Robot-friendly building, and method and system for controlling robot traveling within building

Abstract

The present invention relates to a robot-friendly building, and a method and a system for controlling a robot traveling within a building. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and a system for controlling a robot, wherein robots coexist in the same space as humans and can provide useful services to humans. The method for controlling a robot, according to the present invention, may comprise the steps of: generating a movement path of a specific robot on the basis of a node map including a plurality of nodes; controlling the specific robot to move along the movement path; checking the occupancy state of a destination node included in the movement path; and updating the movement path on the basis of the occupancy state of the destination node such that a specific node located around the destination node is included in the movement path.

Description

Robot-friendly building, method and system for controlling a robot that moves through a building

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot control method and system applicable to an eco-friendly building. In particular, the present invention relates to a method and system for controlling the traffic of multiple robots whose movement paths overlap.

[0002] As technology advances, various service devices are emerging, and in particular, technological development for robots that perform various tasks or services is actively underway.

[0003] Furthermore, recent advancements in artificial intelligence and cloud technologies have made it possible to control robots with greater precision and safety, leading to a gradual increase in their utility. In particular, technological advancements have enabled robots to safely coexist with humans in indoor spaces.

[0004] Accordingly, robots are recently replacing human tasks or operations, and various methods for robots to directly provide services to people, especially in indoor spaces, are being actively researched.

[0005] For example, robots provide navigation services in public spaces like airports, train stations, and department stores, and serve customers in restaurants. Furthermore, robots provide delivery services, delivering mail and packages in offices, shared living spaces, and other spaces. Furthermore, robots provide a variety of services, including cleaning, security, and logistics. The types and scope of services provided by robots are expected to grow exponentially in the future, and the level of service provided is also expected to continue to evolve.

[0006] These robots provide various services not only in outdoor spaces but also in indoor spaces of buildings (or premises) such as offices, apartments, department stores, schools, hospitals, and amusement facilities. In this case, the robots are controlled to move around the indoor spaces of the buildings and provide various services.

[0007] Meanwhile, active research is underway into methods for controlling the movement of robots to provide services within buildings. Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2023-0153788 discloses a method for determining an autonomous robot's path. However, the invention focuses only on the movement path of a specific robot. Therefore, collisions or deadlocks can occur when the movement paths of multiple robots overlap.

[0008] Accordingly, there is a need for a method to control the traffic of multiple robots moving to the same destination.

[0009] The present invention relates to a method and system for controlling a robot moving within a building.

[0010] More specifically, the present invention provides a robot control method and system for controlling robots so that deadlock does not occur between robots when the movement paths of a plurality of robots overlap.

[0011] In order to achieve the above-described purpose, a robot control method according to the present invention may include a step of generating a movement path of a specific robot based on a node map including a plurality of nodes, a step of controlling the specific robot so that the specific robot moves along the movement path, a step of reserving occupancy for a specific node based on an occupancy state of the specific node included in the movement path, and a step of moving the specific robot to the specific node based on completion of the reservation for the specific node.

[0012] Meanwhile, a robot control system according to the present invention includes a control unit that generates a movement path of a specific robot based on a node map including a plurality of nodes, and controls the specific robot to move along the movement path, wherein the control unit can reserve an occupation of a specific node included in the movement path based on an occupancy state of the specific node, and move the specific robot to the specific node based on completion of the reservation for the specific node.

[0013] Meanwhile, a program according to the present invention is a program executed by one or more processes in an electronic device and stored in a computer-readable recording medium, and may include instructions for performing a step of generating a movement path of a specific robot based on a node map including a plurality of nodes, a step of controlling the specific robot so that the specific robot moves along the movement path, a step of reserving occupancy for the specific node based on an occupancy state of the specific node included in the movement path, and a step of moving the specific robot to the specific node based on completion of the reservation for the specific node.

[0014] The robot control method and system according to the present invention generates a movement path of a specific robot based on a node map, and controls the specific robot to move along the movement path, thereby controlling the robot to move safely, quickly, and accurately within a building.

[0015] Furthermore, the robot control method and system according to the present invention can reserve occupancy for a specific node included in the movement path based on the occupancy status of the specific node, and move the specific robot to the specific node based on the completion of the reservation for the specific node. Through this, the present invention can prevent collisions and deadlocks between robots by controlling the traffic of multiple robots whose movement paths overlap.

[0016] Furthermore, the robot control method and system according to the present invention controls the traffic of robots on a node-by-node basis, thereby enabling space-efficient control compared to controlling traffic on an area-by-area basis, and can perform customized robot control and management according to the performance of the robots.

[0017] Furthermore, the robot control method and system according to the present invention can respond to collisions and deadlocks between robots even when a network communication failure occurs or the robots do not move along the movement path.

[0018] Furthermore, the robot control method and system according to the present invention provides visualized information on robot occupancy and reservation status, allowing users to quickly identify and respond to problems along the robot's path. Consequently, the robot control method and system according to the present invention can efficiently operate robots moving within a building.

[0019] Furthermore, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention utilizes technological convergence, where robots, autonomous driving, AI, and cloud technologies are integrated and connected, and can provide a new space where these technologies, robots, and facility infrastructure within the building are organically combined.

[0020] Furthermore, the robot-friendly building according to the present invention utilizes a cloud server that interfaces with multiple robots, allowing for the systematic management of the robots' operations, enabling them to provide services more systematically by organically controlling multiple robots and equipment infrastructure. This allows the robot-friendly building according to the present invention to provide a variety of services to people more safely, quickly, and accurately.

[0021] Figures 1, 2 and 3 are conceptual diagrams illustrating a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.

[0022] FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a system for controlling a robot that drives a robot-friendly building and various facilities provided in the robot-friendly building according to the present invention.

[0023] Figures 7 and 8 are conceptual diagrams for explaining the facility infrastructure provided in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.

[0024] Figures 9 to 11 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a method for estimating the position of a robot moving in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 12 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a robot control system according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 13 is a conceptual diagram for explaining robots operated by a robot control method according to the present invention.

[0027] Figures 14a, 14b and 14c are conceptual diagrams for explaining an editing interface for robot operation according to the present invention.

[0028] Figure 15 is a flowchart for explaining a robot control method according to the present invention.

[0029] Figures 16a and 16b are conceptual diagrams for explaining occupancy and reservation in the present invention.

