Robot control system, robot control method, and building on which a robot moves

Abstract

The present invention relates to a robot-friendly building, and a method and system for controlling a robot that travels in the building. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system for controlling a robot that allows a robot to coexist with humans in the same space and provide useful services to humans. The present invention may include a main server that communicates with a plurality of sub-servers that are assigned to correspond to a plurality of areas included in the building, a first sub-server that controls a robot that travels in a first area of ​​the plurality of areas, and a second sub-server that controls a robot that travels in a second area of ​​the plurality of areas that is different from the first area.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot-friendly building, a robot, and a control system for a robot that travels through a building. More specifically, the present invention relates to a robot control method and system that enables a robot to coexist with humans in the same space and provide useful services to humans. [Background technology]

[0002] As technology advances, various service devices have appeared, and in particular, technological development related to robots that perform various tasks or services has been actively carried out recently.

[0003] In addition, with the recent development of artificial intelligence and cloud technologies, robots can now be controlled more precisely and safely, which has led to a gradual increase in the use of robots. In particular, technological advances have led to robots being able to safely coexist with humans in indoor spaces.

[0004] Therefore, recently, robots have been replacing human tasks or work, and various methods for robots to provide services directly to humans, especially in indoor spaces, have been actively researched.

[0005] For example, robots are providing route guidance services in public places such as airports, train stations, and department stores, and serving services in restaurants. Robots are also providing delivery services, delivering mail and parcels in offices and shared living spaces. Robots are also providing a variety of other services, including cleaning services, security services, and logistics processing services. The types and range of services provided by robots are expected to continue to increase exponentially, and the level of service provision is also expected to continue to evolve.

[0006] Such robots provide various services not only in outdoor spaces but also in indoor spaces of buildings such as offices, apartment buildings, department stores, schools, hospitals, and amusement facilities. In such cases, the robots are controlled to provide various services while moving around the indoor spaces of the buildings.

[0007] On the other hand, when multiple robots are operating in a large space, there are limitations to operating them on a single cloud server. In such cases, a method can be used to appropriately distribute and control the robots operating in the space using multiple servers. When controlling multiple robots using multiple servers, a method is required to appropriately assign robots to one of the multiple servers and flexibly switch between servers.

[0008] Therefore, in order to provide higher-level services using robots within buildings, not only is research into robot control technology for individual services (e.g., route guidance services, delivery services, serving services, etc.) necessary, but fundamental research is also needed to enable the various infrastructure necessary for robots to be supported in the buildings themselves where the robots provide their services.

[0009] On the other hand, in order for robots to provide various services or live in indoor spaces, they must be able to move freely or pass through the indoor spaces of buildings, and in some cases, they may need to use the various facility infrastructures provided in the building (e.g., elevators, escalators, access control gates, etc.). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The present invention provides a robot-friendly building, a robot that moves within the building, and a robot control system.

[0011] The present invention also provides a robot-friendly building and a robot control system and method that can efficiently operate multiple robots in a space where multiple robots are operated. Specifically, the present invention provides a multi-robot control system and control method that can efficiently operate multiple robots using multiple servers in a space where multiple robots are operated.

[0012] Furthermore, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention can expand the types and range of services that robots can provide by providing various robot-friendly facility infrastructures that robots can use.

[0013] Furthermore, the robot-friendly building of the present invention can systematically manage the operation of robots that provide services by organically controlling the robots and facility infrastructure using a cloud system that links with multiple robots, thereby enabling the robot-friendly building of the present invention to provide various services to humans more safely, quickly, and accurately. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention can provide a robot control system including a main server that communicates with a plurality of sub-servers that are assigned to correspond to a plurality of areas included in a space, a first sub-server that controls a robot that runs in a first area among the plurality of areas, and a second sub-server that controls a robot that runs in a second area among the plurality of areas that is different from the first area, wherein the main server controls the first sub-server and the second sub-server so that the robot communicates with at least one of the first sub-server and the second sub-server depending on the position of the robot.

[0015] The present invention can also provide a robot control system including a main server that sets a travel path for a specific robot that travels within a space, a first sub-server that communicates with the main server and controls a robot located in a first area among a plurality of areas included in the space, and a second sub-server that communicates with the main server and controls a robot located in a second area among the plurality of areas, wherein the main server transmits information regarding each of the robots connected to the first and second sub-servers, respectively, and each of the first and second sub-servers controls at least one of the robots based on the information regarding each of the robots received from the main server.

[0016] Furthermore, the present invention can provide a robot control system including a main server that controls a robot traveling in a space having multiple floors, a first sub-server that communicates with the main server and controls a robot traveling on a first floor of the multiple floors, and a second sub-server that communicates with the main server and controls a robot traveling on a second floor different from the first floor of the multiple floors, wherein the main server transmits information regarding the handover event to at least one of the first sub-server and the second sub-server, so that control authority for the specific robot is handed over from the first sub-server to the second sub-server upon the occurrence of a handover event in which a specific robot located on the first floor moves to the second floor.

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention may provide a robot that travels through space, communicating with a main server and at least one of a plurality of sub-servers that communicate with the main server. The robot may transmit position information of the robot to the main server based on an assignment of a task from the main server, receive from the main server identification information of a first sub-server assigned to a first region corresponding to the position information, and, based on a handover event that occurs when the robot moves from the first region to the second region while connected to the first sub-server and controlled by the first sub-server, receive from the main server identification information of a second sub-server assigned to the second region, and connect to both the first sub-server and the second sub-server in a handover region where at least a portion of the first region and the second region overlap.

[0018] Furthermore, the present invention may provide a building in which a robot controlled by a main server and at least one of a plurality of sub-servers travels, the building including a plurality of areas in which the robot can travel, a first sub-server among the plurality of sub-servers controlling the robot traveling in a first area among the plurality of areas, and a second sub-server among the plurality of sub-servers controlling the robot traveling in a second area among the plurality of areas different from the first area, the main server communicating with the plurality of sub-servers assigned to correspond to the plurality of areas, respectively, and when a handover event occurs for a specific robot communicating with the first sub-server to move from the first area to the second area, the main server transmitting information about the handover event to at least one of the first sub-server and the second sub-server so that control authority for the specific robot is handed over from the first sub-server to the second sub-server. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the robot-friendly building, robot control system and method of the present invention, by using multiple servers to perform distributed control of robots, multiple robots moving within a space can be appropriately distributed and controlled by multiple servers, thereby enabling control of the robots to be performed more quickly and efficiently.

[0020] More specifically, in the robot-friendly building, robot control system, and method according to the present invention, multiple servers are assigned to correspond to the horizontal or vertical space of the building, so that robots operating in the same or similar areas can be controlled by the same server. In this way, the present invention allows for flexible switching of control authority over robots between servers depending on the location of the robots within the building.

[0021] Thus, according to the present invention, by having adjacent robots controlled by the same server, i.e., by having adjacent robots controlled by a single control entity, collisions between adjacent robots can be efficiently prevented, environmental information can be shared between adjacent robots, and overlapping of the movement paths of adjacent robots can be minimized.

[0022] On the other hand, according to the present invention, in a global network system, the main server can appropriately distribute the control authority of the robots to multiple sub-servers by taking into consideration at least one of the location of the robots and the number of robots connected to each of the multiple sub-servers. Therefore, by allowing one sub-server to control an appropriate number of robots, distributed control of multiple robots can be performed efficiently.

