Methods, systems, and non-transient computer-readable recording media for providing services using robots.

Abstract

To provide a robot-based host service that allows a robot to greet and interact with a customer, guide the customer to a table, place order, and the like, taking into account information associated with a service provision place and information on the customer visiting the service provision place.SOLUTION: A service provision system 200 includes: an information acquisition unit that acquires information associated with a service provision place of a robot and information on a customer visiting the service provision place; a service guide information determination unit that refers to the information associated with the service provision place and the information on the customer and determines service guide information including information on interaction scenario information provided to the customer in a movement route to a table provided to the customer among a plurality of tables in the service provision place and a process moving to the table provided to the customer; and a service provision unit that refers to the service guide information and provides the customer with a service associated with the service provision place by the robot.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method, a system, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for providing services using a robot. [[Background Art]]

[0002] Since robots can automate and perform difficult tasks, repetitive operations and the like, they are used in various fields to replace or assist humans. In recent years, various studies have been conducted on technologies for providing services using such robots.

[0003] As an example of the related art in this regard, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be cited. According to this technology, a robot system that transfers a container containing food and drink ordered in a restaurant to serve the ordered food and drink is introduced. [[Prior Art Documents]] [[Patent Documents]]

[0004] [[Patent Document 1]] Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1083700 Publication [[Outline of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0005] However, the conventional technologies mentioned above, as well as the technologies introduced so far, have only focused on how robots can effectively serve ordered food and beverages (for example, avoiding obstacles such as tables), and have never specifically addressed the provision of a comprehensive service by robots, including greeting customers who visit the service location, guiding them to their seats, and taking orders—in other words, host service. In particular, interaction and dialogue with customers are important when providing such host service, as this is through which the first impression of the service location is formed and an image of that location is created. Therefore, in order to effectively provide host service, it was necessary to comprehensively and adaptively consider information related to the service location and information related to the customers who visit the service location.

[0006] Therefore, the present inventors propose a novel and advanced technology that determines service guide information by referring to information related to the service provision location and information related to the customer visiting the service provision location, and enables a robot to adaptively provide the service related to the service provision location to the customer based on that service guide information.

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to solve all of the problems of the prior art described above.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention also aims to provide a robot-based host service that enables robots to perform tasks such as greeting customers, engaging in conversation, guiding them to their seats, and taking orders, taking into consideration information related to the service location and the customers who visit that location.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention aims to ensure that an appropriate flow of dialogue continues as the robot guides the customer to the table, based on a dialogue scenario determined by taking into account the service location and related information and information about the customer visiting the service location. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A typical configuration of the present invention for achieving the above objective is as follows:

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for providing a service using a robot is provided, comprising the steps of: acquiring information relating to a service location for the robot and information relating to a customer visiting the service location; determining service guide information that includes information relating to at least one of a travel route to a table provided to the customer from among a plurality of tables in the service location and a conversation scenario provided to the customer during the journey to the table provided to the customer; and ensuring that the robot provides the service relating to the service location to the customer by referring to the service guide information.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for providing services using a robot, the system comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires information relating to a service provision location of the robot and information relating to a customer visiting the service provision location; a service guide information determination unit that, by referring to the information relating to the service provision location and the information relating to the customer, determines service guide information that includes information relating to at least one of a travel path to a table provided to the customer from among a plurality of tables in the service provision location and a dialogue scenario provided to the customer during the process of moving to the table provided to the customer; and a service provision unit that, by referring to the service guide information, ensures that the robot provides the customer with services relating to the service provision location.

[0013] In addition, other methods, other systems, and non-transient computer-readable recording media storing computer programs for performing the present invention are also provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, a robot-based host service can be provided that takes into account information related to the service location and information about customers visiting the service location, so that greetings, conversations, guidance to seating, and ordering can be performed by a robot.