[0030] Figure 17 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a method of providing occupancy reservation information in the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 18, FIG. 19a, FIG. 19b, FIG. 20a, FIG. 20b, FIG. 20c and FIG. 20d are conceptual diagrams for explaining a method of controlling a robot according to occupancy reservation in the present invention.

[0032] Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Regardless of the drawing numbers, identical or similar components will be given the same reference numbers, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" used for components in the following description are assigned or used interchangeably only for the convenience of writing the specification, and do not in themselves have distinct meanings or roles. In addition, when describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a specific description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the attached drawings are only intended to facilitate easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical ideas disclosed in this specification are not limited by the attached drawings, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

[0033] Terms that include ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another.

[0034] When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but that there may be other components intervening. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components intervening.

[0035] Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0036] In this application, terms such as “include” or “have” are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in the specification, but should be understood not to exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

[0037] The present invention relates to a robot-friendly building, and proposes a robot-friendly building in which people and robots can safely coexist and, further, robots can provide useful services within the building.

[0038] More specifically, the present invention provides a method for providing useful services to people using robots, robot-friendly infrastructure, and various systems for controlling them. In a building according to the present invention, people and multiple robots can coexist, and various infrastructures (or facility infrastructures) can be provided that allow multiple robots to move freely within the building.

[0039] In the present invention, a building is a structure constructed for continuous residence, living, work, etc., and may take various forms, such as a commercial building, an industrial building, an institutional building, or a residential building. Furthermore, the building may be a multi-story building with multiple floors, or a single-story building, as opposed to a multi-story building. However, for convenience of explanation, the present invention will be described as an example of infrastructure or facility infrastructure applicable to a multi-story building.

[0040] In the present invention, infrastructure or facility infrastructure refers to facilities installed in a building for the purpose of providing services, moving robots, maintaining their functions, maintaining cleanliness, etc., and their types and forms may vary greatly. For example, infrastructure installed in a building may include various types of moving equipment (e.g., robot passageways, elevators, escalators, etc.), charging equipment, communication equipment, cleaning equipment, structures (e.g., stairs, etc.), etc. In this specification, these facilities are referred to as facilities, infrastructure, facility infrastructure, or facility infrastructure, and in some cases, the terms may be used interchangeably.

[0041] Furthermore, in a building according to the present invention, at least one of the building, various facility infrastructures provided in the building, and a robot are controlled in conjunction with each other, so that the robot can safely and accurately provide various services within the building.

[0042] The present invention proposes a building equipped with various facility infrastructures that enable multiple robots to move within the building, provide services according to their tasks (or work), and support standby or charging functions, as well as repair and cleaning functions for the robots as needed. Such a building provides an integrated solution (or system) for robots, and the building according to the present invention can be designated by various modifiers. For example, the building according to the present invention can be expressed in various ways, such as i) a building equipped with infrastructure utilized by robots, ii) a building equipped with robot-friendly infrastructure, iii) a robot-friendly building, iv) a building where robots and people live together, and v) a building that provides various services utilizing robots.

[0043] Meanwhile, the meaning of "robot-friendly" in the present invention refers to a building where robots coexist. More specifically, it can mean that the building allows robots to operate, provides services to robots, has facility infrastructure available to robots, or has facility infrastructure providing functions necessary for robots (e.g., charging, repair, cleaning, etc.). In this case, "robot-friendly" in the present invention can be used to mean that the building has an integrated solution for the coexistence of robots and humans.

[0044] Below, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0045] FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are conceptual diagrams illustrating a robot-friendly building according to the present invention, and FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are conceptual diagrams illustrating a system for controlling a robot that moves around a robot-friendly building according to the present invention and various facilities equipped in the robot-friendly building. Furthermore, FIGS. 7 and 8 are conceptual diagrams illustrating facility infrastructure equipped in a robot-friendly building according to the present invention.

[0046] First, for convenience of explanation, we will define representative drawing symbols.

[0047] In the present invention, a building is given the drawing code “1000”, and a space (indoor space or indoor area) of the building (1000) is given the drawing code “10” (see Fig. 8). Furthermore, indoor spaces corresponding to a plurality of floors constituting the indoor space of the building (1000) are given drawing codes 10a, 10b, 10c, etc. (see Fig. 8). In the present invention, the indoor space or indoor area means the interior of a building protected by an exterior wall, as opposed to the exterior of the building, and is not limited to meaning a space.

[0048] Furthermore, in the present invention, the robot is given a drawing symbol “R”, and even if a drawing symbol is not indicated for the robot in the drawing or specification, it can all be understood as a robot (R).

[0049] Furthermore, in the present invention, a person or human is given the drawing symbol “U,” and a person or human can be designated as a dynamic object. In this case, the dynamic object does not necessarily mean only a person, but can be understood to include an animal such as a dog or cat, or at least one other robot (e.g., a user’s personal robot, a robot providing other services, etc.), a drone, a vacuum cleaner (e.g., a robot vacuum cleaner), or other objects capable of movement.

[0050] Meanwhile, the building (building, structure, edifice, 1000) described in the present invention is not limited to a specific type, and may mean a structure built for people to live in, work in, raise animals, or store objects.

[0051] For example, the building (1000) may be an office, an officetel, an apartment, a mixed-use apartment, a house, a school, a hospital, a restaurant, a government office, etc., and the present invention may be applied to these various types of buildings.

[0052] As illustrated in Fig. 1, in a building (1000) according to the present invention, a robot can move and provide various services.

[0053] One or more different types of multiple robots may be located within the building (1000), and these robots may, under the control of the server (20), move within the building (1000), provide services, and utilize various facility infrastructures provided in the building (1000).

[0054] In the present invention, the location of the server (20) may vary. For example, the server (20) may be located at least within the building (1000) and outside the building (1000). That is, at least a portion of the server (20) may be located within the building (1000), and the remaining portion may be located outside the building (1000). Alternatively, the server (20) may be located entirely within the building (1000), or only outside the building (1000). Accordingly, the present invention does not impose any particular limitations on the specific location of the server (20).

[0055] Furthermore, in the present invention, the server (20) may be configured to utilize at least one of a cloud computing-based server (cloud server, 21) and an edge computing-based server (edge ​​server, 22). Furthermore, in addition to the cloud computing or edge computing methods, the server (20) may be applied to the present invention as long as it is capable of controlling a robot.