[0023] Furthermore, according to the present invention, when a handover event occurs in a local network system, the robot can identify the sub-server to which control authority should be handed over based on the strength of the wireless signal. In addition, the main server can improve the reliability of the handover between the robot and the sub-server by determining whether the sub-server to which the robot is attempting to connect has the control authority over the robot. Thus, the present invention allows the control authority over the robot to be flexibly switched based on the strength and reliability of the wireless signal measured by the robot.

[0024] Furthermore, the robot-friendly building of the present invention utilizes technological convergence, which combines and connects robots, autonomous driving, AI, and cloud technologies, and can provide a new space where such technologies are organically combined with robots and the equipment infrastructure installed within the building.

[0025] Furthermore, the robot-friendly building of the present invention can systematically manage the movement of robots that provide services by organically controlling the robots and facility infrastructure using a cloud server that links with the robots, thereby enabling the robot-friendly building of the present invention to provide various services to humans more safely, quickly, and accurately.

[0026] Furthermore, in a building according to the present invention, the tasks and movement conditions assigned to the multiple robots placed in the building are taken into consideration, and their movement is controlled to take humans into consideration, allowing robots and humans to coexist naturally in the same space. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a robot-friendly building according to the present invention. [Figure 2]FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a robot-friendly building according to the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a robot-friendly building according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a system for controlling a robot traveling through a robot-friendly building and various facilities installed in the robot-friendly building according to the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a system for controlling a robot traveling through a robot-friendly building and various facilities installed in the robot-friendly building according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a system for controlling a robot traveling through a robot-friendly building and various facilities installed in the robot-friendly building according to the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the equipment infrastructure provided in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the equipment infrastructure provided in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a method for estimating the position of a robot traveling in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a method for estimating the position of a robot traveling in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a method for estimating the position of a robot traveling in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a robot controlled by a robot system according to the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a local network type robot control system. [Figure 14] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a robot control method according to the present invention. [Figure 15]1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a robot control method according to the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a robot system that controls robots in areas divided by floor of a building. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing handover performed in response to inter-floor movement of a robot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed herein will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Regardless of the drawing number, identical or similar components will be designated by the same or similar reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "section" used in the following description are added or used interchangeably to facilitate the preparation of the specification and do not have any significance or utility in themselves. Furthermore, when describing the embodiments disclosed herein, if a detailed description of related publicly known technology is deemed to obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed herein, that detailed description will be omitted. The accompanying drawings are merely intended to facilitate understanding of the embodiments disclosed herein, and the technical concepts disclosed herein are not limited by the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the present invention encompasses all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the concept and technical scope of the present invention.

[0029] Terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

[0030] When a component is said to be "coupled" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly coupled or connected to the other component, and that there may be other components in between. Conversely, when a component is said to be "directly coupled" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

[0031] Singular expressions include plural expressions unless otherwise specified.

[0032] In this specification, the terms "comprise" and "have" are intended to specify the presence of a stated feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof, but should not be interpreted as precluding the presence or possible addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0033] The present invention relates to a robot-friendly building, and proposes a robot-friendly building where humans and robots can coexist safely and where robots can provide useful services within the building.

[0034] More specifically, the present invention provides a method for providing useful services to humans using robots, robot-friendly infrastructure, and various systems for controlling them. In a building according to the present invention, various infrastructures (or facility infrastructures) can be provided that allow humans and multiple robots to coexist and move freely within the building.

[0035] In the present invention, a building is a structure constructed for sustainable residence, living, business, etc., and may take various forms such as a commercial building, an industrial building, an institutional building, a residential building, etc. Furthermore, the building may be a multi-story building having multiple floors, or a single-story building. However, for the sake of convenience, the present invention will be described using infrastructure or facility infrastructure applied to a multi-story building as an example.

[0036] In the present invention, infrastructure or facility infrastructure refers to facilities provided in a building for the provision of services, the movement of robots, function maintenance, cleanliness maintenance, etc., and there are a wide variety of types and forms. For example, the infrastructure provided in a building may be a variety of things, such as transportation facilities (e.g., robot movement paths, elevators, escalators, etc.), charging facilities, communication facilities, cleaning facilities, structures (e.g., stairs, etc.). In this specification, such facilities are referred to as facilities, infrastructure, facility infrastructure, or facility infrastructure, and the terms may be used interchangeably in some cases.

[0037] Furthermore, in a building according to the present invention, the building, various equipment infrastructure installed in the building, and at least one of the robots are controlled in conjunction with one another, allowing the robots to provide various services within the building safely and accurately.

[0038] The present invention proposes a building equipped with various facility infrastructures that allow multiple robots to move around the building, provide services according to their missions (or tasks), and support standby or charging functions as needed, as well as repair and cleaning functions for the robots. Such a building provides an integrated solution (or system) for robots, and the building according to the present invention can be referred to by various modifiers. For example, the building according to the present invention can be variously described as i) a building equipped with infrastructure used by robots, ii) a building equipped with robot-friendly infrastructure, iii) a robot-friendly building, iv) a building where robots and humans live together, or v) a building that provides various services using robots.

[0039] On the other hand, "robot-friendly" in this invention refers to a building where robots coexist, and more specifically, means that the building allows robots to move around, that robots provide services, that the infrastructure that robots can use is built, and that the infrastructure that provides the functions required by robots (e.g., charging, repair, cleaning, etc.) is built. In this case, "robot-friendly" in this invention is used to mean having an integrated solution for the coexistence of robots and humans.

[0040] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Figures 1, 2 and 3 are conceptual diagrams illustrating a robot-friendly building according to the present invention, Figures 4, 5 and 6 are conceptual diagrams illustrating a system for controlling a robot traveling through the robot-friendly building and various facilities provided in the robot-friendly building according to the present invention, and Figures 7 and 8 are conceptual diagrams illustrating the facility infrastructure provided in the robot-friendly building according to the present invention.

[0042] First, for the sake of convenience, representative symbols will be defined.

[0043] In the present invention, the building is designated by the symbol "1000," and the spaces (indoor spaces or indoor areas) of the building 1000 are designated by the symbol "10" (see FIG. 8). Also, the indoor spaces corresponding to the respective floors that make up the indoor space of the building 1000 are designated by the symbols 10a, 10b, 10c, etc. (see FIG. 8). In the present invention, the indoor space or indoor area refers to the inside of a building protected by exterior walls, as opposed to the outside of the building, and is not limited to meaning a space.

[0044] In addition, in the present invention, the robots are given the symbol "R", and even if the robots are not marked with a symbol in the drawings or the specification, they can all be understood to be robots R.

[0045] Furthermore, in the present invention, a human or person is given the symbol "U," and a human or person can also be referred to as a dynamic object. Here, the dynamic object does not necessarily mean only a human, but is also accepted to include moving things such as animals such as dogs and cats, or at least one other robot (e.g., a user's personal robot, a robot providing other services, etc.), drones, and vacuum cleaners (e.g., a robot vacuum cleaner).

[0046] On the other hand, the building (building, structure, edifice) 1000 described in this invention means a structure erected for people to live in, work in, raise animals in, or store goods in, and its type is not particularly limited.

[0047] For example, the building 1000 may be an office, an office, an officetel, an apartment, a residential / commercial complex, a house, a school, a hospital, a restaurant, a government office, etc., and the present invention can be applied to such various buildings.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 1, in a building 1000 according to the present invention, a robot can provide various services while moving around.