[0015] Furthermore, according to the present invention, by enabling a conversational scenario determined by taking into account information related to the service provision location and information about customers visiting the service provision location, an appropriate conversational flow that is appropriate to the situation can be maintained while the robot guides the customer to the table, thereby fostering familiarity with the customer and increasing customer satisfaction with the service provision location. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This diagram schematically shows the configuration of an overall system for providing services using a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This drawing illustrates the internal configuration of a service provision system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This drawing illustrates a situation in which a service is provided using a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This drawing illustrates a situation in which a service is provided using a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This drawing illustrates the structure of a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This drawing illustrates the structure of a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] The following detailed description of the present invention refers to the accompanying drawings that illustrate, by way of example, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present invention sufficiently. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different from each other but need not be mutually exclusive. For example, the specific shapes, structures and characteristics described herein may be altered and embodied from one embodiment to another without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should also be understood that the position or arrangement of individual components in each embodiment may also be altered 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 encompass the scope claimed by the claims and all equivalents thereof. In the drawings, like reference numerals indicate the same or similar components throughout the various aspects.

[0018] Hereinafter, various preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily practice the present invention.

[0019] Configuration of the Overall System

[0020] Figure 1 is a drawing schematically showing the configuration of an overall system for providing a service using a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] As illustrated in Figure 1, the overall system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a communication network 100, a service providing system 200, and a robot 300.

[0022] First, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the communication network 100 can be configured regardless of the mode of communication, such as wired communication or wireless communication, and can consist of various communication networks such as local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), and wide area networks (WANs). 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 to these, and may include, in at least part, a well-known wired / wireless data communication network, a well-known telephone network, or a well-known wired / wireless television communication network.

[0023] For example, the communication network 100 may, as a wireless data communication network, embody, at least in part, conventional communication methods such as Wi-Fi communication, Wi-Fi Direct communication, Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication, Bluetooth® communication (more specifically, Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) communication), infrared communication, and ultrasonic communication.

[0024] Next, the service provision system 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention can communicate with a robot 300, described later, through a communication network 100, acquire information related to the service provision location of the robot 300 and information related to customers visiting the service provision location, and by referring to the information related to the service provision location and the information related to customers, it can determine service guide information that includes information on the movement route to the table provided to the customer from among multiple tables in the service provision location and information related to at least one of the dialogue scenarios provided to the customer during the movement to the table provided to the customer, and by referring to the service guide information, it can perform the function of ensuring that the robot 300 provides the service related to the service provision location to the customer.

[0025] On the other hand, although the service delivery system 200 has been described above, this description is illustrative, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that at least some of the functions and components required of the service delivery system 200 may be implemented or included in the robot 300 or external system (not shown), as described later, as needed. Furthermore, in some cases, all the functions and components of the service delivery system 200 may be implemented or included in the robot 300.

[0026] Next, a robot 300 according to one embodiment of the present invention can communicate with a service provision system 200 through a communication network 100 and is a device that can autonomously perform predetermined functions or assigned tasks (e.g., serving food and beverages, collecting containers, etc.) without operation by a user, and may include at least one module from among a module for loading and unloading objects (e.g., food and beverage trays) (e.g., a grab, a robotic arm module, etc.), a video module for acquiring images of the surroundings (e.g., a visible light camera, an infrared camera, etc.), and a drive module for moving the robot 300 (e.g., a motor, etc.). For example, such a robot 300 may be a robot having characteristics and functions similar 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 aerial robot.

[0027] On the other hand, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the robot 300 may include an application for providing the service according to the present invention. Such an application may be downloaded from a service delivery system 200 or an external application distribution server (not shown).

[0028] Configuration of the service delivery system

[0029] In the following, we will describe in detail the internal configuration of the service provision system 200, which performs important functions for realizing the present invention, and the functions of each component.

[0030] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of a service provision system 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Referring to Figure 2, a service provision system 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention may include an information acquisition unit 210, a service guide information determination unit 220, a service provision unit 230, a communication unit 240, and a control unit 250. According to one embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the information acquisition unit 210, the service guide information determination unit 220, the service provision unit 230, the communication unit 240, and the control unit 250 may be program modules that communicate with an external system (not shown). Such program modules may be included in the service provision system 200 in the form of an operating system, an application module, and other program modules, and may be physically stored on various known storage devices. Alternatively, such program modules may be stored in a remote storage device that can communicate with the service provision system 200. On the other hand, such program modules include, but are not limited to, routines, subroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or execute specific abstract data types as described later in the present invention.