[0056] Meanwhile, the server (20) according to the present invention may, in some cases, perform control of at least one of the robot and the facility infrastructure provided in the building (1000) by combining the server (21) of the cloud computing method and the edge computing method.

[0057] Meanwhile, the robot (R) can be driven according to control commands. For example, the robot (R) can move its position or change its posture by changing its movements, and can perform software updates.

[0058] In the present invention, for convenience of explanation, the server (20) is uniformly named as a “cloud server” and is assigned the drawing symbol “20.” Meanwhile, it goes without saying that the cloud server (20) can also be replaced with the term “edge server (22)” of edge computing.

[0059] Furthermore, the term “cloud server” can be variously changed to terms such as cloud robot system, cloud system, cloud robot control system, and cloud control system.

[0060] Meanwhile, the cloud server (20) according to the present invention can perform integrated control on a plurality of robots running in a 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 work) to the plurality of robots, iii) directly control the facility infrastructure provided in the building (1000) so that the plurality of robots (R) successfully perform the tasks, or iv) control the facility infrastructure through communication with a control system that controls the facility infrastructure.

[0061] Furthermore, the cloud server (20) can check the status information of robots located in the building and provide (or support) various functions required by the robots. These various functions may include a charging function for the robots, a cleaning function for contaminated robots, and a standby function for robots whose missions have been completed.

[0062] The cloud server (20) can control the robots so that they can utilize various facility infrastructures provided in the building (1000) to provide various functions to the robots. Furthermore, the cloud server can directly control the facility infrastructures provided in the building (1000) or control the facility infrastructures through communication with a control system that controls the facility infrastructures to provide various functions to the robots.

[0063] In this way, robots controlled by the cloud server (20) can move around the building (1000) and provide various services.

[0064] Meanwhile, the cloud server (20) can perform various controls based on information stored in the database. The present invention does not impose any particular limitations on the type and location of the database. The term "database" may be freely modified and used to refer to any means of storing information, such as memory, storage, repository, cloud storage, external storage, or external server. The term "database" will be used hereafter for explanation.

[0065] Meanwhile, 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 robots, the type of control for the robots, etc. In this case, the cloud server (20) may have sub-servers of lower concept.

[0066] Furthermore, the cloud server (20) according to the present invention can control a robot moving through a building (1000) based on various artificial intelligence algorithms.

[0067] Furthermore, the cloud server (20) performs artificial intelligence-based learning by utilizing data collected during the process of controlling the robot as learning data, and by utilizing this for robot control, the more control is achieved over the robot, the more accurately and efficiently the robot can be operated. In other words, the cloud server (20) can be configured to perform deep learning or machine learning. In addition, the cloud server (20) can perform deep learning or machine learning through simulations or the like, and control the robot using the artificial intelligence model constructed as a result.

[0068] Meanwhile, the building (1000) may be equipped with various facility infrastructures for robot driving, robot function provision, robot function maintenance, robot mission performance, or coexistence of robots and humans.

[0069] For example, as illustrated in (a) of FIG. 1, various facility infrastructures (1, 2) capable of supporting the driving (or movement) of a robot (R) may be provided within a building (1000). These facility infrastructures (1, 2) may support horizontal movement of the robot (R) within a floor of the building (1000), or may support vertical movement of the robot (R) between different floors of the building (1000). In this way, the facility infrastructures (1, 2) may be provided with a transportation system that supports the movement of the robot. The cloud server (20) may control the robot (R) to utilize these various facility infrastructures (1, 2), so that the robot (R) may move within the building (1000) to provide a service, as illustrated in (b) of FIG. 1.

[0070] Meanwhile, the robots according to the present invention can be controlled based on at least one of a cloud server (20) and a control unit provided in the robot itself, so as to drive within a building (1000) or provide a service corresponding to an assigned task.

[0071] Furthermore, as illustrated in (c) of FIG. 1, a building according to the present invention is a building in which robots and people coexist, and the robots are configured to avoid obstacles such as people (U), objects used by people (e.g., baby strollers, carts, etc.), and animals while driving, and in some cases, may be configured to output notification information (3) related to the driving of the robot. Such driving of the robot may be performed to avoid obstacles based on at least one of a cloud server (20) and a control unit equipped in the robot. The cloud server (20) may control the robot so that the robot avoids obstacles and moves within the building (1000) based on information received through various sensors equipped in the robot (e.g., a camera (image sensor), a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, etc.).

[0072] In addition, a robot that moves inside a building through the processes of (a) to (c) of FIG. 1 can be configured to provide a service to a person or target object existing inside the building, as shown in (d) of FIG. 1.

[0073] The types of services provided by robots can vary from robot to robot. In other words, robots can exist in various types for different purposes, have different structures for each purpose, and can be equipped with programs appropriate for each purpose.

[0074] For example, a building (1000) may be equipped with robots that provide at least one of the following services: delivery, logistics, guidance, interpretation, parking assistance, security, crime prevention, guarding, public order, cleaning, quarantine, disinfection, laundry, beverage preparation, food preparation, serving, fire suppression, medical assistance, and entertainment. The services provided by the robots may vary in addition to the examples listed above.

[0075] Meanwhile, the cloud server (20) can assign appropriate tasks to the robots by considering the purpose of each robot and control the robots so that the assigned tasks are performed.

[0076] At least some of the robots described in the present invention can drive or perform tasks under the control of a cloud server (20). In this case, the amount of data processed by the robot itself for driving or performing tasks can be minimized. In the present invention, such robots can be referred to as brainless robots. Such brainless robots can rely on the control of the cloud server (20) for at least a portion of their control when performing actions such as driving, performing tasks, charging, waiting, and cleaning within a building (1000).

[0077] However, in this specification, brainless robots are not named separately, but are all referred to as “robots.”

[0078] Hereinafter, with reference to the contents of the building (1000), building system (1000a), facility infrastructure (200), and cloud server (20) discussed above, the process of the robot (R) utilizing the facility infrastructure (200) will be examined in more detail. At this time, the robot (R) may drive in the indoor space (10)(10) of the building (1000), move using the facility infrastructure (200), and further utilize the facility infrastructure (200) for the purpose of performing a task (or providing a service), driving, charging, maintaining cleanliness, waiting, etc.

[0079] In this way, the robot (R) can drive in the indoor space of a building (1000) or move using the facility infrastructure (200) to achieve the “purpose” based on a certain “purpose”, and further, can utilize the facility infrastructure (200).