[0049] There may be one or more different types of robots located within the building 1000, which may travel within the building 1000, provide services, and utilize various facility infrastructure provided in the building 1000 under the control of the server 20.

[0050] In the present invention, the server 20 can be located in various locations. For example, the server 20 can be located inside the building 1000 and / or outside the building 1000. That is, at least a portion of the server 20 can be located inside the building 1000, and another portion can be located outside the building 1000. Alternatively, the server 20 can be located entirely inside the building 1000, or can be located only outside the building 1000. Therefore, in the present invention, the specific location of the server 20 is not particularly limited.

[0051] Furthermore, in the present invention, the server 20 may be configured to use at least one of a cloud computing method (cloud server 21) and an edge computing method (edge server 22). In addition to the cloud computing or edge computing method, the server 20 can be applied to the present invention as long as it is a method that can control a robot.

[0052] Meanwhile, the server 20 according to the present invention may, in some cases, combine cloud computing and edge computing methods to control at least one of the robots and the equipment infrastructure installed in the building 1000.

[0053] On the other hand, the robot R is driven according to control commands. For example, the robot R can move its position or change its posture by changing its movement, and can perform software updates.

[0054] In the present invention, for the sake of convenience, the server 20 is uniformly named as a "cloud server" and is given the reference number "20." However, it goes without saying that such a cloud server 20 can be substituted by the term edge server 22 of edge computing.

[0055] Furthermore, the term "cloud server" can be changed to various terms such as cloud robot system, cloud system, cloud robot control system, and cloud control system.

[0056] Meanwhile, the cloud server 20 according to the present invention can perform integrated control of a plurality of robots traveling in the building 1000. That is, the cloud server 20 can i) monitor a plurality of robots R located in the building 1000, ii) assign tasks (or jobs) to the plurality of robots, iii) directly control the facility infrastructure provided in the building 1000 so that the plurality of robots R can successfully complete their tasks, or iv) control the facility infrastructure by communicating with a control system that controls the facility infrastructure.

[0057] In addition, the cloud server 20 can check the status information of the robots located in the building and provide (or support) various functions required for the robots, such as a charging function for the robots, a cleaning function for the contaminated robots, and a standby function for the robots that have completed their missions.

[0058] In order to provide various functions to the robot, the cloud server 20 can control the robot so that the robot uses various facility infrastructures provided in the building 1000. Furthermore, in order to provide various functions to the robot, the cloud server can directly control the facility infrastructures provided in the building 1000, or can control the facility infrastructures by communicating with a control system that controls the facility infrastructures.

[0059] In this way, the robot controlled by the cloud server 20 can provide various services while traveling through the building 1000.

[0060] Meanwhile, the cloud server 20 can perform various controls based on the information stored in the database, and the type and location of the database are not particularly limited in the present invention. The term "database" can be freely modified to refer to any means for storing information, such as memory, storage, cloud storage, external storage, or external server. Hereinafter, the term "database" will be used consistently.

[0061] On the other hand, the cloud server 20 according to the present invention can perform distributed control of robots based on various criteria, such as the type of service provided by the robot and the type of control over the robot, and in this case, the cloud server 20 may have subordinate sub-servers of a lower concept.

[0062] Furthermore, the cloud server 20 according to the present invention can control the robots that travel around the building 1000 based on various artificial intelligence algorithms.

[0063] Furthermore, the cloud server 20 performs artificial intelligence-based learning, utilizing data collected in the process of controlling the robot as learning data, and by utilizing this data to control the robot, the more control the robot receives, the more accurately and efficiently the robot can be operated. That is, the cloud server 20 may be configured to perform deep learning or machine learning. The cloud server 20 may also perform deep learning or machine learning through simulations or the like, and control the robot using the artificial intelligence model constructed as a result.

[0064] Meanwhile, Building 1000 is equipped with various equipment infrastructures for the robots to move, provide robot functions, maintain robot functions, perform robot missions, or enable coexistence between robots and humans.

[0065] For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 1, various facility infrastructures 1 and 2 that support the movement (or movement) of the robot R are provided within the building 1000. Such facility infrastructures 1 and 2 can support the horizontal movement of the robot R within the floors of the building 1000, or can support the vertical movement of the robot R so that the robot R moves between different floors of the building 1000. In this manner, the facility infrastructures 1 and 2 can include a transportation system that supports the movement of the robot. The cloud server 20 can control the robot R to use such various facility infrastructures 1 and 2, thereby allowing the robot R to move within the building 1000 to provide services, as shown in (b) of FIG. 1.

[0066] Meanwhile, the robot according to the present invention may be controlled based on at least one of the cloud server 20 and a control unit provided in the robot itself, and configured to move within the building 1000 or provide services corresponding to a given mission.

[0067] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1(c), a building according to the present invention is a building where robots and humans coexist, and the robot is configured to travel while avoiding obstacles such as humans U, objects used by humans (e.g., strollers, carts, etc.), and animals, and may be configured to output notification information 3 regarding the robot's travel in some cases. The travel of such a robot may be controlled to avoid obstacles based on at least one of the cloud server 20 and a control unit provided in the robot. The cloud server 20 can control the robot so that the robot moves within the building 1000 while avoiding obstacles, based on information received from various sensors provided in the robot (e.g., a camera (image sensor), a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, etc.).

[0068] Furthermore, the robot that travels through the building through the processes of (a) to (c) in Figure 1 may be configured to provide services to people or target objects present in the building, as shown in (d) in Figure 1.

[0069] The type of service provided by a robot varies from robot to robot. That is, there are various types of robots depending on their applications, robots have different structures depending on their applications, and robots are equipped with programs suitable for their applications.

[0070] For example, robots that provide at least one of the following services are deployed in Building 1000: delivery, logistics, guidance, interpretation, parking assistance, security, crime prevention, guarding, public order, cleaning, disease prevention, disinfection, laundry, beverage production, food and beverage production, serving, firefighting, medical support, and entertainment services. Services provided by robots are diverse and include services other than those listed above.

[0071] Meanwhile, the cloud server 20 can assign appropriate tasks to the robots in consideration of the respective uses of the robots, and control the robots so that the assigned tasks are performed.

[0072] At least some of the robots described in the present invention can move or perform tasks under the control of the cloud server 20, in which case the amount of data processed by the robot itself to move or perform a task is minimized. In the present invention, such robots are also referred to as brainless robots. Such brainless robots rely on the control of the cloud server 20 for at least some of their control when performing actions such as moving, performing tasks, charging, waiting, and cleaning within the building 1000.

[0073] However, in this specification, brainless robots will not be given different names, but will all be referred to uniformly as "robots."

[0074] 9 to 11 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a method for estimating the position of a robot traveling in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.

[0075] As described above, in a building according to the present invention, the positions of the robots can be extracted and monitored using various infrastructures installed in the building. Furthermore, by monitoring the positions of the robots, the cloud server 20 can efficiently and accurately control the robots within the building.

[0076] On the other hand, the cloud server 20 described in the present invention may include at least one main server and at least one sub-server.

[0077] In the present invention, in order to efficiently manage robots traveling through a building, sub-servers may be assigned to different spaces (or areas) of the building from a spatial perspective, and the sub-servers may control the robots located in the areas managed by the sub-servers.