[0032] First, the information acquisition unit 210 according to one embodiment of the present invention can perform the function of acquiring information related to the service provision location of the robot 300 and information related to customers who visit that service provision location. For example, information related to the service provision location of the robot 300 may include location information of the service provision location such as the name of the service provision location, industry, address, and region; idle tables within the service provision location (or tables that are expected to become idle and the time required until that occurs); the current order status within the service provision location; and the menus that can be offered at the service provision location. Furthermore, information related to customers according to one embodiment of the present invention may include customer identification information such as the gender, age, number of people, and type of customer (e.g., couple or family); and customer visit history information (for example, if the customer's identity is identified based on the customer's face, information such as the food and drink ordered by the customer during a previous visit, the table used, and the conversations that took place with the robot 300).

[0033] For example, if the service provision location according to one embodiment of the present invention is a restaurant, the information acquisition unit 210 can acquire information related to the service provision location, such as the name of the restaurant, the type of business the restaurant is in, the address of the restaurant, the region of the restaurant, idle tables in the restaurant, the time required until idle tables become available in the restaurant (for example, the time when food and drinks were served to customers at a particular table, the average consumption time by type of food and drink (or by customer), etc.), the current status of orders and supply and demand of ingredients in the restaurant (for example, how many orders have piled up, how much food is left over, etc.), and the restaurant's special menu (for example, today's menu), as well as information about customers visiting the service provision location, such as the age, gender, number of people, type (for example, couple or family), and visit history of customers visiting the restaurant.

[0034] More specifically, the information acquisition unit 210 can be linked with a restaurant's inventory management system, a point-of-sale (POS) information management system, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, and other systems, and can acquire information related to the service location through such systems. In addition, the information acquisition unit 210 can use the robot 300's video module or a video module within the service location to identify the appearance information of customers visiting the service location, such as their faces and body shapes, and acquire information about those customers based on the identified information.

[0035] Next, the service guide information determination unit 220 according to one embodiment of the present invention can perform the function of determining service guide information that includes information on the travel route to the table provided to the customer from among multiple tables in the service provision location and information on at least one of the dialogue scenarios provided to the customer during the process of moving to the table provided to the customer, by referring to the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 210. Here, the service guide information determination unit 220 can determine the table to be provided to the customer based on a table that is estimated to be highly preferred by the customer visiting the service provision location from among multiple idle tables (or tables scheduled to be idle) or a table with a high priority in the service provision location. More specifically, the service guide information determination unit 220 can determine a table that is estimated to be highly preferred by the customer or a table with a high priority in the service provision location by referring to the table preference patterns or learning results for preference tables of multiple customers by time of day, age, gender, etc., and can determine the table with the highest preference or priority among multiple idle tables (or tables scheduled to be idle) in the service provision location as the table to be provided to the customer. On the other hand, the service guide information determination unit 220 can identify the customer's preference table by referring to the customer's visit history (specifically, the customer's visit history to the service provision location), and may determine which tables to provide to the customer by referring to the identified preference table. In addition, the service guide information determination unit 220 can assign weights to the tables that the customer frequently uses, which are identified by referring to the customer's visit history, and determine which tables to provide to the customer based on these weights (for example, based on the results of learning the table preference pattern or preference table by reflecting these weights).

[0036] For example, the service guide information determination unit 220 can determine information regarding the optimal movement path for moving a customer to a table provided to that customer, based on the customer's location (e.g., the entrance to the service location), by referring to information regarding at least one of the movement paths of other robots 300 within the service location, the current table arrangement within the service location, and the current table usage within the service location. More specifically, if the service location according to the present invention is a restaurant, the service guide information determination unit 220 can determine information regarding the optimal movement path based on a movement path that is the shortest path among multiple paths between the restaurant entrance (i.e., the customer's current location) and the table provided to that customer, such that the movement path does not overlap with the movement path of other robots 300 within the restaurant (or an area within a predetermined distance relative to that movement path), ensuring a relatively wide movement space, and passing around tables with few customers within the restaurant.

[0037] As another example, the service guide information determination unit 220 can determine information about a dialogue scenario by referring to information related to the service location and information related to the customer, and engaging in at least one small talk during the time it takes to move to the table where the customer will be served, such as an introduction to the service location, the products of the service location (e.g., menu), the weather related to the region where the service location is located, news or sports, humor, and the customer's interests regarding gender or age (e.g., fashion). Here, the dialogue scenario may mean the way in which a dialogue unfolds or flows between the customer and the robot 300 based on at least one dialogue topic.

