Method, system and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for controlling a robot

Abstract

To provide a method including a step of determining a communication method used among multiple robots.SOLUTION: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a robot including the steps of: acquiring information on a communication connection state among multiple robots that are identified by using at least one relay robot as a reference among multiple robots present in a service provision location; and determining a communication method used in the multiple robots by referring to the information on the communication connection state among the multiple robots.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method, a system and a non-transitory computer readable medium for controlling a robot. [Background technology]

[0002] Robots are being used in various fields to replace or assist humans because they can automate difficult tasks and repetitive operations. Recently, various research projects have been conducted on technologies for smoothly controlling multiple robots.

[0003] One example of related art in this regard is the technology disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2242380, which introduces a restaurant serving robot system that manages and controls multiple assisting robots, such as an ordering robot that takes orders for various menu items in a restaurant, a side dish robot that transports various refill side dishes placed on a tray to a table where a pager is pressed, a beverage robot that transports various beverages placed on a tray to a table where a pager is pressed, and a following robot that accompanies service employees who provide services in response to customer requests and helps organize the tables or assists by loading and serving various items on multiple trays.

[0004] However, according to the conventional technologies described above and other technologies introduced so far, multiple robots are controlled or communicated between using a single communication method (e.g., Bluetooth communication, Wi-Fi communication, etc.), which often results in communication failures (e.g., weak or lost communication connections) due to spatial issues at the service providing location (e.g., the presence of walls, obstacles, etc.), making it difficult to smoothly control the robots.

[0005] Therefore, the present inventors propose a new and advanced technology that can dynamically determine the communication method to be used between multiple robots by referring to information regarding the communication connection status between multiple robots obtained based on at least one relay robot among the multiple robots present at a service providing location. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] An object of the present invention is to solve all of the problems of the prior art described above.

[0007] It is yet another object of the present invention to smoothly maintain communication connections between a plurality of robots present in a service providing location.

[0008] It is still another object of the present invention to dynamically determine or change a communication method to be used among a plurality of robots present in a service providing location.

[0009] It is yet another object of the present invention to dynamically determine a robot that will relay with other robots among a plurality of robots present in a service providing location.

[0010] It is yet another object of the present invention to improve communication connection between a plurality of robots by moving at least one robot (eg, a relay robot) to a predetermined position within a service providing location. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A representative configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object is as follows.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a robot, the method including: acquiring information regarding a communication connection state between a plurality of robots present at a service providing location, the plurality of robots being identified based on at least one relay robot; and determining a communication method to be used between the plurality of robots by referring to the information regarding the communication connection state between the plurality of robots.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for controlling a robot, the system including: an information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a communication connection state between a plurality of robots present at a service providing location, the plurality of robots being identified based on at least one relay robot; and a communication method determination unit that determines a communication method to be used between the plurality of robots by referring to the information regarding the communication connection state between the plurality of robots.

[0014] In addition, other methods and systems for implementing the present invention, as well as a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a computer program for carrying out the methods, are also provided. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, communication connections between a plurality of robots present in a service providing location can be smoothly maintained.

[0016] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the communication method to be used among a plurality of robots present in a service providing location can be dynamically determined or changed.

[0017] Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to dynamically determine a robot that will relay with other robots among a plurality of robots present in a service providing location.

[0018] Also, according to the present invention, at least one robot (eg, a relay robot) can be moved to a predetermined position within a service providing location to improve communication connection between a plurality of robots. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an entire system for controlling a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of a robot control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation in which a plurality of robots present at a service providing location are controlled according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation in which a plurality of robots present at a service providing location are controlled according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] 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. Such embodiments are described in detail to enable those skilled in the art to fully practice the present invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different from one another but are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, specific shapes, structures and characteristics described herein may be embodied in one embodiment 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 is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention should be understood to include the scope of the claims and all equivalents thereto. In the drawings, like reference numerals indicate the same or similar components throughout the various aspects.