[0078] In the present invention, the regions may be regions separated in horizontal space corresponding to the same floor of a building, or may be regions separated in vertical space corresponding to different floors of a building.

[0079] On the other hand, the space to which the present invention is applied does not necessarily have to be a space inside a building or indoors, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention can also be applied to outdoor spaces. For the sake of convenience, only embodiments in which the present invention is applied inside a building will be described below, but all of the embodiments described below can also be applied to outdoor spaces.

[0080] In addition, the main server can directly or indirectly control the sub-servers through communication with them. Furthermore, the main server can control the robots, and can control the robots in situations where the sub-servers cannot control them.

[0081] Additionally, the main server can assist in connecting the sub-servers with the robots so that the robots are connected to and controlled by the appropriate sub-servers.

[0082] Before describing the robot control method according to the present invention, a robot controlled by the robot control system according to the present invention will be described.

[0083] FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a robot controlled by the robot system according to the present invention.

[0084] 12, the robot may include a communication unit 1201, a storage unit 1202, a traveling unit 1203, a control unit 1204, and a sensor unit. The communication unit 1201 and the storage unit 1202 have been described above, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0085] The running unit 1203 is configured to move the robot within a space. The running unit 1203 is configured to be able to control at least one of the direction and speed of movement of the robot, and the control unit 1204 controls the running unit 1203 to allow the robot to move along a set movement path.

[0086] The traveling unit 1203 can be controlled by a control unit 1204 included in the robot and the cloud server 20. Unless otherwise specified in this specification, the robot can be controlled by either the control unit 1204 included in the robot or the cloud server 20, but can also be controlled by the other one. Here, the cloud server 20 may include at least one of a main server and a sub-server, as described above.

[0087] Next, the control unit 1204 may be configured to control the overall operation of the robot according to the present invention. The control unit 1204 may process signals, data, information, etc. input or output by the above-mentioned components, and may provide or process appropriate information or functions to a user. Unless otherwise specified in this specification, the control unit 1204 refers to a control unit provided in the robot.

[0088] On the other hand, in the present invention, a main server and a plurality of sub-servers can be used to perform distributed control of a robot traveling within a building.

[0089] The main server can assign tasks to the robot traveling through the building and generate a path plan for the robot. The path plan refers to a plan for a global path (overall path) for the robot to travel through the building to perform the task. Such a global path may include information about multiple areas within the building that the robot will pass through or travel through.

[0090] The sub-servers may be assigned to correspond to a plurality of areas provided in a building. Such a plurality of areas may also be referred to as a plurality of districts. The plurality of areas may be divided into horizontal spaces corresponding to the same floor of the building or vertical spaces corresponding to different floors of the building.

[0091] A horizontal space on the same floor may be divided into a plurality of areas according to a predetermined criterion, and a different sub-server may be assigned to each of the divided areas. When a robot moves from one area to another by moving through the horizontal space, the control authority for the robot is handed over from one sub-server to another, which is referred to as a "handover" in the present invention.

[0092] Also, different sub-servers may be assigned to different vertical spaces corresponding to different floors. For example, in a building with multiple floors, different sub-servers may be assigned to each floor, and different servers may have control authority over the robot depending on which floor the robot is located on.

[0093] Thus, when a robot moves from one floor to another, the control authority for the robot is handed over from the sub-server assigned to one floor to the sub-server assigned to the other floor.

[0094] Each sub-server may control a robot located in an area assigned (or managed) to that sub-server. The sub-server may create a local path plan for the robot within the area managed by that sub-server. Local path planning refers to a plan for the robot's path depending on the conditions of each area (e.g., the level of congestion, the location of obstacles, the paths of other robots, etc.). The robot may be configured to navigate within a building based on a global path established by the main server, and to navigate in detail based on local paths established by each sub-server. The global path is a path from a macroscopic perspective based on the area the robot must pass through or travel to perform its mission, while the local path is a detailed path from a microscopic perspective within each area included in the global path.

[0095] In this specification, "control authority" for a robot means authority to control the robot through communication with the robot, and the control authority for the robot may be given to at least one of multiple sub-servers. The control authority may be handed over from one sub-server to another sub-server upon the occurrence of a preset event, etc.

[0096] On the other hand, the main server always has control authority over the robot, i.e., even if the robot is controlled by a sub-server, the main server still has control authority over the robot.

[0097] The control authority for the robot may be handed over by the main server, or may be handed over by communication between the sub-server handing over the control authority and the sub-server to which the control authority is handed over. Also, the control authority for the robot may be handed over by the robot from one sub-server to another sub-server.

[0098] Meanwhile, in this specification, "handover" means that the control authority of a robot is handed over from one sub-server to another sub-server. As described above, in the present invention, sub-servers are assigned to correspond to different areas, respectively, and therefore, handover in the present invention means that control is handed over from a server corresponding to a first area in a building to a server corresponding to a second area different from the first area. More specifically, a building may have multiple areas, and a sub-server may be assigned (or matched) to each of the multiple areas. When a robot is located in a first area of multiple areas in a building, the control authority for the robot is held by the first sub-server, and control of the robot is performed by the first sub-server.

[0099] On the other hand, in a building, when the robot moves from the first area to the second area, communication between the specific robot and the first sub-server may become difficult or the specific robot may move out of the management area of the first sub-server. Therefore, in the present invention, the control authority of the robot is handed over to the second sub-server corresponding to the second area, which is referred to as handover in this specification.

[0100] Additionally, when a situation requires a handover due to a change in the robot's area, this is called a "handover event."

[0101] Meanwhile, in this specification, the "handover region" may be a region that serves as a criterion for determining whether or not a handover event has occurred.

[0102] As an example, the handover region in the horizontal space within a building may be an area where a first region and a second region overlap, or a predetermined area located between the first region and the second region. That is, the handover region in the horizontal space may be an area where different regions overlap, or an area located between different regions.

[0103] As another example, in a building with multiple floors, the handover area may be an area where a facility for moving the robot between floors of the building is located (e.g., an elevator or escalator). That is, the handover area in the vertical space may be an area between different floors or an area (or inside the facility) connecting different floors.

[0104] On the other hand, in this specification, when performing distributed control of robots using multiple sub-servers, the sub-servers can be operated in two main ways.

[0105] In the first method, distributed control of the robot may be performed under the control of a main server. In this case, the main server can directly control multiple sub-servers, and as the robot moves, it can identify the sub-server that has control authority over the robot and control authority can be handed over between the sub-servers.

[0106] Here, the main server, the multiple sub-servers, and the robots may be connected to one network, which is referred to as a "global network system" in the present invention.

[0107] In a global network manner, the robot control system may include a main server and multiple sub-servers, and the multiple sub-servers are under the control of the main server.

[0108] The main server can exercise control over the plurality of sub-servers so that the robot communicates with at least one of the plurality of sub-servers depending on the location of the robot.

[0109] More specifically, in the global network system, multiple robots located within a building are connected to one network, and the main server can grant control authority for a specific robot to a specific sub-server among multiple sub-servers.

[0110] In the global network system, the main server can assign tasks to each of a plurality of robots, or generate and transmit to the robot a travel route (or a global travel route) including information on at least one area among a plurality of areas included in a building that the robot must pass through to accomplish its mission. The main server can also identify at least one sub-server that has control authority over the specific robot based on the information on the at least one area included in the travel route.

