moving the serving robot 300.

[0026] For example, the serving robot 300 may be a robot having similar characteristics or functions to at least one of a guide robot, a transport robot, a cleaning robot, a medical robot, an entertainment robot, a pet robot, and an unmanned flying robot. Meanwhile, in this specification, "supporting an object" should be interpreted to include supporting a container for holding an object such as food or drink, a means for placing the container (e.g., a tray, etc.), etc.

[0027] Meanwhile, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the serving robot 300 may include an application (not shown) for controlling the serving robot 300 according to the present invention. Such an application may be downloaded from the robot control system 200 or an external application distribution server (not shown). According to one embodiment of the present invention, the nature of such an application may be generally similar to the program modules of the robot control system 200 described below. Here, at least a portion of the application may be replaced, if necessary, with a hardware or firmware device capable of performing substantially the same or equivalent functions.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a serving robot 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 3, the serving robot 300 may include a main body 310, a driving unit 320, a processor (not shown), a light emitting unit 340, and a display unit 350.

[0030] First, according to an embodiment of the present invention, supports 310a, 310b, and 310c configured to support at least one object may be coupled to main body 310. According to an embodiment of the present invention, supports 310a, 310b, and 310c may be detachably coupled for cleaning, replacement, and the like. Furthermore, each of supports 310a, 310b, and 310c may include a weight sensor (not shown) for detecting the weight supported by each of supports 310a, 310b, and 310c. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the weight sensor may be implemented using one or more strain gauges (e.g., three strain gauges, four strain gauges, etc.). According to an embodiment of the present invention, the weight sensor may be coupled to a processor.

[0031] Furthermore, in place of or in addition to the weight sensors, the main body 310 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include image sensors (not shown) configured to capture images of spatial regions above the respective supports 310 a, 310 b, and 310 c. Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the image sensors configured to capture images of spatial regions above the respective supports 310 a, 310 b, and 310 c do not necessarily have to be included in the main body 310, and at least some of the image sensors may be installed in the structure of the serving location.

[0032] Meanwhile, the main body 310 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include at least one loading space for loading an object. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the loading space may include supports 310a, 310b, and 310c. The object according to an embodiment of the present invention is a general term for all types of objects that can be moved by the serving robot 300, and may include things, animals, etc. For example, the object according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an object to be served, such as food or drink, and an object to be bussed, such as a container containing the food or drink.

[0033] 3, the driving unit 320 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured with a module for moving the body 310 to another location. For example, the driving unit 320 is a module for moving the body 310 to another location and may include modules related to wheels, propellers, etc. that are driven electrically, mechanically, or hydraulically.

[0034] Next, the processor according to an embodiment of the present invention may be electrically connected to the driver 320 to perform a function of controlling the driver 320 (and may further include a communication module for communication with an external system), and may refer to a data processing device built into hardware having a circuit physically structured to perform a function expressed by code or instructions included in a program. For example, such a data processing device built into hardware may include a processing device such as a microprocessor, a central processing unit, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0035] In addition, the processor may perform at least one function of the data acquisition unit 210 and the display state management unit 220 of the robot control system 200 according to the present invention (for example, the corresponding function may be modularized and included in the processor), and may perform the function of controlling the driving unit 320 through communication with an external system (not shown) that performs at least one function of the data acquisition unit 210 and the display state management unit 220.

[0036] Specifically, the processor acquires sensor data and order data regarding at least one object placed on at least one support stand connected to the serving robot, identifies a serving object to be served among the at least one object by referring to the sensor data and order data, generates light pointing to the specific support stand from a portion of a light-emitting unit arranged on a pillar of the serving robot that corresponds to the specific support stand on which the serving object is placed, and dynamically adjusts the light generated by the light-emitting unit based on information about the environment acquired while the serving robot is operating.

[0037] 3, the serving robot 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a light emitting unit 340 disposed along the length of a pillar of the main body 310. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting unit 340 may be elongated in the vertical direction to cover at least the section where the support bases 310a, 310b, and 310c mounted on the main body 310 of the serving robot 300 are disposed.

[0038] Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting unit 340 may also be disposed at the lower end of the body 310 of the serving robot 300 .

[0039] However, the configuration of the light emitting unit 340 arranged along the longitudinal direction of the pillar of the serving robot 300 according to one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned configurations, and may be variously modified within the scope that can achieve the object of the present invention.

[0040] Next, referring to FIG. 3, a serving robot 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a display unit 350 arranged along the outer shape of the body.