[0080] At this point, the purpose the robot must achieve can be determined based on various factors. The purpose the robot must achieve may include a first-attribute purpose and a second-attribute purpose.

[0081] Here, the purpose of the first attribute may be for the robot to perform its original task, and the purpose of the second attribute may be for the robot to perform a task or function other than its original task.

[0082] In other words, the purpose a robot must achieve based on its first attribute may be the purpose of performing its original mission. This purpose can also be understood as the robot's "task."

[0083] For example, if the robot is a robot that provides serving services, the robot may drive within the indoor space of the building (1000) or move using the facility infrastructure (200) to achieve the purpose or task of providing the serving services, and further, may utilize the facility infrastructure (200). In addition, if the robot is a robot that provides a route guidance service, the robot may drive within the indoor space of the building (1000) or move using the facility infrastructure (200) to achieve the purpose or task of providing the route guidance service, and further, may utilize the facility infrastructure (200).

[0084] Meanwhile, a building according to the present invention may house multiple robots operating for different purposes. That is, different robots capable of performing different tasks may be deployed within the building. Different types of robots may be deployed within the building based on the needs of the building manager and various entities occupying the building.

[0085] For example, a building may be equipped with robots that provide at least one of the following services: delivery, logistics, guidance, interpretation, parking assistance, security, crime prevention, guarding, public order, cleaning, quarantine, disinfection, laundry, beverage preparation, food preparation, serving, fire suppression, medical assistance, and entertainment. The services provided by the robots may vary beyond the examples listed above.

[0086] Meanwhile, the purpose of the second attribute is for the robot to perform tasks or functions other than its original mission, which may be unrelated to the robot's original mission. The purpose of this second attribute may not be directly related to the robot performing its original mission, but may be a task or function that is indirectly necessary.

[0087] For example, for robots to perform their intended tasks, they require sufficient power for operation. Furthermore, for them to provide pleasant services to people, they must be kept clean. Furthermore, for multiple robots to operate efficiently within a building, they may sometimes be required to wait in a designated space.

[0088] In this way, in order to achieve the purpose of the second attribute, the robot in the present invention can drive in the indoor space of a building (1000) or move using the facility infrastructure (200), and further, can utilize the facility infrastructure (200).

[0089] For example, a robot may utilize charging facility infrastructure to achieve a purpose according to its charging function, and may utilize washing facility infrastructure to achieve a purpose according to its washing function.

[0090] In this way, in the present invention, the robot can drive in the indoor space of a building (1000) or move using the facility infrastructure (200) to achieve a certain purpose, and further, can utilize the facility infrastructure (200).

[0091] Meanwhile, the cloud server (20) can perform appropriate control on each of the robots located in the building based on information corresponding to each of the multiple robots located in the building stored in the database.

[0092] Meanwhile, various information about each of a plurality of robots located within a building may be stored in the database, and the information about the robot (R) may be very diverse. For example, there may be i) identification information for identifying the robot (R) placed in the space (10) (e.g., serial number, TAG information, QR code information, etc.), ii) mission information assigned to the robot (R) (e.g., type of mission, operation according to the mission, target user information for the mission, mission performance location, mission performance scheduled time, etc.), iii) driving path information set for the robot (R), iv) location information of the robot (R), v) status information of the robot (R) (e.g., power status, breakdown status, cleaning status, battery status, etc.), vi) image information received from a camera equipped in the robot (R), vii) motion information related to the operation of the robot (R), etc.

[0093] Meanwhile, appropriate control over robots may be related to the control of operating robots according to the purpose of the first attribute or the purpose of the second attribute discussed above.

[0094] Here, operation of the robot may mean control to enable the robot to drive in the indoor space of the building (1000), move using the facility infrastructure (200), and further, use the facility infrastructure (200).

[0095] The movement of the robot may be referred to as the driving of the robot, and therefore, in the present invention, the movement path and the driving path may be used interchangeably.

[0096] The cloud server (20) can assign appropriate tasks to each robot based on the information about each robot stored in the database, according to the purpose (or original mission) of each robot, and control the robots to ensure that the assigned tasks are performed. The assigned tasks may be tasks that achieve the purpose of the first attribute discussed above.

[0097] Furthermore, the cloud server (20) can perform control on each robot to achieve the purpose of the second attribute based on information about each robot stored in the database.

[0098] At this time, the robot that has received a control command to achieve the purpose of the second attribute from the cloud server (20) can move to the charging facility infrastructure or the washing facility infrastructure, etc., based on the control command, and achieve the purpose of the second attribute.

[0099] Meanwhile, in the following, the terms "purpose" and "mission" will be used without distinguishing between the purpose of the first attribute and the purpose of the second attribute. The purpose described below may be either the purpose of the first attribute or the purpose of the second attribute.

[0100] Likewise, the mission described below may be a mission to achieve the purpose of the first attribute or a mission to achieve the purpose of the second attribute.

[0101] For example, if there is a robot capable of providing a serving service and there is a target user to serve, the cloud server (20) can control the robot so that the robot performs a task corresponding to serving the target user.

[0102] For another example, if there is a robot that needs to be charged, the cloud server (20) can perform control to move the robot to the charging facility infrastructure so that the robot performs a task corresponding to charging.

[0103] Accordingly, below, a method for a robot to perform a purpose or task using the facility infrastructure (200) under the control of a cloud server (20), regardless of the purpose of the first attribute or the purpose of the second attribute, will be examined in more detail. Meanwhile, in this specification, a robot controlled by a cloud server (20) to perform a task may also be referred to as a “target robot.”

[0104] The cloud server (20) can specify at least one robot to perform a task upon request or at its own discretion.

[0105] Here, requests can be received from various entities. For example, a cloud server can receive requests in various ways (e.g., user input via electronic devices, user input via gestures) from various entities, such as visitors, managers, residents, and workers located in the building. Here, the request may be a service request for a robot to provide a specific service (or task).

[0106] Based on such a request, the cloud server (20) can specify a robot capable of performing the service among a plurality of robots located within the building (1000). The cloud server (20) can specify a robot capable of responding to the request based on i) the type of service that the robot can perform, ii) the task previously assigned to the robot, iii) the current location of the robot, and iv) the status of the robot (e.g., power status, cleanliness status, battery status, etc.). As previously described, various information about each robot exists in the database, and the cloud server (20) can specify a robot that will perform the task based on the request based on such database.