[0111] Meanwhile, the sub-server may perform control necessary for the robot to perform a task or detailed control for the robot to travel along a predetermined travel path. That is, the main server may perform control for the overall operation of multiple robots located in a building, and the sub-server may perform detailed control over the robots to which control authority is assigned, but this is not limited thereto.

[0112] As a second method, distributed control of a robot may be performed using a method in which multiple sub-servers each manage an independent network (hereinafter referred to as a local network method). In the local network method, the robot control system may include a main server and multiple sub-servers. In the local network method, the main server and the multiple sub-servers may form their own networks. In this case, the main server does not control the multiple sub-servers but acts as an intermediary between the multiple sub-servers. More specifically, a robot located in a building may be connected to a network managed by one of the multiple sub-servers and controlled by the sub-server managing the connected network. More specifically, referring to FIG. 13 , in the local network method, a main server 1310 is connected to a global network 1311, and a first sub-server 1320 and a second sub-server 1330 are each connected to the main server 1310. The first sub-server 1320 is connected to a first network 1321, and the second sub-server 1330 is connected to a second network 1331 different from the first network 1321. The first network 1321 is a network that can be connected via an AP (Access Point) provided in a first area 1322, and the second network 1331 is a network that can be connected via an AP provided in a second area 1332.

[0113] In the local network system, the "main server" can assign tasks to each of the multiple robots, or generate and send to the robots a travel route that includes information about at least one area, out of multiple areas contained within the building, that the robot must pass through to complete its mission.

[0114] Meanwhile, the sub-server can perform control necessary for the robot to perform its mission or perform detailed control for the robot to travel along a predetermined travel path. That is, the main server controls the overall operation of multiple robots located in a building, and the sub-server can perform detailed control over the robots to which it has been assigned control authority.

[0115] On the other hand, in the local network method, the main server transmits information about each of the multiple robots to multiple sub-servers, and the multiple sub-servers can connect to one of the multiple robots, transfer control authority over an already connected robot to another sub-server, or exercise control over an already connected robot based on the information about the robot received from the main server.

[0116] Here, the information about each of the multiple robots may include at least one of the strength of the wireless signal detected by the robot, information about the current location of the robot, information about the sub-server connected to the robot, and judgment information about whether the robot is connected to the appropriate server.

[0117] On the other hand, in the local network method, the robot measures the signal strength of each AP (Access Point) installed in the building and communicates wirelessly with the AP with the strongest signal strength. Each AP installed in the building is matched with one of multiple sub-servers, and the sub-server corresponding to the AP to which the robot is connected has the authority to control the robot.

[0118] Each sub-server receives information about the strength of the radio signals detected by each of the robots, and can determine which of the robots to control based on the information about the strength of the radio signals.

[0119] The sub-server sends information about the robot connected to the sub-server (e.g., the robot's identification information) to the main server, and the main server can determine whether the robot is connected to the appropriate sub-server based on the information received from the sub-server.

[0120] As described above, the present invention enables a plurality of robots to be efficiently operated by a plurality of servers in a space where a plurality of robots are operated, using a global network method or a local network method.

[0121] Meanwhile, when controlling a robot using the system and method according to the present invention, a situation may arise in which the control authority of the robot must be handed over from a specific server to another server as the robot moves between areas in a space. The present invention provides a system and method that allows the control authority of the server to be smoothly transferred as the robot moves between areas in a space.

[0122] This specification describes a robot control method and system that can be applied to either of the two different robot control methods described above. Unless otherwise specified, the robot control method described below can be applied to both the global network method and the local network method.

[0123] The present invention provides a method and system for controlling the movement of a robot, in which a plurality of servers perform distributed control of the robot and handover between servers is performed depending on the robot's position. This will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating the robot control method according to the present invention, and Figure 15 is a conceptual diagram showing the robot control method according to the present invention.

[0124] In the robot control system according to the present invention, a step (S110) in which a first sub-server controls a robot that travels in a first area among a plurality of areas, and a step (S120) in which a second sub-server controls a robot that travels in a second area among the plurality of areas are performed. The order of the two steps is not particularly limited.

[0125] The first sub-server is a server that has control authority over robots located in a first area among multiple areas in the building, and controls the robots by communicating with the robots located in the first area, while the second sub-server is a server that has control authority over robots located in a second area different from the first area among multiple areas in the building, and controls the robots by communicating with the robots located in the second area.

[0126] In the global network method, the main server monitors the location of the robots within the building, and when a specific robot is located in a first area, it sets the control authority of the specific robot to the first sub-server, and when the specific robot is located in a second area, it sets the control authority of the specific robot to the second sub-server.

[0127] Meanwhile, in the local network method, a robot can wirelessly communicate with a sub-server that can be connected at its current location. For example, the robot wirelessly communicates with a sub-server corresponding to an access point (AP) with the strongest signal strength at its current location. When a specific robot connects, the sub-server transmits identification information about the connected robot to the main server, and the main server can determine whether the connected robot is connected to the appropriate sub-server. If the robot is not connected to the appropriate sub-server, the robot itself can attempt handover to connect to another sub-server other than the currently connected sub-server. Specific embodiments of this method will be described later.

[0128] Meanwhile, when a handover event occurs in a specific robot communicating with the first sub-server, that is, when the specific robot moves (or enters) from the first area to the second area, a step (S130) of transferring control authority for the specific robot from the first sub-server to the second sub-server is performed. Meanwhile, a handover event may occur when the specific robot is located in a handover area or when another wireless signal having a strength greater than a predetermined strength is detected by the specific robot. A method of transferring control authority for the specific robot varies depending on the network method. Hereinafter, a method of transferring control authority for the specific robot in each of the global network method and the local network method will be described.

[0129] First, a method for taking over control authority over a robot in a global network system will be described.

[0130] In the global network method, when a handover event occurs, the main server can send information regarding the handover event to at least one of the first sub-server and the second sub-server so that control authority for the specific robot is transferred from the first sub-server to the second sub-server.

[0131] The main server may determine whether the handover event has occurred based on the location of the specific robot. Specifically, the main server may periodically monitor the location of the specific robot, and determine that the handover event has occurred if the specific robot is located within a predetermined distance from a specific handover area formed by an overlap of the first area and the second area, or if the specific robot is located in the specific handover area.

[0132] Meanwhile, the main server can identify a sub-server to which control authority for the specific robot will be transferred based on the occurrence of the handover event. Specifically, the main server identifies multiple areas that form a specific handover area when the robot is located within a predetermined distance from the specific handover area or when the robot is located in the specific handover area. The main server can identify any one of the identified multiple areas to which the robot is expected to move, taking into account at least one of the robot's traveling direction, traveling path, and mission. The main server can identify a sub-server corresponding to any one of the identified areas as the sub-server to which control authority for the specific robot will be transferred.

[0133] On the other hand, if the handover area is formed by a first area where the robot was located before the handover event occurred and a second area which is another area adjacent to the first area, the main server can identify the sub-server corresponding to the second area as the sub-server to which control authority for the specific robot will be taken over.

[0134] Meanwhile, the main server may transmit information regarding the handover event to at least one of the first and second sub-servers based on the occurrence of a handover event. The information regarding the handover event may include at least one of identification information regarding the specific robot, an area in which the handover event occurred, identification information regarding the sub-server currently having control authority over the specific robot, identification information regarding the sub-server to which control authority over the specific robot is to be taken over due to the handover event, information informing the user that control authority over the specific robot will be taken over, and information regarding control being performed on the robot. The information regarding the handover event may also include information regarding a control command transmitted to the specific robot from the sub-server that had control authority over the specific robot before the handover event occurred.