[0041] The display unit 350 according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a first display unit 350a disposed on the front of the serving robot 300, and may include a second display unit 350b and a third display unit 350c disposed on the left and right sides of the serving robot 300, respectively, at the same height as the first display unit 350a.

[0042] For example, the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, and the third display unit 350c according to one embodiment of the present invention may be arranged around one of the support bases installed on the main body 310 of the serving robot 300.

[0043] Next, FIGS. 4 to 6 are diagrams illustrating an example of the configuration of a display unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] 4 and 5, each of first display unit 350a, second display unit 350b, and third display unit 350c constituting display unit 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include at least one LED matrix 351a, 351b, or 351c. Note that, Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a top view of LED matrices 351a, 351b, and 351c included in display unit 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from above serving robot 300, and Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a front view of LED matrices 351a, 351b, and 351c included in display unit 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front of serving robot 300.

[0045] For example, the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, and the third display unit 350c may include three LED matrices 351a, 351b, and 351c arranged horizontally. If one LED matrix has a resolution of 16 pixels by 32 pixels, the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, and the third display unit 350c may each have a resolution corresponding to 3 x 16 pixels by 32 pixels.

[0046] 4 and 5, in at least one of the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, and the third display unit 350c according to an embodiment of the present invention, the LED matrix 351a, 351b, or 351c may be arranged tilted at a predetermined angle toward the upper side of the serving robot 300. For example, the LED matrix 351b of the second display unit 350b arranged on the left side of the serving robot 300 and the LED matrix 351c of the third display unit 350c arranged on the right side of the serving robot 300 may be arranged tilted at a predetermined angle toward the upper side of the serving robot 300.

[0047] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, or the third display unit 350c displays visual information in a direction that is higher than the serving robot 300, thereby increasing visibility for users whose eyes are higher than the height of the display unit 350 of the serving robot 300 (e.g., standing customers, walking customers, customers sitting on high chairs, etc.).

[0048] 4 and 5, in at least one of the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, and the third display unit 350c according to an embodiment of the present invention, the direction in which the LED matrices 351a, 351b, and 351c display visual information may be determined by the curvature of the outer shape of the serving robot 300 corresponding to the position where the corresponding LED matrices 351a, 351b, and 351c are arranged. For example, if the first display unit 350a includes three LED matrices 351a, these three LED matrices 351a may be arranged in a curved formation along the curvature of the front part of the serving robot 300 body.

[0049] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the LED matrices 351a, 351b, 351c of the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, or the third display unit 350c are arranged along the curve of the outer shape of the serving robot 300 as described above, thereby increasing the visibility of the serving robot 300 in all directions around it.

[0050] 6, first display unit 350a, second display unit 350b, and third display unit 350c constituting display unit 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include diffusers 352a, 352b, and 352c, respectively. According to an embodiment of the present invention, diffusers 352a, 352b, and 352c may be disposed on LED matrices 351a, 351b, and 351c included in first display unit 350a, second display unit 350b, and third display unit 350c, respectively, and may thereby function to allow light generated from LED matrices 351a, 351b, and 351c to be emitted to the outside continuously and naturally.

[0051] 6, first display unit 350a, second display unit 350b, and third display unit 350c constituting display unit 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include light-transmitting electrostatic touch sensors 353a, 353b, and 353c, respectively. According to an embodiment of the present invention, light-transmitting electrostatic touch sensors 352a, 352b, and 352c may be disposed outside LED matrices 351a, 351b, and 351c and diffusers 352a, 352b, and 352c, and thus may perform a function of detecting a user's touch operation input to display unit 350 while transmitting light emitted from first display unit 350a, second display unit 350b, and third display unit 350c.

[0052] 6, the display unit 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a cover unit 354 that surrounds each of the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, and the third display unit 350c. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cover unit 354 is dark-tinted, thereby enhancing the visibility of visual information displayed by the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, and the third display unit 350c.

[0053] Robot control system configuration The internal configuration of the robot control system 200 and the functions of each component that perform important functions for implementing the present invention will now be discussed in detail.

[0054] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating in detail the internal configuration of a robot control system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 2, a robot control system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a data acquisition unit 210, a display state management unit 220, a communication unit 230, and a control unit 240. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the data acquisition unit 210, the display state management unit 220, the communication unit 230, and the control unit 240 may be program modules, at least some of which communicate with an external system (not shown). Such program modules may be included in the robot control system 200 in the form of an operating system, application module, or other program modules, and may be physically stored in various known storage devices. Furthermore, such program modules may be stored in a remote storage device that can communicate with the robot control system 200. Meanwhile, such program modules include, but are not limited to, routines, subroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types, as described below, according to the present invention.