[0038] More specifically, the service guide information determination unit 220 can determine information regarding the dialogue scenario by providing the customer with small talk on the topic of conversation, such as an introduction to the service location, the products of the service location (e.g., menu), the weather related to the region where the service location is located, news or sports, and humor, and by continuing the flow of the dialogue for a predetermined time, either by developing the dialogue on the same topic or by changing the topic based on the feedback provided by the customer (e.g., positive or negative).

[0039] Furthermore, the service guide information determination unit 220 may determine information regarding the dialogue scenario to be provided to the customer by referring to the distance of the travel route to the table provided to the customer.

[0040] For example, the service guide information determination unit 220 can determine information about a dialogue scenario based on the dialogue topic, dialogue length, and dialogue progression (e.g., introduction, development, turning point, conclusion) corresponding to the distance of the travel path to the table provided to the customer. More specifically, the service guide information determination unit 220 can determine that there is a predetermined correlation (e.g., a proportional relationship) between the distance of the travel path to the table provided to the customer and the dialogue length, and can determine information about a dialogue scenario based on the dialogue length corresponding to that correlation and the dialogue topic and dialogue progression that suit that dialogue length. Alternatively, the service guide information determination unit 220 may determine information about a dialogue scenario by referring to a lookup table relating dialogue topics or dialogue progression by dialogue length.

[0041] Furthermore, the service guide information determination unit 220 may determine information regarding the dialogue scenario based on dialogue topics of high interest to the customer.

[0042] For example, the service guide information determination unit 220 can identify topics of conversation that are presumed to be of high interest (or preferred) to the customer by referring to demographic information (e.g., age, gender, race, etc.) identified from the appearance of the customer visiting the service location, or by referring to the customer's visit history to the service location. Based on small talk corresponding to the preferred topics of conversation, it can determine information regarding the conversation scenario, which will continue for a predetermined period of time.

[0043] On the other hand, while the dialogue scenarios detailed above may be pre-configured, they may also be continuously updated by repeatedly performing searches, collections, refinements, and learning on the subject matter and text of the dialogue through social networking services (SNS), web servers, cloud servers, etc.

[0044] For example, multiple dialogue scenarios may be collected (e.g., by crawling) through social networking services, web servers, cloud servers, etc., and semantic vectors (determined using algorithms such as word2vec and sentence2vec) and intent patterns (patterns relating to the intent or context each sentence signifies and its order in relation to other sentences, classified using various artificial intelligence algorithms such as deep neural networks (DNN), convolutional neural networks (CNN), and support vector machines (SVM)) may be extracted from the consecutive sentences of these multiple dialogue scenarios. A database for generating dialogue scenarios based on these extracted semantic and intent vectors (for example, dialogue scenarios can be generated by combining sentences based on semantic and intent vectors) may be updated periodically or aperiodicly.

[0045] Furthermore, the service guide information determination unit 220 can perform learning by referring to information on dialogue scenarios and feedback provided by customers in response to those dialogue scenarios, and may refer to the results of that learning to determine information on dialogue scenarios to be provided to the customer in question or to customers similar to that customer (for example, customers with similar gender, age, race, etc.).

[0046] Next, the service provision unit 230 according to one embodiment of the present invention can refer to the service guide information and perform the function of ensuring that the robot 300 provides the service provision location and related services to the customer. For example, if the service provision location according to one embodiment of the present invention is a restaurant, the related services may include greeting services, ordering services, serving services, and billing services.

[0047] For example, the service provision unit 230 can provide customer service to customers visiting the service location, with the robot 300 guiding the customer to the table where they will be served, engaging in conversations with them about greetings, humor, weather, sports, and information about the service location (e.g., signature menu, today's menu). More specifically, while the conversation between the customer and the robot 300 may be primarily voice-based, it should be noted that the conversation method according to the present invention is not necessarily limited to voice and may be changed to various other methods such as video.

[0048] Next, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the communication unit 240 can perform the function of enabling the transmission and reception of data to and from the information acquisition unit 210, the service guide information determination unit 220, and the service provision unit 230.