[0135] The main server can send first information to the first sub-server notifying that control authority over the specific robot will be handed over to the second sub-server, and can send second information to the second sub-server requesting control over the specific robot.

[0136] On the other hand, the control authority for the specific robot can be held by both the first sub-server and the second sub-server until a predetermined handover condition for the specific robot is met in the second sub-server.

[0137] The predetermined handover condition may relate to the degree of similarity between a first control command of the first sub-server for the specific robot and a second control command of the second sub-server for the specific robot. For example, if the control command transmitted from the first sub-server to the specific robot is the same as the control command transmitted from the second sub-server to the specific robot, the main server may determine that the predetermined handover condition is met and completely hand over control authority over the specific robot to the second sub-server. Alternatively, if the control command transmitted from the first sub-server to the specific robot is different from the control command transmitted from the second sub-server to the specific robot, the main server may maintain a state in which control authority over the specific robot is given to each of the first and second sub-servers for a predetermined time.

[0138] Meanwhile, a robot can independently inquire of the main server to connect to a specific sub-server. Specifically, a robot can inquire of the main server which sub-server it should connect to based on the robot's current location. When the main server receives a request for identification information about a target sub-server from the specific robot, the main server transmits identification information about a specific sub-server assigned to the specific area where the specific robot is located among the multiple areas based on the location of the specific robot, and the specific robot can establish communication with the specific sub-server based on the identification information about the specific sub-server.

[0139] When initially assigning a sub-server to a robot, the main server identifies one of multiple sub-servers based on at least one of the robot's current location and the number of robots connected to each sub-server, and transmits information about the identified sub-server to the robot, thereby enabling the robot to be controlled by the specific sub-server through wireless communication with the specific sub-server. In other words, the main server can set control authority so that an appropriate sub-server controls the robot, taking into account the robot's location and the computing capabilities of each of the multiple sub-servers.

[0140] Meanwhile, the robot can transmit its location information to the main server based on assignment of a task from the main server, and can connect to the first sub-server based on receiving from the main server identification information of a first sub-server assigned to a first region corresponding to the location information. Also, the robot can receive identification information of a second sub-server assigned to the second region from the main server based on a handover event that occurs when the robot moves from the first region to the second region while being controlled by the first sub-server, and can connect to both the first sub-server and the second sub-server in a handover region where at least a portion of the first region and the second region overlap.

[0141] On the other hand, the robot can determine its own location based on at least one of the following: VL (Visual Localization) of the robot itself, sensing information collected from sensors included in the robot, photos taken by the robot, the degree of movement of the robot's running part, and information about the AP connected to the robot, or it can guide the main server to determine the robot's location by sending at least one of these pieces of information to the main server.

[0142] Meanwhile, robots can query the main server on an AP-by-AP basis. Specifically, a robot can connect to the AP with the strongest signal while moving, and can query the main server about which sub-server it should connect to based on information about the connected AP. For example, if the AP with the strongest signal changes while the robot is moving, the robot can share information about the AP with the main server and query which sub-server it should connect to. This is because the sub-servers corresponding to the networks to which each AP belongs may be different.

[0143] The handover process will be described in detail with reference to Figure 15. The main server 1510 monitors the location of the robot R, and when the robot R is located in a first area 1522 corresponding to the first sub-server 1520, it grants the first sub-server 1520 control authority over the robot R. When the robot R enters a handover area 1540 where the first area 1522 and a second area 1532 corresponding to the second sub-server 1530 overlap, the main server 1510 hands over the control authority over the robot R to the second sub-server 1530, so that the robot R is controlled by the second sub-server 1530 in the second area 1532.

[0144] As described above, in the global network system, when a handover event occurs for a specific robot, the main server transfers the control authority of the robot to another sub-server based on the robot's location, thereby enabling efficient distributed control of multiple robots.

[0145] Here, the main server takes into consideration the number of robots connected to each of the multiple sub-servers, and if more than a predetermined number of robots are connected to a specific sub-server, it can prevent any more robots from being connected to that specific sub-server, or it can hand over at least one robot connected to the specific sub-server to another sub-server.

[0146] Therefore, the present invention allows control authority over a robot to be flexibly switched depending on the robot's location within a building.

[0147] Next, a method for taking over control authority over a robot in a local network system will be described.

[0148] When a handover event occurs when a specific robot traveling along a travel path moves from the first area to the second area, control authority for the specific robot is handed over from the first sub-server to the second sub-server.

[0149] Here, a specific robot can receive control commands from each of the first sub-server and the second sub-server in at least a part of a handover area formed by the first area and the second area.

[0150] While the specific robot is located in the handover area, the specific robot is connected to each of the networks corresponding to the first sub-server and the second sub-server, and can receive control commands from each of the first and second sub-servers. Thus, the present invention can prevent interruption of communication connection for the robot during the handover process.

[0151] Meanwhile, while the specific robot is connected to each of the first and second sub-servers, it can transmit information regarding a handover event to at least one of the first and second sub-servers, thereby allowing control authority for the specific robot to be handed over from one of the first and second sub-servers to the other.

[0152] A specific robot may be connected to at least one of a plurality of sub-servers assigned to correspond to each of the plurality of areas, and the sub-server connected to the specific robot may be identified based on the strength of a wireless signal sensed by the specific robot.

[0153] More specifically, multiple robots located within a building may be connected to a network via wireless communication with at least one of multiple APs provided within the building. Each of the multiple APs may be connected to one of multiple networks. Each of the multiple networks may be connected to one of multiple sub-servers, so that when a robot connects to a specific AP, it is connected to one of the multiple networks and is further controlled by one of the specific sub-servers connected to one of the networks. Here, the specific sub-server may be a sub-server that provides the robot with a predefined access method within one of the networks, such as a fixed IP address or a predefined domain name.

[0154] The robot determines which AP to connect to based on the strength of the communication signal from each of the multiple APs. That is, control authority over the robot is given based on the strength of the communication signal from each of the multiple APs.

[0155] For example, the first sub-server is connected to a first network, and the first network is connected to an AP located in a first area, while the second sub-server is connected to a second network, and the second network is connected to an AP located in a second area.

[0156] The first sub-server may be connected to a first network having the strongest wireless signal strength among the wireless signal strengths sensed by a specific robot in the first area, and the second sub-server may be connected to a second network having the strongest wireless signal strength among the wireless signal strengths sensed by the specific robot in the second area.

[0157] As described above, the robot determines the network and sub-server to which it connects by connecting to the AP with the strongest wireless signal at its current location.

[0158] On the other hand, a handover event occurs when the specific robot connected to the first sub-server senses a wireless signal of a predetermined strength or greater related to the two networks, and the specific robot can send a control request signal to the second sub-server based on the handover event.

[0159] When a robot moves through a building and detects that the wireless signal between an already connected AP and another AP is at least as strong as a preset value, the particular robot can send information about a handover event to at least one of the sub-servers currently connected to and the sub-servers corresponding to the other AP.

[0160] Meanwhile, the robot can send a control request signal to the second sub-server based on a handover event. When the second sub-server receives the control request signal from the robot, the second sub-server can receive the handover of the control authority for the robot through communication with the first sub-server to which the robot is currently connected.