[0021] In this specification, the term "content" refers to digital information or individual information elements accessible through a communication network, such as characters, codes, voice, audio, images, videos, etc. Such content may include data such as text, images, videos, audio, links (e.g., web links), or a combination of at least two of such data.

[0022] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, various preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in order to enable those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains to easily practice the present invention.

[0023] Overall system configuration

[0024] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an entire system for controlling a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, an overall system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a communication network 100, a robot control system 200, and a robot 300.

[0026] First, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the communication network 100 may be configured regardless of the type of communication, 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), and 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 part of a well-known wired / wireless data communication network, a well-known telephone network, or a well-known wired / wireless television communication network.

[0027] For example, the communication network 100 may be a wireless data communication network that embodies, at least in part, a conventional communication method such as WiFi communication, WiFi-Direct communication, Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication, Bluetooth communication (more specifically, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication), infrared communication, ultrasonic communication, and the like.

[0028] Next, the robot control system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention can communicate with a robot 300 (to be described later) through the communication network 100, and can acquire information on a communication connection state between a plurality of robots 300 identified based on at least one relay robot 300 among a plurality of robots 300 present at a service providing location, and can perform a function of determining a communication method to be used between the plurality of robots 300 by referring to the information on the communication connection state between the plurality of robots 300. Here, the service providing location can include indoor locations such as restaurants, museums, shops, etc., or outdoor locations such as parks, zoos, etc.

[0029] Meanwhile, while 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 functions and components required for the robot control system 200 may be embodied or included in the robot 300 or an external system (not shown) as necessary. In addition, in some cases, all of the functions and components of the robot control system 200 may be embodied or included in the robot 300.

[0030] Next, the 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 and drink, collecting containers, etc.) without user operation, and may include at least one of a module (e.g., a grab, a robot arm module, etc.) for loading and unloading an object (e.g., a food and drink tray), an image module (e.g., a visible light camera, an infrared camera, etc.) for acquiring surrounding images, a display and speaker module for providing various image or audio contents, and a drive module (e.g., a motor, etc.) for moving the robot 300. For example, the 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.

[0031] Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the robot 300 may include an application for controlling the robot 300 according to the present invention, such as obtaining information on the communication connection state between the plurality of robots and determining a communication method to be used between the plurality of robots. Such an application may be downloaded from the robot control system 200 or an external application distribution server (not shown).

[0032] Robot control system configuration

[0033] The internal configuration of the robot control system 200 and the functions of each component thereof, which perform important functions for implementing the present invention, will now be described in detail.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of a robot control system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 2, the robot control system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an information acquisition unit 210, a communication method determination unit 220, a communication unit 230, and a control unit 240. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the information acquisition unit 210, the communication method determination 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, an application module, or other program modules, and may be physically stored on various known storage devices. Also, 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 routines, subroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or execute specific abstract data types, which will be described later, according to the present invention, but are not limited thereto.

[0036] First, the information acquisition unit 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform a function of acquiring information on a communication connection state between a plurality of robots 300 identified based on at least one relay robot 300 among the plurality of robots 300 present at the service providing location. The information on the communication connection state between the plurality of robots 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include information on a communication method (e.g., Bluetooth communication, Wi-Fi communication, etc.) of communication performed between the plurality of robots 300, communication strength, communication bandwidth, communication speed, communication delay, communication quality, etc. The relay robot 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a concept including a robot 300 that is connected to another robot 300 or an external system present at the service providing location using at least one communication method, monitors the status of at least one robot 300, transmits a predetermined command to at least one robot 300, or controls or manages at least one robot 300.