[0107] Furthermore, the cloud server (20) can specify at least one robot to perform a task based on its own judgment.

[0108] Here, the cloud server (20) can perform its own judgment based on various causes.

[0109] As an example, the cloud server (20) can determine whether a specific user or specific space within a building (1000) requires provision of a service. The cloud server (20) can extract a specific target requiring provision of a service based on information sensed and received from at least one of a sensing unit (120, see FIGS. 4 to 6) within the building (1000), a sensing unit included in the facility infrastructure (200), and a sensing unit equipped in a robot.

[0110] Here, a specific target may include at least one of a person, a space, or an object. The object may refer to a facility, object, etc. located within a building (1000). Furthermore, the cloud server (20) can specify the type of service required for the extracted specific target and control the robot to provide the specific service to the specific target.

[0111] For this purpose, the cloud server (20) can specify at least one robot that will provide a specific service to a specific target.

[0112] The cloud server (20) can determine a target requiring service provision based on various judgment algorithms. For example, the cloud server (20) can specify a type of service, such as route guidance, serving, or stair navigation, based on information sensed and received from at least one of a sensing unit (120, see FIGS. 4 to 6) present in a building (1000), a sensing unit included in the facility infrastructure (200), and a sensing unit equipped in a robot. Furthermore, the cloud server (20) can specify a target requiring the service. Furthermore, the cloud server (20) can specify a robot capable of providing the specified service, so that the service is provided by the robot.

[0113] Furthermore, the cloud server (20) can determine a specific space requiring service provision based on various judgment algorithms. For example, the cloud server (20) can extract a specific space or object requiring service provision, such as a target user for delivery, a guest requiring guidance, a contaminated space, a contaminated facility, a fire zone, etc., based on information sensed and received from at least one of a sensing unit (120, see FIGS. 4 to 6) existing in a building (1000), a sensing unit included in the facility infrastructure (200), and a sensing unit equipped in a robot, and can specify a robot capable of providing the service so that the service is provided by the robot to the specific space or object.

[0114] In this way, when a robot to perform a specific task (or service) is specified, the cloud server (20) can assign a task to the robot and perform a series of controls necessary for the robot to perform the task.

[0115] At this time, the series of controls may include at least one of i) setting the movement path of the robot, ii) specifying the facility infrastructure to be used for moving to the destination where the mission is to be performed, iii) communicating with the specific facility infrastructure, iv) controlling the specific facility infrastructure, v) monitoring the robot performing the mission, vi) evaluating the driving of the robot, and vii) monitoring whether the robot has completed the mission.

[0116] The cloud server (20) can specify the destination where the robot's mission is to be performed and set a movement path for the robot to reach that destination. Once the movement path is set by the cloud server (20), the robot (R) can be controlled to move to that destination in order to perform the mission.

[0117] Meanwhile, the cloud server (20) can set a movement path for the robot to reach the destination from the location where the robot starts (or initiates) performing a task (hereinafter referred to as the “task performance start location”). Here, the location where the robot starts performing a task may be the robot’s current location or the robot’s location at the time the robot starts performing the task.

[0118] The cloud server (20) can generate a movement path of a robot to perform a task based on a map (or map information) corresponding to an indoor space (10) of a building (1000).

[0119] Here, the map may include map information for each space of a plurality of floors (10a, 10b, 10c, …) that constitute the interior space of the building.

[0120] Furthermore, the movement path may be a movement path from a mission execution start location to a destination where the mission is performed.

[0121] While the present invention describes map information and movement paths for indoor spaces, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the map information may include information for outdoor spaces, and the movement path may be a path connecting an indoor space to an outdoor space.

[0122] The present invention relates to a method and system for controlling a robot moving around a building (1000) based on a node map including nodes, and can control the traffic of the robots so that a plurality of robots with overlapping movement paths do not collide or become stuck. More specifically, the present invention can control a plurality of robots from being located in a node having an exclusive attribute by reserving the robots' node occupancy for the node having an exclusive attribute.

[0123] In the present invention, a plurality of robots may be positioned within a building (1000), and these robots may move within the building (1000) and provide services under the control of a cloud server (20). Accordingly, the robot control system (300) may also be referred to as a cloud server (20).

[0124] Hereinafter, a method for controlling the traffic of robots so that multiple robots are not located in a node having an EXCLUSIVE attribute will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. Fig. 12 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a robot control system according to the present invention. Fig. 13 is a conceptual diagram for explaining robots operated by a robot control method according to the present invention, Figs. 14a, 14b, and 14c are conceptual diagrams for explaining an editing interface for operating a robot according to the present invention, Fig. 15 is a flowchart for explaining a robot control method according to the present invention, Figs. 16a and 16b are conceptual diagrams for explaining occupancy and reservation in the present invention, Fig. 17 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a method for providing occupancy reservation information in the present invention, and Figs. 18, 19a, 19b, 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d are conceptual diagrams for explaining a method for controlling robots according to occupancy reservation in the present invention.

[0125] As illustrated in FIG. 12, the robot control system (300) according to the present invention may be configured to include at least one of a communication unit (310), a storage unit (320), and a control unit (330).

[0126] The communication unit (310) may be configured to communicate with various devices placed in the space (10) via wired or wireless communication. The communication unit (310) may communicate with at least one robot (R) located within a building (1000), such as a city. The communication unit (310) may be configured to transmit a control command to the robot (R) to control the robot (R) through communication with the robot (R).

[0127] The communication unit (310) can provide monitoring information of robots (R) to the remote control system (30). In the present invention, the remote control system (30) is configured to control robots located within a building (1000), and can remotely control robots operated by the robot control system (300) according to the present invention.

[0128] The communication unit (310) can support various communication methods according to the communication standards of the communicating device. For example, the communication unit (310) may be configured to communicate with a device (including a cloud server) located inside or outside the space (20) using at least one of the following technologies: WLAN (Wireless LAN), Wi-Fi (Wireless-Fidelity), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) Direct, DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), WiBro (Wireless Broadband), WiMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access), HSUPA (High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (Long Term Evolution-Advanced), 5G (5th Generation Mobile Telecommunication), Bluetooth (Bluetooth™), RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), UWB (Ultra-Wideband), ZigBee, NFC (Near Field Communication), Wi-Fi Direct, and Wireless USB (Wireless Universal Serial Bus).