[0161] However, without being limited thereto, the robot can transmit a control authority handover request signal to the currently connected first sub-server based on a handover event. When the first sub-server receives the control authority handover request signal from the robot, the first sub-server can hand over the control authority for the robot by communicating with the second sub-server.

[0162] In the above-described method, the main server does not need to intervene in the process of handing over the robot control authority. Therefore, a reliability issue regarding the handover may arise. To prevent this, the present invention allows the main server to monitor whether the robot control authority has been handed over to the appropriate sub-server.

[0163] Specifically, the first sub-server and the second sub-server send identification information regarding the robots being controlled by the first sub-server and the second sub-server, respectively, to the main server, and the main server can confirm, based on the identification information, whether the first sub-server and the second sub-server have control authority over the robots being controlled by the first sub-server and the second sub-server, respectively.

[0164] The main server can confirm the control authority based on at least one of the position and travel route within the building of the robot being controlled by each of the first sub-server and the second sub-server.

[0165] The main server can confirm the control authority even if the robot transmits a control request signal to the second sub-server or does not transmit a control authority handover request signal to the first sub-server. If the confirmation result shows that the first sub-server, which does not have the control authority, is controlling the robot, the main server transmits a control command regarding the handover of the control authority to at least one of the first and second sub-servers so that the control authority of the robot is handed over to the second sub-server that should receive the handover of the control authority of the robot.

[0166] The handover process will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 15. When the robot R is located in the first region 1522, the robot R is connected to the first sub-server 1520 corresponding to the AP with the strongest wireless signal strength in the first region 1522 based on the strength of the wireless signal. Therefore, the control authority for the robot R is given to the first sub-server 1520. In the local network method, the handover region 1540 of the first and second regions is defined as a region where a predetermined wireless signal strength is detected for each of the AP corresponding to the first sub-server 1520 and the AP corresponding to the second sub-server 1530. When the robot enters the handover region 1540 where a predetermined wireless signal strength is detected for each of the AP corresponding to the first sub-server 1520 and the AP corresponding to the second sub-server 1530, the robot may transmit information for handing over the control authority to at least one of the first sub-server 1520 and the second sub-server 1530. During a portion of the time that the robot R remains in the handover area 1540, the robot R can receive control commands from each of the first sub-server 1520 and the second sub-server 1530.

[0167] Meanwhile, a specific robot in which a handover event has occurred may transmit information about the handover event to a second sub-server to take over control authority. The information about the handover event may include at least one of identification information about the specific robot, the region in which the handover event occurred, identification information about the sub-server currently having control authority over the specific robot, identification information about the sub-server to which control authority over the specific robot will be taken over due to the handover event, information informing the user that control authority over the specific robot will be taken over, and information about control being performed on the robot. The information about the handover event may also include information about a control command transmitted to the specific robot from the sub-server that had control authority over the specific robot before the handover event occurred.

[0168] On the other hand, if the control commands received from the first sub-server 1520 and the second sub-server 1530 are different, the robot R can prioritize processing the control commands from one of the servers (e.g., the first sub-server that is already connected).

[0169] In another embodiment, when the control instructions received from the first sub-server 1520 and the second sub-server 1530 are different, the robot R can combine and process the control instructions from both sub-servers.

[0170] On the other hand, if the control commands received from the first sub-server 1520 and the second sub-server 1530 are the same, the robot R can determine that the handover has been performed successfully and can interrupt the connection with the first sub-server 1520.

[0171] Meanwhile, the main server 1510 periodically receives identification information regarding the robot connected to the sub-server from each of the first sub-server 1520 and the second sub-server 1530, and can determine whether the connection between the sub-server and the robot is properly established based on the received identification information.

[0172] As described above, in the local network system, when a handover event occurs, the robot identifies the sub-server to which control authority should be handed over based on the strength of the wireless signal and transmits and receives data for the handover. In addition, the main server improves the reliability of the handover by determining whether the appropriate sub-server has control authority for the robot. Thus, the present invention allows the control authority for the robot to be flexibly switched based on the strength of the wireless signal measured by the robot.

[0173] Meanwhile, handover may be performed by the robot moving within a horizontal space, or by the robot moving to a space of different heights (different floors). For example, handover according to the present invention may be performed by the robot moving from one floor to another among multiple floors in a building. Hereinafter, a method for performing handover by the robot moving between floors in a building will be specifically described.

[0174] FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram showing a robot system in which robots are controlled in areas divided by floor of a building, and FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram showing handover that is performed in response to the movement of a robot between floors.

[0175] In this case, a main server controls a robot traveling through a building with multiple floors. A first sub-server communicates with the main server and controls a robot traveling through a first floor of the multiple floors. Meanwhile, a second sub-server communicates with the main server and controls a robot traveling through a second floor, which is different from the first floor, of the multiple floors. Here, the first floor and second floor are used to name two arbitrary different floors and do not mean consecutive floors.

[0176] Based on the occurrence of a handover event in which a specific robot located on the first floor moves to the second floor, the main server can send information regarding the handover event to at least one of the first sub-server and the second sub-server so that control authority for the specific robot is handed over from the first sub-server to the second sub-server.

[0177] 16, the building may be provided with a moving means 1650 for moving the specific robot from the first floor to the second floor. For example, the moving means may be, but is not limited to, an elevator, an escalator, or a robot-specific elevator.

[0178] Meanwhile, each of the multiple floors 1622a to 1622c included in the building corresponds to one of multiple sub-servers 1620a to 1620c. For example, the first floor 1622a corresponds to the first sub-server 1620a, and control authority for a robot located on the first floor 1622a is given to the first sub-server 1620a. When a robot moves between floors, control authority is handed over from the first sub-server 1620a to another sub-server by handover.

[0179] In the present invention, the first sub-server's control authority over the specific robot ends when the specific robot gets on the means of transportation on the first floor, and the second sub-server's control authority over the specific robot begins when the specific robot gets off the means of transportation on the second floor.

[0180] While the specific robot is moving from the first floor to the second floor by the moving means, control of the specific robot may be performed based on at least one of the main server and an equipment server linked to the moving means.

[0181] When a robot moves between different floors, neither the first sub-server nor the second sub-server can have control authority over a specific robot in a handover area between different floors, i.e., in this case, at least one of the main server and the facility server linked to the moving means can have control authority over a specific robot.

[0182] For example, referring to FIG. 17, a plurality of sub-servers 1720a to 1720g are assigned (or matched) to each of a plurality of floors 1722a to 1722g included in a building. Each sub-server can communicate with the main server 1710. A robot can move between floors using a robot-dedicated elevator 1750. When robot R is located on the first floor 1722a, control authority for robot R is given to the first sub-server 1720a. The first sub-server 1720a controls the robot within the area of the first floor 1722a and controls the robot to board the elevator. When robot R gets on the elevator 1750, the first sub-server 1720a can transmit information to the main server 1710 informing the main server 1710 that robot R has boarded the elevator 1750. If the main server does not have information about the floor to which the robot is to move, the first sub-server 1720a can send information about the floor to which the robot is to move (fifth floor) to the main server 1710.

[0183] The main server 1710 can control the elevator 1750 so that the robot R travels on the elevator 1750. Furthermore, when the robot R gets off the elevator 1750 and moves to the fifth floor 1722e, the robot R can hand over control authority to the fifth sub-server 1720e corresponding to the fifth floor 1722e.