[0037] For example, the information acquiring unit 210 may determine the relay robot 300 from among the plurality of robots 300 by referring to at least one of the arrangement information of the plurality of robots 300 (e.g., information on the positions, distribution, etc. of the plurality of robots 300 within the service providing place) and the spatial information of the service providing place (e.g., geographic information, obstacle information, boundary information, etc.), and may acquire information on the communication connection state between the plurality of robots 300 by referring to information on the communication connection state between each of the other robots 300 within the service providing place and the determined relay robot 300. More specifically, the information acquiring unit 210 may determine the robot 300 that satisfies the condition that the sum of the distances to the other robots 300 is the smallest as the relay robot 300 by referring to the positions (or distribution) of the plurality of robots 300 within the service providing place. In addition, the information acquiring unit 210 may acquire information on the communication connection state between the relay robot 300 and the first robot 300 within the service providing place and information on the communication connection state between the relay robot 300 and the second robot 300 within the service providing place as information on the communication connection state between the plurality of robots 300 as described above.

[0038] As another example, the information acquiring unit 210 may determine the relay robot 300 by referring to first evaluation information on a communication connection state specified with reference to a first robot 300 among the plurality of robots 300 and second evaluation information on a communication connection state specified with reference to a second robot 300 among the plurality of robots 300, and may acquire information on the communication connection state between the plurality of robots 300 specified with reference to the relay robot 300. More specifically, the information acquiring unit 210 may determine the relay robot 300 by comparing a first evaluation score (i.e., the first evaluation information) calculated with reference to a communication connection state between the first robot 300 and the plurality of other robots 300 with a second evaluation score (i.e., the second evaluation information) calculated with reference to a communication connection state between the second robot 300 and the plurality of other robots 300 (e.g., a robot 300 with a relatively high calculated score may be determined as the relay robot 300). Here, the score may be calculated with reference to the communication method (e.g., Bluetooth communication, Wi-Fi communication, etc.), communication strength, communication bandwidth, communication speed, communication delay, communication quality, etc. of the communication performed between each of the first robot 300 and the second robot 300 and the other robots 300, and may be calculated by applying a predetermined weighting value to the communication method, communication strength, communication bandwidth, communication speed, communication delay, communication quality, etc.

[0039] As yet another example, the information acquisition unit 210 may determine, among the plurality of robots 300, a robot 300 that satisfies conditions determined or specified by a manager of the service providing location or a specific user as a relay robot 300, and may acquire information regarding the communication connection status between the plurality of robots 300 specified based on the relay robot 300.

[0040] Meanwhile, the relay robot 300 according to the present invention is not necessarily determined statically, but may be dynamically determined according to a predetermined period (e.g., every 5 minutes), a predetermined trigger condition (e.g., when evaluation information regarding the communication connection state indicates a communication connection state below a predetermined level or when requested by an administrator of the service providing location), etc.

[0041] For example, when a predetermined time (or a predetermined period) has elapsed since the first robot 300 was determined as the relay robot 300, the information acquisition unit 210 may compare first evaluation information regarding the communication connection state between the plurality of robots 300 identified based on the first robot 300 among the plurality of robots 300 with second evaluation information regarding the communication connection state between the plurality of robots 300 identified based on the second robot 300 among the plurality of robots 300, and may determine the second robot 300 as the relay robot 300 if it is determined that the second evaluation information indicates a communication connection state of a higher level than the first evaluation information (i.e., the relay robot 300 may be changed from the first robot 300 to the second robot 300).

[0042] In addition, the information acquiring unit 210 may acquire information regarding the communication connection state between the plurality of robots 300 specified based on the plurality of relay robots 300 .

[0043] For example, the information acquisition unit 210 can identify the first relay target robot 300 and the second relay target robot 300 that are located within a predetermined distance (or within a predetermined area) based on the respective positions of the first relay robot 300 and the second relay robot 300, and acquire information regarding the communication connection status between the first relay robot 300 and the first relay target robot 300 and information regarding the communication connection status between the second relay robot 300 and the second relay target robot 300 as information regarding the communication connection status between the multiple robots 300.

[0044] Next, the communication method determination unit 220 according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform a function of determining a communication method to be used between the plurality of robots 300 by referring to information regarding the communication connection status between the plurality of robots 300 acquired by the information acquisition unit 210.