[0129] Next, the storage unit (320) may be configured to store various information related to the present invention. In the present invention, the storage unit (320) may be provided in the robot control system (300) itself. Alternatively, at least a portion of the storage unit (320) may refer to a database (20a) included in a cloud server (20). That is, the storage unit (320) may be sufficient as long as it stores information necessary for robot control according to the present invention, and it may be understood that there are no restrictions on physical space. Accordingly, hereinafter, the storage unit (320) and the database (20a) will not be separately distinguished, and will both be referred to as the storage unit (320). In this case, the database (20a) may refer to a “cloud storage.”

[0130] In the storage unit (320), information about the robot (R) can be stored.

[0131] Information about the robot (R) can be very diverse, and for example, information about the robot (R) can include i) identification information for identifying the robot (R) placed in the space (10) (e.g., serial number, TAG information, QR code information, etc.), ii) mission information assigned to the robot (R), iii) movement path (or driving path) information set for the robot (R), iv) location information of the robot (R), v) status information of the robot (R) (e.g., power status, breakdown status, battery status, etc.), vi) image information received from a camera equipped in the robot (R), etc.

[0132] In the storage unit (320), a map (or map information) for the space (10) can be stored. The map for the space (10) can mean a map that can be used to determine the current location of the robot (R) or to set the movement path of the robot.

[0133] The map information stored in the storage unit (320) may correspond to a node map (M) including multiple nodes. The storage unit (320) may contain attribute information defining node attributes for each node.

[0134] In the present invention, each of the plurality of nodes may be configured to have either a first attribute or a second attribute, depending on whether an occupancy reservation is required. Nodes with the first attribute may have an exclusive attribute that requires an occupancy reservation, and nodes with the second attribute may have a non-exclusive attribute that does not require an occupancy reservation.

[0135] In the present invention, if a node of the first attribute is included on the movement path of the robot (R), the robot can be controlled to avoid collision or deadlock with another robot through “reservation” of the robot’s occupation of the node of the first attribute.

[0136] Next, the control unit (330) may be configured to control the overall operation of the robot control system (300) related to the present invention. The control unit (330) may control the driving and behavior (operation) of the robot (R) by processing signals, data, information, etc. input or output through the components discussed above.

[0137] The control unit (330) can monitor the location of the robot in order to control the movement of the robot. The control unit (330) can receive location information of the robot. The control unit (330) can receive location information of the robot (R) from any one of i) the robot (R), ii) a sensing unit (120, see FIG. 6) provided in the building (1000), and iii) a sensing unit (201b, 202b, 203b, 204b, see FIG. 4) provided in the facility. The control unit (330) can obtain current location information of the robot (R) from any one of i) to iii) or a combination of at least two of them.

[0138] More specifically, the control unit (330) can receive real-time location information of the robot (R) from the robot (R). In this case, the location information is information including the current location of the robot (R), and may correspond not only to information directly specifying the current location of the robot (R), but also to various pieces of information used to specify the current location of the robot (R).

[0139] As an example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the control unit (330) according to the present invention may be configured to receive an image of a space (10) using a camera (not shown) equipped in the robot (R) and perform Visual Localization to estimate the location of the robot from the received image. At this time, the camera is configured to capture (or sense) an image of the space (10), that is, an image of the surroundings of the robot (R). Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, an image acquired using a camera equipped in the robot (R) will be referred to as a “robot image.” In addition, an image acquired through a camera placed in the space (10) will be referred to as a “space image.”

[0140] The control unit (330) is configured to acquire a robot image through a camera (not shown) equipped on the robot (R), as illustrated in (a) of Fig. 9. In addition, the control unit (330) can estimate the current location of the robot (R) using the acquired robot image.

[0141] The control unit (330) can compare the robot image and map information stored in the database to extract location information corresponding to the current location of the robot (R) (e.g., “3rd floor, Zone A (3, 1, 1)”), as shown in (b) of FIG. 9.

[0142] As previously discussed, the map for the space (10) in the present invention may be a map created based on Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) by at least one robot moving through the space (10) in advance. In particular, the map for the space (10) may be a map created based on image information.

[0143] That is, the map for space (10) may be a map generated by vision (or visual)-based SLAM technology.

[0144] Accordingly, the control unit (330) can specify coordinate information (e.g., (3rd floor, Zone A (3, 1, 1,)) for the robot image acquired from the robot (R) as shown in (b) of FIG. 9. In this way, the specified coordinate information can become the current location information of the robot (R).

[0145] At this time, the control unit (330) can estimate the current location of the robot (R) by comparing the robot image acquired from the robot (R) with the map generated by the vision (or visual)-based SLAM technology. In this case, the control unit (330) can specify the location information of the robot (R) by i) using an image comparison between the robot image and the images constituting the previously generated map to specify the image most similar to the robot image, and ii) obtaining location information matched to the specified image.

[0146] In this way, when a robot image is acquired from the robot (R), as illustrated in (a) of FIG. 9, the control unit (330) can use the acquired robot image to determine the current location of the robot. As previously discussed, the control unit (330) can extract location information (e.g., coordinate information) corresponding to the robot image from map information (e.g., also referred to as a “reference map”) previously stored in a database.

[0147] The control unit (330) can estimate the current location of the robot (R) using a spatial image acquired from a camera (121) installed in the building (1000). The camera (121) installed (placed) in the building (1000) may be a closed circuit television (CCTV). The fact that the camera (121) is placed in the building (1000) may mean that the camera (121) is placed in an indoor space (10) of the building (1000).

[0148] The control unit (330) can extract location information corresponding to the current location of the robot (R) by comparing the spatial image with map information stored in the database. In this case, the control unit (330) can also consider the placement of the camera (121) that captured the spatial image. Since the method of utilizing the spatial image may be the same as the method of utilizing the robot image described above, a detailed description will be omitted.

[0149] As another example, the position estimation of a robot moving in an indoor space (10) can be performed based on a tag (1010) provided in the indoor space (10), as shown in (a) of FIG. 10.

[0150] Referring to FIG. 10, a tag (1010) may have location information corresponding to the point where the tag (1010) is attached, as illustrated in FIG. 10 (b). That is, tags (1010) having different identification information may be provided at different points in the indoor space (10) of a building (1000). The identification information of each tag and the location information of the point where the tag is attached may be matched with each other and exist in a database.

[0151] Furthermore, the tags (1010) may be configured to include location information matching each tag (1010).