[0184] When control of the elevator 1750 is not performed by the main server 1710 but by another facility server, the main server 1710 can transfer control authority of robot R to the facility server when robot R gets on the elevator 1750, and can transfer control authority of robot R from the facility server to a sub-server (e.g., the fifth sub-server 1720e) on the floor where the robot got off when robot R gets off the elevator 1750. In this case, handover occurs between the sub-server that manages the space within the building and the facility server that manages the facility within the building. As described above, according to the present invention, when a robot moves between floors using inter-floor movement equipment installed in a building, when the robot gets on the inter-floor movement equipment, the control authority of the sub-server is retrieved, and when the robot gets off the inter-floor movement equipment, the control authority is handed over to another sub-server, thereby enabling flexible handover when the robot moves between floors.

[0185] As described above, according to the present invention, adjacent robots are controlled by the same server, thereby enabling efficient collaboration between the robots. Specifically, by controlling adjacent robots under a single control entity, the present invention prevents collisions between adjacent robots, allows adjacent robots to quickly share environmental information, and minimizes overlapping of the movement paths of adjacent robots.

[0186] However, the present invention as described above can be implemented as a program that can be executed by one or more processes on a computer and stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0187] Furthermore, the present invention can be realized as computer-readable codes or commands on a program recording medium. That is, various control methods according to the present invention can be provided in the form of a program, either collectively or individually.

[0188] On the other hand, the computer-readable medium includes any kind of storage device that stores data that can be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer-readable medium include a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state disk (SSD), a silicon disk drive (SDD), a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, etc.

[0189] The computer-readable medium may also be a server or cloud storage that includes storage and can be accessed by the electronic device via communication, in which case the computer can download the program according to the present invention from the server or cloud storage via wired or wireless communication.

[0190] Furthermore, in the present invention, the computer described above is an electronic device equipped with a processor, that is, a central processing unit (CPU), and the type of the computer is not particularly limited.

[0191] However, the detailed description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting in any respect. The scope of the present invention should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the scope of the equivalents of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. The main server, a plurality of sub-servers configured to communicate with the main server and assigned to correspond to a plurality of areas included in the space, The main server generating a global route including information about a specific area among the plurality of areas through which a specific robot must pass in order to perform a mission; Identifying a first sub-server and a second sub-server that have control authority over the specific robot among the plurality of sub-servers based on information about the specific area included in the global route; The first sub-server and the second sub-server include: Depending on whether the robot is located in a first area to which the first sub-server is assigned or a second area to which the second sub-server is assigned, control authority for the specific robot is given or the given control authority is terminated; the first sub-server performs detailed control over the specific robot so that the specific robot travels through the first area to perform the mission while the specific robot is located in the first area; the second sub-server performs detailed control over the specific robot so that the specific robot travels through the second area to perform the mission while the specific robot is located in the second area; the plurality of regions to which the plurality of sub-servers included in the space are respectively assigned form a handover region in which any one of the regions overlaps with at least one other region; The main server determines that a handover event has occurred when the specific robot is located within a predetermined distance from a specific handover area formed by an overlap of the first area and the second area, or when the specific robot is located in the specific handover area.

2. When a handover event occurs in the specific robot communicating with the first sub-server, the specific robot moves from the first area to the second area, The main server The robot control system of claim 1, characterized in that information regarding the handover event is sent to at least one of the first sub-server and the second sub-server so that control authority for the specific robot is handed over from the first sub-server to the second sub-server.

3. The main server determining whether the handover event has occurred based on the position of the specific robot; The robot control system according to claim 2 , further comprising: a sub-server to which control authority for the specific robot is to be taken over based on the occurrence of the handover event;

4. The main server Based on the occurrence of the handover event, transmitting first information to the first sub-server notifying that the control authority for the specific robot will be handed over to the second sub-server; 2. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein second information requesting control of the specific robot is transmitted to the second sub-server.

5. The control authority for the specific robot is The robot control system according to claim 4, characterized in that both the first sub-server and the second sub-server have the same until a predetermined handover condition for the specific robot is met in the second sub-server.

6. The predetermined takeover conditions are: The robot control system described in claim 5, characterized in that it relates to the similarity between the first control command of the first sub-server for the specific robot and the second control command of the second sub-server for the specific robot.

7. When a handover event occurs as a result of the specific robot traveling in the specific area along the global route moving from the first area to the second area, control authority for the specific robot is handed over from the first sub-server to the second sub-server; The specific robot is The robot control system of claim 1, characterized in that control commands are received from each of the first sub-server and the second sub-server in at least a portion of a handover area formed by the first area and the second area.

8. The specific robot is connected to at least one of a plurality of sub-servers assigned to correspond to each of the plurality of regions; the sub-server connected to the specific robot is identified based on the strength of a wireless signal sensed by the specific robot; The first sub-server In the first area, the specific robot is connected to a first network having the strongest wireless signal strength among the wireless signal strengths sensed by the specific robot; The second sub-server 2. The robot control system of claim 1, wherein the specific robot is connected to a second network having the strongest wireless signal strength among the wireless signal strengths sensed by the specific robot in the second area.

9. In a building where a robot controlled by at least one of a main server and a plurality of sub-servers travels, The building is a plurality of areas in which the robot can travel; The main server generating a global route including information about a specific area among the plurality of areas through which a specific robot must pass in order to perform a mission; Identifying a first sub-server and a second sub-server that have control authority over the specific robot among the plurality of sub-servers based on information about the specific area included in the global route; The first sub-server and the second sub-server include: Depending on whether the robot is located in a first area to which the first sub-server is assigned or a second area to which the second sub-server is assigned, control authority for the specific robot is given or the given control authority is terminated; the first sub-server performs detailed control over the specific robot so that the specific robot travels through the first area to perform the mission while the specific robot is located in the first area; the second sub-server performs detailed control over the specific robot so that the specific robot travels through the second area to perform the mission while the specific robot is located in the second area; the plurality of areas to which the plurality of sub-servers included in the building are respectively assigned form a handover area in which any one of the areas overlaps with at least one other area; The main server determines that a handover event has occurred when the specific robot is located within a predetermined distance from a specific handover area formed by the overlap of the first area and the second area, or when the specific robot is located in the specific handover area.

10. 1. A robot control method for a building including a plurality of sub-servers configured to communicate with a main server and assigned to correspond to a plurality of areas included in the space, the method comprising: generating, in the main server, a global route including information about a specific area among the plurality of areas through which a specific robot must pass in order to perform a mission; In the main server, a step of identifying a first sub-server and a second sub-server that have control authority over the specific robot among the plurality of sub-servers based on information about the specific area included in the global route; In the first sub-server among the plurality of sub-servers, detailed control of the specific robot is performed so that the specific robot travels through the first area to perform the mission while the specific robot is located in the first area; and performing detailed control of the specific robot in the second sub-server among the plurality of sub-servers so that the specific robot travels in the second area to perform the mission while the specific robot is located in the second area; The first sub-server and the second sub-server include: Depending on whether the robot is located in a first area to which the first sub-server is assigned or a second area to which the second sub-server is assigned, control authority for the specific robot is given or the given control authority is terminated; the plurality of regions to which the plurality of sub-servers included in the space are respectively assigned form a handover region in which any one of the regions overlaps with at least one other region; The main server determines that a handover event has occurred when the specific robot is located within a predetermined distance from a specific handover area formed by an overlap of the first area and the second area, or when the specific robot is located in the specific handover area.

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