[0045] For example, when evaluation information regarding the communication connection state between the multiple robots 300 indicates a communication connection state below a predetermined level (for example, when a score calculated with reference to the communication connection state between the multiple robots 300 is below a predetermined level), the communication method determination unit 220 can determine, among the communication methods available to the multiple robots 300, a communication method that causes the evaluation information regarding the communication connection state between the multiple robots 300 to indicate the highest level of communication connection state, as the communication method to be used between the multiple robots 300. Meanwhile, the communication method determination unit 220 can identify a communication method available to each robot 300 with reference to the specifications, performance, remaining battery level, assigned tasks, etc. of each robot 300, and determine a communication method to be used between the multiple robots 300 with reference to a communication method commonly available to at least two or more robots 300.

[0046] As another example, when a robot 300 whose communication connection with the relay robot 300 is below a predetermined level, i.e., an abnormal robot 300 (e.g., a robot 300 whose communication connection with the relay robot 300 has been lost or the possibility of being lost is above a predetermined level), the communication method determination unit 220 can determine, among the communication methods available to the multiple robots 300, a communication method that makes the communication connection between the relay robot 300 and the abnormal robot 300 above a predetermined level, as the communication method to be used between the multiple robots 300 (or between the abnormal robot 300 and the relay robot 300).

[0047] Furthermore, the communication method determination unit 220 can divide the robots 300 in the service providing location into a plurality of groups, and determine the communication method to be used for each of the plurality of groups.

[0048] For example, the communication method determination unit 220 may determine (e.g., different) a communication method to be used by a first robot group including a first robot 300 among the plurality of robots 300, i.e., a group of robots performing a service in a first area of ​​the service providing location, and a communication method to be used by a second robot group including a second robot 300 among the plurality of robots 300, i.e., a group of robots performing a service in a second area of ​​the service providing location. Here, the plurality of groups may be determined based on spatial information of the service providing location, tasks assigned to the plurality of robots 300, etc.

[0049] Also, the communication method determination unit 220 may refer to information regarding the communication connection state between the plurality of robots 300 and move at least one relay robot 300 to a predetermined position within the service providing location.

[0050] For example, when an abnormal robot 300, i.e., an abnormal robot 300, whose communication connection status with the relay robot 300 is below a predetermined level, occurs among the multiple robots 300 (or when such an abnormal robot 300 occurs above a predetermined level), the communication method determination unit 220 can move the relay robot 300 to a position within the service providing location that satisfies the condition that the sum of the distances between the relay robot 300 and the multiple other robots 300 is minimized.

[0051] Next, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the communication unit 230 may perform a function of enabling data transmission / reception to / from the information acquisition unit 210 and the communication method determination unit 220 .

[0052] Finally, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 240 may perform a function of controlling data flow between the information acquisition unit 210, the communication method determination unit 220, and the communication unit 230. That is, the control unit 240 according to an embodiment of the present invention may control the information acquisition unit 210, the communication method determination unit 220, and the communication unit 230 to perform their respective unique functions by controlling data flow from / to the outside of the robot control system 200 or data flow between each component of the robot control system 200.

[0053] 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating an example of a situation in which a plurality of robots 300 present at a service providing location are controlled according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] 3, it can be assumed that the service providing place according to the present invention is a restaurant, and a plurality of robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d present in the service providing place provide services related to the service providing place. For example, when the service providing place according to the embodiment of the present invention is a restaurant, the related services may include a reception service, an ordering service, a serving service, a calculation service, and the like.

[0055] First, according to one embodiment of the present invention, information regarding the communication connection status between a plurality of robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d identified based on relay robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d among a plurality of robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d present at a service providing location may be obtained.