[0152] The robot (R) can recognize a tag (1010) provided in a space (10) using a sensor provided in the robot (R). The control unit (330) can determine the current location of the robot (R) by extracting location information included in the tag (1010) received from the robot (R).

[0153] The robot (R) can recognize a tag (1010) provided in a space (10) using a sensor provided in the robot (R). Through this recognition, the robot (R) or the control unit (330) can extract the location information included in the tag (1010) to determine the current location of the robot (R). Accordingly, the control unit (330) of the robot control system (300) can monitor the locations of robots moving in the building (20) based on the location information received from the robot (R) that sensed the tag. The term for the tag (1010) described above can be variously named. For example, the tag (1010) can be variously named as a QR code, a barcode, an identification mark, etc. Meanwhile, the term for the tag discussed above can be used instead of “marker.”

[0154] The control unit (330) can use the node map (M) to generate a movement path from a node corresponding to the current location (starting location) of the robot (R) to another node corresponding to the destination. More specifically, the control unit (330) can specify at least one transit node that the robot (R) must pass through to reach the destination in order to perform a task. The control unit (330) can generate a movement path by connecting the starting node, transit nodes, and the destination node. The control unit (330) can transmit a control command to the robot (R) so that the robot (R) moves according to the generated movement path.

[0155] Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 13, when the movement paths (31, 32) of a plurality of robots (R1, R2) overlap, the control unit (330) can control the plurality of robots (R1, R2) to move along their respective movement paths (31, 32) without colliding, through a reservation for a node (N5) having an EXCLUSIVE attribute.

[0156] Meanwhile, in the present invention, node properties can be configured by the user editing a node map. As illustrated in FIG. 14a, the control unit (330) can provide an editing interface (400) on the display of the user terminal, enabling editing of a node map corresponding to a space within a building (1000).

[0157] For example, when the control unit (330) receives a map editing request for a specific floor (or a specific space) among multiple floors of a building (1000) from a user terminal, the control unit (330) may provide an editing interface (400) including at least a portion of a map (M) corresponding to the specific floor (or the specific space) on the display of the user terminal in response to the map editing request. The user may perform node assignment and node property setting for the node map (or the space corresponding to the node map) through the editing interface (400). In the present invention, the editing interface (400) may be named as an “editing screen”, an “editing user graphical interface (GUI)”, an “editing page”, a “map editor”, a “map editor”, etc.

[0158] As illustrated in FIG. 14a, the editing interface (400) may include at least one of a first area (“map area”, 410) including at least a portion of a node map (M) corresponding to a specific floor (specific space) and a second area (“setting area” or “edit area”, 420) including a function for setting node information of a node assigned to the node map (M).

[0159] The control unit (330) can place at least one node (or node graphic object, 411, 412) on the node map (M) based on a user input for the node map (M) in the first area (410). In addition, the control unit (330) can set editing information (or node information) for the nodes (411, 412) based on a user input for the second area (420). The editing information may be diverse. For example, the editing information (or node information) may include at least one of node unique information (identification information or ID, 421), node coordinate information (422), node type information (423), and node attribute information (424).

[0160] The control unit (330) may set some (411) of the plurality of nodes (411, 412) assigned to the node map (M) as nodes of a first attribute having an EXCLUSIVE attribute, based on user input, and may set other some (412) as nodes of a second attribute having a non-exclusive attribute. For example, the control unit (330) may set a specific node as a node having a first attribute (Exclusive Node) based on receiving edit information about the first attribute (Exclusive, EXCLUSIVE) through the second area (420) while a specific node (411) is selected in the first area (410).

[0161] Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 14b, the control unit (330) can set the properties of an edge (413) connecting a plurality of different nodes (411, 412) based on a user input through the editing interface (400). The control unit (330) can receive editing information including edge property information (425) of a specific edge (413) through the second area (420) when a specific edge (413) is selected in the first area (410). Based on the editing information, the control unit (330) can set some (413) of the plurality of edges (414, 415) assigned to the node map (M) as edges of a first property having an exclusive property (Exclusive Edge), and set other some (414) as edges of a second property having a non-exclusive property (NON-EXCLUSIVE).

[0162] Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 14c, the control unit (330) can set zone properties on a zone basis based on user input through the editing interface (400). The control unit (330) can receive edit information including zone property information (426) of a specific (415) through the second area (420) when a specific area (415) is selected in the first area (410). Based on the edit information, the control unit (330) can set the specific area (415) as a Restricted Area of ​​the first attribute with an EXCLUSIVE attribute. In this case, the control unit (330) can set the number of robots that can be positioned simultaneously in the zone (415) of the first attribute based on the edit information. In addition, the control unit (330) can control the robots to enter the zone (415) of the first attribute only as many as the number of robots set in the zone (415) of the first attribute. For example, if “2” robots are set to be located in the zone (415) of the first attribute based on the editing information, the control unit (330) can control the robots so that only a maximum of 2 robots can enter the zone (415) of the first attribute. More specifically, if less than the preset number of robots are located in the zone (415) of the first attribute, the control unit (330) can control the robots so that the robots are located (or enter) a node or edge included in the zone (415) of the first attribute. On the other hand, if the preset number of robots is already located in the zone (415) of the first attribute, the control unit (330) can restrict the movement of the robots attempting to enter the zone (415) of the first attribute. Meanwhile, the control unit (330) can set the remaining zones that are not set as the zone (415) of the first attribute as zones of the second attribute having a non-exclusive property.

[0163] The present invention controls robot traffic by performing robot occupancy reservations for nodes, edges, and zones set as first attributes, thereby preventing collisions or deadlocks between multiple robots with overlapping movement paths. For convenience, the following description focuses on a method for performing robot occupancy reservations centered on "nodes."

[0164] As illustrated in Figure 15, the present invention may proceed with a process of generating a movement path for a specific robot (S510). The control unit (330) may generate a movement path from the node where the specific robot is currently located to the destination node based on a node map including multiple nodes.

[0165] In the present invention, a process of controlling a specific robot to move along a specific path may be performed (S520, see FIG. 15). The control unit (330) may transmit driving information including the movement path to the specific robot. Under the control of the control unit (330), the specific robot (R1) may move to a destination along the movement path.

[0166] Furthermore, in the present invention, a process of reserving occupancy for a specific node may be performed based on the occupancy status of a specific node included in a movement path (S530, see FIG. 15).