[0049] Finally, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 250 can perform the function of controlling the flow of data between the information acquisition unit 210, the service guide information determination unit 220, the service provision unit 230, and the communication unit 240. That is, the control unit 250 according to one embodiment of the present invention can control the information acquisition unit 210, the service guide information determination unit 220, the service provision unit 230, and the communication unit 240 to perform their respective specific functions by controlling the flow of data to and from the outside of the service provision system 200 or the flow of data between each component of the service provision system 200.

[0050] Figures 3 and 4 are illustrative diagrams showing a situation in which a service is provided using the robot 300 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Referring to Figure 3, we can see a hypothetical scenario where the service provision location according to the present invention is a restaurant, and the robot 300 provides services to customers visiting that restaurant. Furthermore, in the restaurant, multiple robots 300a and 300b may provide services related to the service provision location.

[0052] First, according to one embodiment of the present invention, when multiple customers 301 and 302 visit a restaurant where services are provided by a robot 300, information related to the restaurant and information about the multiple customers 301 and 302 visiting the restaurant can be obtained.

[0053] For example, information related to the restaurant, such as the restaurant's name, type of business, address, region, available tables in the restaurant, time elapsed until available tables occur, current order and ingredient supply and demand status, and special menus, can be obtained, as well as information about customers, such as the age, gender, number of people, type, and visit history of customers visiting the restaurant.

[0054] More specifically, using the video module of robot 300a, it may be possible to obtain information about the customers, such as the number of customers visiting the service location being two, the genders of the customers being male and female, the customer type being a couple, and the ages of both customers being in their 30s. Additionally, through the restaurant's point-of-sale (POS) information management system, it may be possible to obtain information that there are two idle tables in the restaurant, tables 320 and 330, while the other tables 310 and 340 are being used by other customers, and the estimated time until the meal is finished at the occupied tables is 30 minutes.

[0055] Subsequently, according to one embodiment of the present invention, service guide information can be determined by referring to information related to the restaurant and information about customers 301 and 302 visiting the restaurant, including information about the travel route 305 to the table 320 to be served to customers 301 and 302 from among multiple tables in the restaurant, and information about at least one of the conversation scenarios to be provided to customers 301 and 302 during their journey to the table 320.

[0056] For example, by referring to information related to the restaurant and information about customers 301 and 302 visiting the restaurant, service guide information can be determined that includes information about a travel path 305 that moves along the window to the table 320 in the restaurant to be served to customers 301 and 302, and at least one of the following dialogue scenarios in which customers 301 and 302 engage in conversation along the travel path 305 to the table 320, in the order of greetings, weather, humor, today's menu, and the location of the table 320 to be served. More specifically, the table 320 to be served to customers 301 and 302 (i.e., a window table) can be determined based on a table that is estimated to be highly preferred by customers 301 and 302 visiting the restaurant from among several idle tables (or tables scheduled to become idle) in the restaurant, or a table that is given priority to men or women in their 30s in the restaurant. On the other hand, in this case, if all window tables 310 and 320 are in use, the table to be served to customers 301 and 302 can be determined by referring to the time required until the occupied tables become idle. Subsequently, information regarding the movement path can be determined based on the shortest path among several possible routes from the current location of the customers 301 and 302 to the table 320 that will be served to them, which does not overlap with the movement paths of other robots 300b in the restaurant and ensures a predetermined level of movement space.

[0057] Subsequently, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the robot 300a can provide restaurant-related services to customers 301 and 302 by referring to the service guide information.

[0058] For example, by referring to the service guide information determined as described above, the robot 300a can guide customers 301 and 302 along the travel path 305, engaging in conversation in the order of greetings, weather, humor, today's menu, and the location of the table where they will be served 320, and provide customer service.

[0059] Subsequently, referring to Figure 4, once customers 301 and 302 are seated at the provided table 320, the robot 300a can provide customers 301 and 302 with a variety of restaurant-related services such as ordering, serving, and payment services.

[0060] On the other hand, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a robot 300a may provide a service relating to at least one of the following: guidance, reservations, and payment for products or services of a restaurant (or other service provider) that is estimated to be of high interest to customers 301 and 302, based on information related to the restaurant and information related to customers visiting the restaurant.