[0056] For example, among the plurality of robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d, the robot closest to the center of the service providing location may be determined as the relay robot 300a, and information on the communication connection state between the relay robot 300a and the second robot 300b, information on the communication connection state between the relay robot 300a and the third robot 300c, and information on the communication connection state between the relay robot 300a and the fourth robot 300d may be obtained as information on the communication connection state between the plurality of robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d. Meanwhile, such a relay robot 300a may be designated by the manager of the restaurant.

[0057] Next, a communication method to be used between the robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d may be determined from among the communication methods available to the robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d by referring to information on communication connection states between the robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d. For example, a communication method available to each robot 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d may be identified by referring to the specifications, performance, remaining battery level, assigned tasks, and the like of the robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d, and a communication method commonly available to at least two or more robots 300 may be determined as the communication method to be used between the robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d. Here, communication methods available to the multiple robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d may include Bluetooth communication, Wi-Fi communication, Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication, infrared communication, and the like.

[0058] For example, when the communication method used among the multiple robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d is a first communication method (e.g., Bluetooth communication) and the communication connection state between at least one of the multiple robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d and the relay robot 300a is below a predetermined level, the multiple robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d that are identified based on the first communication method among the communication methods available to the multiple robots 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d are selected. By comparing the evaluation information (or evaluation scores) regarding the communication connection status between the robots 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d and the evaluation information (or evaluation scores) regarding the communication connection status between the robots 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d identified based on a second communication method (e.g., Wi-Fi communication) among the communication methods available to the robots 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d, the communication method corresponding to the evaluation information indicating a higher level of communication connection status may be determined as the communication method to be used between the robots 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d.

[0059] Meanwhile, in the above case, the communication method used between all the robots 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d may be changed to another communication method (i.e., a communication method corresponding to evaluation information indicating a higher level of communication connection status) all at once, or only the communication method between the relay robot 300a and the robot 300b whose communication connection status with the relay robot 300a is below a predetermined level may be changed to another communication method.

[0060] For example, when the relay robot 300a, the second robot 300b, the third robot 300c, and the fourth robot 300d are connected to each other using a first communication method (e.g., Bluetooth communication), a situation may occur in which the communication connection state between the relay robot 300a, the third robot 300c, and the fourth robot 300d is above a predetermined level, but the communication connection state between the relay robot 300a and the second robot 300b is below a predetermined level. In this case, the communication method between the relay robot 300a and the second robot 300b may be changed to a second communication method (e.g., Wi-Fi communication) that makes the communication connection state between the relay robot 300a and the second robot 300b above a predetermined level. Meanwhile, in this case, it may be further considered whether the communication connection state is above a predetermined level when the relay robot 300a, the third robot 300c, and the fourth robot 300d are connected to each other using the second communication method.

[0061] Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 4, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a situation may occur in which the communication connection status between the robots 300a, 300b, and 300c falls below a predetermined level due to the placement of the robots 300a, 300b, and 300c within a service providing location.

[0062] 4, when the relay robot 300b (i.e., the second robot 300b) and the first robot 300a are located on the right side of the service providing place and the third robot 300c is located on the left side of the service providing place, the communication connection state between the relay robot 300b and the third robot 300c may fall below a predetermined level. In this case, the relay robot 300b moves to a predetermined position in the service providing place, i.e., position 401 corresponding to the center point between the first robot 300a and the third robot 300c, so that the communication connection state between the multiple robots 300a, 300b, and 300c can be improved.

[0063] Robot configuration

[0064] The robot 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a robot that performs a task similar to that performed by at least one of a guide robot, a serving robot, a transport robot, a cleaning robot, a medical robot, an entertainment robot, a pet robot, and an unmanned flying robot, and therefore may be embodied in various shapes corresponding to each task.

[0065] 5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating an example of a structure of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 5, the robot 300 may include a body 510, drive units 520a, 520b, 520c, 520d, and a processor 530.