[0056] Meanwhile, although the robot control system 200 has been described above, this description is merely an example, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that at least some of the components or functions of the robot control system 200 may be implemented or included in the serving robot 300 or an external system (not shown) as necessary. Furthermore, in some cases, all of the functions and components of the robot control system 200 may be implemented or included in the serving robot 300.

[0057] First, the data acquisition unit 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention can acquire sensor data and order data related to at least one object placed on at least one support table connected to the serving robot 300 .

[0058] Specifically, a support stand may be coupled to the serving robot 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and at least one object (e.g., an object to be served or an object to be bashed) may be placed on the support stand. At least one first sensor (not shown) for acquiring first sensor data regarding the at least one object may be coupled to the serving robot 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] More specifically, the sensor data acquired by the data acquisition unit 210 using the first sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention may include sensor data for recognizing (detecting) at least one object placed on the support platform. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the term "object" refers to an object carried by the serving robot 300 to serve to a customer, and should be understood as a comprehensive concept including an object collected by the serving robot 300 from a customer for cleaning up, etc. Furthermore, the term "object" primarily refers to food and drink, but does not exclude tableware and other eating utensils.

[0060] For example, as described above, image data acquired from an image sensor regarding at least one object placed on the support platform may be included in the sensor data according to an embodiment of the present invention. That is, the data acquisition unit 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention may acquire an image or a change in the image captured by an image sensor configured to capture an image of a spatial region on the support platform as sensor data regarding at least one object placed on the support platform.

[0061] As another example, the sensor data may include data relating to the weight or changes in the weight sensed by a weight sensor included in the support base.

[0062] In yet another example, the data acquisition unit 210 according to one embodiment of the present invention may determine whether at least one object is placed on the support platform based on weight data, and then, if at least one object is placed on the support platform, the image sensor may acquire image data related to the object as sensor data.

[0063] However, the sensor data regarding at least one object placed on a support platform coupled to the serving robot 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned examples and may be variously changed within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention. Also, it should be understood that, according to an embodiment of the present invention, such sensor data may be acquired regarding each of at least one object placed on the support platform.

[0064] In addition, the data acquisition unit 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further acquire order data regarding orders that the serving robot must process.

[0065] Specifically, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the order data may include data regarding which food or drink (serving object) to serve to which customer (table) or data regarding which plate (bashing object) to collect from which customer (table). Also, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the order data may include data regarding which support table of the serving robot 300 the serving object or the bashing object is placed on.

[0066] Next, the display state management unit 220 according to one embodiment of the present invention can identify a serving object to be served from among at least one object mounted on the serving robot 300 by referring to the sensor data and the order data.

[0067] For example, if the sensor data according to an embodiment of the present invention includes image data related to at least one object placed on the support platform, the display state management unit 220 according to an embodiment of the present invention may determine whether the object is a serving object by processing the image data related to the object using a machine learning-based object recognition model related to the object that may be placed on the support platform, and may further specifically recognize what the object is. Here, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the object recognition model may be implemented using an algorithm such as R-CNN (Region-based Convolutional Neural Networks), YOLO (You Only Look Once), or SSD (Single Shot Detector), but is not limited thereto and may be variously modified within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention.

[0068] In another example, when the sensor data according to one embodiment of the present invention includes weight data regarding at least one object placed on the support platform, the display state management unit 220 according to one embodiment of the present invention can specifically identify which object is placed on which support platform by comparing and analyzing the data regarding the weight or weight change with the weight of the object (food or drink) to be ordered, and can therefore determine whether the object placed on a specific support platform is a serving object to be served.

[0069] The display state management unit 220 according to an embodiment of the present invention can manage information displayed through the display unit 350 of the serving robot 300.

[0070] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation in which information is displayed on a display unit of a serving robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 7, the display state management unit 220 according to one embodiment of the present invention can manage the display states of the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, and the third display unit 350c that constitute the display unit 350 of the serving robot 300.

[0072] For example, the display state management unit 220 according to an embodiment of the present invention may cause in-store advertising information to be displayed on the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, or the third display unit 350c.