[0061] For example, by referring to information about gift certificates being promoted at the restaurant and the dining frequency and dining amount of customers 301 and 302, it can be estimated that customers 301 and 302 are highly interested in information about gift certificates of a predetermined amount that can be used for a predetermined discount at the restaurant. In such cases, information about the gift certificates can be provided to customers 301 and 302, or reservations for the gift certificates can be made, and payment may even be made through the robot 300a. In this case, the robot 300 may further include payment means such as a payment terminal (e.g., a card terminal) and a display (e.g., a display for outputting a QR code (registered trademark) for payment).

[0062] On the other hand, it should be made clear that the products or services that are presumed to be of high interest to customers 301 and 302 according to the present invention are not necessarily limited to those related to a specific service location, but can be extended to a variety of products (e.g., baseball tickets) or services at other service locations identified by referring to customer information.

[0063] Robot configuration

[0064] A robot 300 according to one embodiment of the present invention may be a robot that performs tasks similar to those performed by at least one of the following: a guide robot, a serving robot, a transport robot, a cleaning robot, a medical robot, an entertainment robot, a pet robot, and an unmanned aerial robot, and for this purpose may be embodied in a variety of shapes corresponding to each task.

[0065] Referring to Figure 5, the robot 300 may be configured to include a main body 510, a drive unit 520, and a processor 530.

[0066] For example, the main body 510 according to one embodiment of the present invention may include at least one loading space for loading an object to be transported or an object to be recovered. Such an object to be transported and an object to be recovered according to one embodiment of the present invention is a general concept encompassing all types of movable objects, and may include, for example, things, animals, people, etc. For example, the object to be transported may be food or beverages, and the object to be recovered may be the container in which the food or beverages are contained.

[0067] Referring to Figure 6, for example, if the robot 300 is a serving robot, it may include a first space 610 and a second space 620 for providing objects to be transported and for retrieving objects to be retrieved. The robot 300 may also include a third space 630, which is an extension space provided through a detachable column, and by adding further extension spaces as needed, it can have even more loading space. The robot 300 may also include a tray 640 dedicated to objects to be transported or objects to be retrieved. For example, the tray 640 may have a configuration in which, when viewed from above, a plurality of circular grooves are formed on its upper surface. Each circular groove may be formed so that the bottom of a cup containing a beverage can be placed on it and easily secured to some extent. The size of such circular grooves can vary. Furthermore, below the first space 610 of the robot 300, a fourth space 650 may be included, which can be removed through the side of the robot 300. The fourth space 650 according to one embodiment of the present invention may have a cage-like shape, with an open space formed inside, closed sides, 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-listed contents and can be embodied in various forms such as other loading spaces within the scope that can achieve the objectives of the present invention.

[0068] On the other hand, referring again to Figure 5, the main unit 510 may further include a camera 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.

[0069] Next, the drive unit 520 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 the transported object and the retrieved object.

[0070] For example, the drive unit 520 may include modules for moving the main body 510 to another location, such as modules relating to electrically, mechanically, or hydraulically driven wheels, propellers, etc., and may also include modules for loading and unloading the transported object and the object to be recovered, such as a robotic arm module for carrying the transported object and the object to be recovered.

[0071] Next, the processor 530 according to one embodiment of the present invention can be electrically connected to the drive unit 520 and perform the function of controlling the drive unit 520 (it may further include a communication module for communication with an external system), and may mean a hardware-integrated data processing device having a physically structured circuit for performing a function expressed by code or instructions contained in a program. For example, such a hardware-integrated data processing device may include processing devices such as a microprocessor, a central processing unit, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), or an FPGA (field programmable gate array).

[0072] Furthermore, the processor 530 may perform at least one function of the information acquisition unit 210, the service guide information determination unit 220, and the service provision unit 230 of the service provision system 200 according to the present invention (for example, the relevant function may be modularized and included in the processor 530), and may also perform a function of controlling the drive unit 520 through communication with an external system (not shown) that performs at least one function of the information acquisition unit 210, the service guide information determination unit 220, and the service provision unit 230.

[0073] Specifically, the processor 530 acquires information related to the service location of the robot 300 and information about customers visiting the service location, and by referring to the information related to the service location and the customer information, determines service guide information that includes information about the movement route to the table provided to the customer from among multiple tables in the service location and information about at least one of the dialogue scenarios provided to the customer during the movement to the table provided to the customer, and by referring to the service guide information, can perform the function of ensuring that the robot 300 provides the service related to the service location to the customer.