[0067] For example, the main body 510 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include at least one loading space for loading an object to be transported or an object to be collected. The object to be transported and the object to be collected according to an embodiment of the present invention are concepts that collectively refer to all types of objects that can be moved, and may include things, animals, people, etc. For example, the object to be transported may be food, and the object to be collected may be a container containing the food.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 6, for example, when the robot 300 is a serving robot, it may include a first space 610 and a second space 620 for providing an object to be transported and collecting an object to be collected. The robot 300 may further include a third space 630, which is an expansion space provided through a removable column, and may have more loading space by adding an expansion space as necessary. The robot 300 may further include a tray 640 dedicated to objects to be transported or objects to be collected. For example, the tray 640 may have a configuration in which a plurality of circular grooves are formed on a surface when viewed from above. Each circular groove may be formed so that a lower portion of a cup containing a beverage is placed thereon and easily fixed to a certain extent. The size of the circular grooves may vary. The robot 300 may further include a fourth space 650 below the first space 610, which may be taken out through a side of the robot 300. The fourth space 650 according to an embodiment of the present invention may have a shape similar to a basket, with an empty space formed therein, a closed side, an open top, and a closed bottom. However, the loading space of the robot 300 according to the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and may be embodied in various other forms of loading space within the scope of the present invention.

[0069] Meanwhile, referring again to FIG. 5, the main body 510 may further include an imaging module (e.g., a visible light camera, an infrared camera, etc.) (not shown) and a scanner module (e.g., a LIDAR sensor, etc.) for acquiring surrounding images (e.g., customers, tables, employees, other robots 300, etc.) and obstacle information.

[0070] In addition, a display (e.g., a tablet) having a user interface through which a customer or a user of the robot 300 can input various commands and visually provide video content according to the present invention may be attached (or disposed) to the removable column (or one end of the column) of the main body 510. The display according to an embodiment of the present invention may communicate with the driving units 520a, 520b, 520c, 520d or the processor 530 via wired or wireless communication. Here, the position at which the display according to the present invention is attached is merely an example and may be variously changed within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention.

[0071] In addition, the upper or lower end of the body 510 may further include a speaker capable of providing audio content related to the services provided by the robot 300.

[0072] Next, the driving units 520a, 520b, 520c, and 520d according to one embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include a module for moving the main body 510 to another location or a module for loading and unloading objects to be transported and objects to be collected.

[0073] For example, the driving units 520a, 520b, 520c, and 520d may include modules related to electrically, mechanically, or hydraulically driven wheels, propellers, etc. as modules for moving the main body 510 to another location, and may include a robot arm module for mounting and transporting the objects to be transported and the objects to be collected as modules for loading and unloading the objects to be transported and the objects to be collected.

[0074] Next, the processor 530 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be electrically connected to the drivers 520a, 520b, 520c, and 520d to perform a function of controlling the drivers 520a, 520b, 520c, and 520d (which 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 a code or instruction 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).

[0075] In addition, the processor 530 may perform at least one function of the information acquisition unit 210 and the communication method determination unit 220 of the robot control system 200 according to the present invention (for example, the corresponding functions may be modularized and included in the processor 530), and may perform a function of controlling the driving units 520a, 520b, 520c, and 520d through communication with an external system (not shown) that performs at least one function of the information acquisition unit 210 and the communication method determination unit 220.

[0076] Specifically, the processor 530 may acquire information regarding the communication connection status between a plurality of robots 300 identified based on at least one relay robot 300 among the plurality of robots 300 present at the service providing location, and perform a function of determining a communication method to be used between the plurality of robots 300 by referring to the information regarding the communication connection status between the plurality of robots 300.

[0077] The above mainly describes an embodiment in which the service providing location according to the present invention is a restaurant, however, it should be made clear that the service providing location is not necessarily limited to a restaurant, and may be changed to any number of cafes, izakayas, bars, etc. within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention.

[0078] 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 recorded 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 recorded on the computer-readable recording medium may be specially designed and constructed for the present invention, or may be 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 ROMs, RAMs, flash memories, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes, such as those produced by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, and the like. The hardware devices may be replaced by one or more software modules to perform the processes of the present invention, and vice versa.