[0073] As another example, the display state management unit 220 according to one embodiment of the present invention may cause a message for a specific customer ("Happy Birthday [name]") to be displayed on the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, or the third display unit 350c.

[0074] In yet another example, the display state management unit 220 according to one embodiment of the present invention may cause information regarding the movement intention of the serving robot 300 to be displayed on the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, or the third display unit 350c.

[0075] In yet another example, the display state management unit 220 according to one embodiment of the present invention may display information on which support (tray) of the serving robot 300 the user should take food from on the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, or the third display unit 350c.

[0076] In yet another example, the display state management unit 220 according to one embodiment of the present invention may display user guidance information on the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, or the third display unit 350c, instructing the user to input a touch operation to move the serving robot 300 to the next destination.

[0077] In yet another example, the display state management unit 220 according to one embodiment of the present invention may cause a message ("Here's your table") to be displayed on the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, or the third display unit 350c, informing the customer of the table at which they should sit.

[0078] In yet another example, the display status management unit 220 according to one embodiment of the present invention may display a message on the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, or the third display unit 350c to notify nearby users that the food or drink placed on the support (tray) of the serving robot 300 is hot.

[0079] For another example, the display state management unit 220 according to an embodiment of the present invention may display two or more button areas (Yes / No) that can receive a touch operation from the user on the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, or the third display unit 350c. Specifically, the serving robot 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention may output a voice message asking whether there is any additional item to order. In response, when the user inputs a touch operation corresponding to "Yes" on the first display unit 350a, the second display unit 350b, or the third display unit 350c of the serving robot 300, the serving robot 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention may rotate the serving robot 300 so that a screen (large touch screen) that can display detailed information about the additional item is located in front of the user.

[0080] Next, the communication unit 230 according to an embodiment of the present invention can perform a function that enables data transmission / reception to / from the data acquisition unit 210 and the display state management unit 220.

[0081] Finally, the control unit 240 according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform a function of controlling the flow of data between the data acquiring unit 210, the display state managing unit 220, and the communication unit 230. That is, the control unit 240 according to an embodiment of the present invention may control the data acquiring unit 210, the display state managing unit 220, and the communication unit 230 to perform their respective unique functions by controlling the flow of data from / to the outside of the robot control system 200 or the flow of data between each component of the robot control system 200.

[0082] The above-described embodiments of the present invention may be embodied in the form of program instructions that can be executed by various computer components and stored on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions stored on the computer-readable recording medium may be specially designed and constructed for the present invention, or may be readily available to those skilled in the art of computer software. 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 specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language code, such as that produced by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc. A hardware device may be replaced by one or more software modules to perform the processes of the present invention, and vice versa.

[0083] Although the present invention has been described above using specific details such as specific components and limited examples and drawings, this is merely provided to facilitate a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above examples. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may attempt various modifications and changes from such descriptions.

[0084] Therefore, the concept of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, and all scopes equivalent to or modified equivalently from the scope of the claims below as well as the scope of the invention can be said to fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention.

Claims

1. A serving robot having a display means, a first display unit disposed in front of the serving robot; and a second display unit and a third display unit disposed on a left side surface and a right side surface of the serving robot, respectively, at the same height as the first display unit; The first display unit, the second display unit, and the third display unit are At least one LED matrix that emits light toward the outside of the serving robot; and A serving robot including a diffuser disposed over the at least one LED matrix.

2. 2. The serving robot according to claim 1, wherein in at least one of the first display unit, the second display unit, and the third display unit, the at least one LED matrix is ​​arranged tilted at a predetermined angle toward an upper side of the serving robot.

3. The serving robot according to claim 1 , wherein the first display unit, the second display unit, and the third display unit are arranged along the periphery of a support base installed on the serving robot.

4. 2. The serving robot according to claim 1, wherein in at least one of the first display unit, the second display unit, and the third display unit, the direction in which the at least one LED matrix is ​​viewed is determined by a curvature of the outer shape of the serving robot corresponding to a position where the at least one LED matrix is ​​arranged.

5. The serving robot according to claim 3 , further comprising a cover portion that surrounds the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion and is formed along the periphery of the support base.

6. The serving robot according to claim 1 , wherein the first display unit, the second display unit, and the third display unit further include a light-transmitting electrostatic touch sensor disposed on the diffuser.

7. The serving robot according to claim 6 , wherein the information displayed through the at least one LED matrix is ​​determined in conjunction with a sensing operation of the light-transmitting capacitive touch sensor.

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