[0074] Although the above description mainly focuses on an embodiment where the service provision location according to the present invention is a restaurant, it should be made clear that the service provision location is not necessarily limited to a restaurant and may be changed to a cafe, izakaya, bar, etc., as long as the objectives of the present invention can be achieved.

[0075] The embodiments of the present invention described above can be embodied in the form of program instructions that can be executed through a variety of computer components and recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc., individually or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the computer-readable recording medium may be specifically designed and configured for the present invention, or may be available and known to those skilled in the field of computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes; optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as floptical disks; and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. Examples of program instructions include not only machine code, such as that produced by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. Hardware devices may be modified into one or more software modules to perform the processing according to the present invention, and vice versa.

[0076] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific components and other details, as well as limited embodiments and drawings, these are provided only to aid in a more general understanding of the invention, and the invention is not limited to the above embodiments. A person with ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains can make various modifications and changes to this description.

[0077] Therefore, the concept of the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments described above, and all scopes equivalent to or equivalently modified from the claims described later fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0078] 100 Communication Networks 200 Service Delivery Systems 210 Information Acquisition Department 220 Service Guide Information Decision Department 230 Service Provision Department 240 Communications Department 250 Control Unit 300 robots

Claims

1. A method for being implemented in a system that provides services using robots, The system includes an information acquisition unit, a service guide information determination unit, and a service provision unit. The information acquisition unit acquires information related to the robot's service location and information about customers who visit the service location. The service guide information determination unit determines service guide information, which includes information about the route to the table provided to the customer from among multiple tables within the service location, and information about the conversation scenario provided to the customer during the process of moving to the table provided to the customer, by referring to information related to the service location and information about the customer, and The service provision unit includes a provision step in which it refers to the service guide information and ensures that the robot provides the service associated with the service provision location to the customer, A method for determining information regarding the dialogue scenario based on the subject of the dialogue, in which the customer's level of interest is above a predetermined level, during the decision-making stage.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the decision-making stage, the table to be provided to the customer is determined based on a table that is presumed to be preferred by the customer from among a plurality of idle tables in the service provision location, or a table that has priority in the service provision location.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the decision-making stage, the table to be provided to the customer is determined by referring to the time required until an idle table occurs among the plurality of tables.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the determination step, information regarding the movement path is determined by referring to at least one of the movement paths of other robots within the service provision location, the current table arrangement within the service provision location, and the current table usage within the service provision location.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, at the service provision stage, a service is provided as a service associated with the service provision location, which involves providing voice interaction to the customer and guiding the customer to the table to be provided to the customer.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, at the delivery stage, the robot provides at least one of the following services: guidance, reservations, and payments for goods or services at the service location or other service locations that the customer is presumed to be interested in.

7. A non-transient computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program for performing the method described in claim 1.

8. A system for providing services using robots, An information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the service provision location of the robot and information about customers who visit the service provision location. A service guide information determination unit determines service guide information that includes, by referring to information related to the service location and information about the customer, information about the route to the table provided to the customer from among multiple tables in the service location, and information about the conversation scenario provided to the customer during the process of moving to the table provided to the customer, and Includes a service provision unit that, by referring to the service guide information, ensures that the robot provides the service location and related services to the customer. The service guide information determination unit is a system that determines information regarding the dialogue scenario based on the subject of the dialogue in which the customer's level of interest is above a predetermined level.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the service guide information determination unit determines a table to be provided to the customer based on a table that is presumed to be preferred by the customer from among a plurality of idle tables in the service provision location, or a table that has priority in the service provision location.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the service guide information determination unit determines the table to be provided to the customer by referring to the time required until an idle table occurs among the plurality of tables.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the service guide information determination unit determines information regarding the movement path by referring to at least one of the movement paths of other robots within the service provision location, the current table arrangement within the service provision location, and the current table usage within the service provision location.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the service provision unit provides a service as a service associated with the service provision location, which involves providing voice interaction to the customer and guiding the customer to a table where the customer is to be served.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the service provision unit ensures that the robot provides at least one of the following services: guidance, reservations, and payments for goods or services at the service provision location or other service provision locations that the customer is presumed to be interested in.

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