[0079] Although the present invention has been described above using specific details such as specific components and limited embodiments 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 embodiments. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may attempt various modifications and changes from such descriptions.

[0080] Therefore, the concept of the present invention should not be limited to the above described embodiments, and all scopes equivalent to or modified equivalently to the scope of the claims, as well as the scope of the claims described below, are considered to fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 100:Communication network 200:Robot control system 210: Information acquisition department 220: Communication method determination unit 230: Communications Department 240: Control unit 300:Robot

Claims

1. 1. A method for controlling a robot, comprising: acquiring information on a communication connection state between a plurality of robots, the communication connection state being determined based on at least one relay robot among a plurality of robots present at a service providing location; and determining a communication method to be used between the plurality of robots by referring to information on a communication connection state between the plurality of robots; In the acquiring step, referring to positions or distribution of the plurality of robots in the service providing location, a robot that satisfies a condition that a sum of distances between one robot and other robots among the plurality of robots is minimized is determined as the at least one relay robot; In the determining step, if the communication connection status between the at least one relay robot and at least one robot among the plurality of robots is below a predetermined level, the method changes the communication method between the at least one relay robot and the at least one robot to another communication method that makes the communication connection status between the at least one relay robot and the at least one robot above a predetermined level.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the acquiring step further comprises determining the at least one relay robot by referring to spatial information of the service providing location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the obtaining step, the at least one relay robot is further determined by referring to first evaluation information regarding a communication connection state determined based on a first robot among the plurality of robots and second evaluation information regarding a communication connection state determined based on a second robot among the plurality of robots.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one relay robot is dynamically determined by at least one of a predetermined period and a predetermined trigger condition.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one relay robot is a plurality of robots.

6. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the determining step, if a communication connection status between the plurality of robots is below a predetermined level, at least one of the plurality of robots is moved to a predetermined position within the service providing location, the predetermined position including a position where the communication connection status between the plurality of robots becomes above a predetermined level.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a communication method used in a first robot group including a first robot among the plurality of robots is different from a communication method used in a second robot group including a second robot among the plurality of robots.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a computer program recorded thereon for executing the method according to claim 1.

9. 1. A system for controlling a robot, comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a communication connection state between a plurality of robots identified based on at least one relay robot among a plurality of robots present at a service providing location; a communication method determination unit that determines a communication method to be used between the plurality of robots by referring to information on a communication connection state between the plurality of robots; the information acquisition unit is configured to refer to positions or distribution of the plurality of robots within the service providing location, and to determine, as the at least one relay robot, one robot that satisfies a condition that a sum of distances between one robot and other robots among the plurality of robots is minimized; The communication method determination unit is configured, when a communication connection state between the at least one relay robot and at least one robot among the plurality of robots is below a predetermined level, to change the communication method between the at least one relay robot and the at least one robot to another communication method that causes the communication connection state between the at least one relay robot and the at least one robot to be above a predetermined level.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the information acquisition unit further determines the at least one relay robot by referring to spatial information of the service providing location.

11. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the information acquisition unit further determines the at least one relay robot by referring to first evaluation information regarding a communication connection state determined based on a first robot among the plurality of robots and second evaluation information regarding a communication connection state determined based on a second robot among the plurality of robots.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one relay robot is dynamically determined by at least one of a predetermined period and a predetermined trigger condition.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one relay robot is a plurality of robots.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the communication method determination unit moves at least one of the plurality of robots to a predetermined position within the service providing location when the communication connection status between the plurality of robots is below a predetermined level, the predetermined position including a position at which the communication connection status between the plurality of robots becomes above a predetermined level.

15. The system described in claim 9, wherein a communication method used in a first robot group including a first robot among the plurality of robots is different from a communication method used in a second robot group including a second robot among the plurality of robots.

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