[0167] The control unit (330) can check the occupancy status of a node of the first attribute based on the fact that a specific robot (R1) approaches a node of the first attribute (Exclusive node) included in the movement path. For example, the control unit (330) can control the specific robot (R1) to stop at at least one node (e.g., a previous node) located before the node of the first attribute based on the movement path of the specific robot (R1), and check the occupancy status of the node of the first attribute. In this case, in order to check the occupancy status of the node of the first attribute, the node where the specific robot (R1) stops may correspond to a node of the second attribute.

[0168] In the present invention, the occupancy state of the node of the first attribute may correspond to any one of i) a first state in which occupancy reservation by a specific robot (R1) is impossible (occupancy reservation impossible state), ii) a second state in which occupancy reservation by a specific robot (R1) is possible (reservation possible state), and iii) a third state in which occupancy reservation by a specific robot (R1) is released (reservation released state).

[0169] The first state may include a state in which a specific node is occupied by a robot (R2) other than a specific robot (R1), or the other robot (R2) has reserved the occupancy of a specific node.

[0170] For example, as illustrated in (a) of Fig. 16a, if another robot (R2) is located within a certain error range area (510) based on the node (N5) of the first attribute, the control unit (330) can determine that the node (N5) of the first attribute is already occupied by another robot (R2), and thus, the node (N3) of the first attribute cannot be reserved for a specific robot (R1).

[0171] In this case, the control unit (330) can set a certain distance differently for each robot type (or robot model) of a specific robot (R1). The control unit (330) can collect robot information including a standard driving speed and a positioning error range for each robot type. For example, the control unit (330) can collect robot information from an external server (e.g., a robot manufacturer server) or, as illustrated in FIG. 16b, can receive robot information from a user through an interface (600). The control unit (330) can set a certain distance, which serves as a node occupancy criterion for the robot, differently based on at least one of the standard driving speed (610) and the positioning error range (620) included in the robot information.

[0172] Meanwhile, as illustrated in (b) of FIG. 16a, if a robot (R2) different from a specific robot (R1) is not located at a node (N5) of the first attribute, but another robot (R2) travels along a path that includes a node (N5) of the first attribute and first reserves the occupancy of the node (N5) of the first attribute, the control unit (330) can determine that the node (N5) of the first attribute is reserved for occupancy by another robot (R2), and thus the occupancy reservation of the node (N3) of the first attribute by the specific robot (R1) is impossible in the first state.

[0173] The control unit (330) can determine the occupancy status of the node (N5) of the first attribute as a first state in which occupancy by a specific robot (R1) is impossible, not only when another robot (R2) is physically located in the node (N5) of the first attribute, but also when another robot (R2) has first reserved occupancy of the node (N5) of the first attribute even when another robot (R2) is not physically located in the node (N5) of the first attribute.

[0174] Meanwhile, as illustrated in (c) of Fig. 16a, if the node (N5) of the first attribute is not occupied or reserved by another robot (R2) (i.e., unoccupied or unreserved), the control unit (330) may determine that the node (N5) of the first attribute is in a second state in which a reservation for occupancy by a specific robot (R1) is possible. Based on the fact that the node (N5) of the first attribute is in the second state, the control unit (330) may perform an occupancy reservation for the node (N5) of the first attribute by a specific robot (R1).

[0175] Furthermore, if the movement path of a specific robot (R1) includes nodes of a first consecutive attribute, the control unit (330) may perform an occupancy reservation for the nodes of the first attribute for the specific robot (R1) based on the occupancy status of the nodes of the first consecutive attribute being the second status. This will be described in more detail later.

[0176] Meanwhile, in the present invention, a process of moving a specific robot to a specific node can be performed based on completion of a reservation for a specific node (S540, see FIG. 15).

[0177] The control unit (330) can control a specific robot (R1) to move to a destination via the node (N5) of the first attribute based on the completion of an occupancy reservation for the node (N5) of the first attribute. That is, the control unit (330) can restrict movement to (or entry into) the node (N5) of the first attribute if an occupancy reservation for the node (N5) of the first attribute is not completed.

[0178] As illustrated in FIG. 13, based on the fact that a specific robot (R1) is reserved for the node (N5) of the first attribute, the control unit (330) can control a robot (R2) other than the specific robot (R1) to wait (position or stop) at one of a plurality of nodes (N3) included in the movement path (32) of the other robot (R2) until the reservation of the specific robot (R1) for the node (N5) of the first attribute is released. In this case, the standby node (N3) where the other robot (R2) waits may correspond to at least one node (e.g., a previous node) located before the node (N5) of the first attribute based on the movement direction of the other robot (R2). Details of controlling the movement of the other robot (R2) in conjunction with the release of the reservation of the specific robot (R1) will be described later.

[0179] Meanwhile, as illustrated in (a) of FIG. 17, based on the robot's reservation of occupancy for the first type node (710a), the control unit (330) may provide the user with occupancy status guide information (or occupancy reservation status information, 710) including information on the robot that has reserved occupancy for the first type node (710a). For example, the control unit (330) may display guide information (710) about the occupancy status of the node (710a) of the first attribute around the node (710a) of the first attribute, based on receiving a preset user input for the node (710a) of the first attribute while the node map (M) is displayed on the display of the user terminal. If a reservation for occupancy has been made for a node (710a) of the first attribute, the control unit (330) can identify at least one robot that has been reserved for occupancy and provide the user with guide information (710) including identification information of the identified robot. In this case, if occupancy of a plurality of robots has been reserved for a node (710a) of the first attribute, the control unit (330) can display guide information including identification information of a plurality of robots around the node (710a) of the first attribute.

[0180] Furthermore, in the present invention, not only nodes, but also edges or zones are set as the first attribute (EXCLUSIVE), so that the number of robots that can be located (or entered) in an edge or zone can be managed on an edge or zone basis.

[0181] As illustrated in (b) of FIG. 18, based on the robot's occupancy reservation for the first attribute zone (720a), the control unit (330) can provide occupancy status guide information (or occupancy reservation status information, 720) including information on the reservation target robot. For example, the control unit (330) can provide guide information (720) for the first attribute zone (720a) to the user terminal based on a user input for the first attribute zone (720a) on the node map (M).

[0182] In this case, if the zone (720a) of the first attribute is reserved for occupancy by multiple robots, the control unit (330) can provide the user with guide information (820) including information about the reservation of occupancy by multiple robots. As described above, the control unit (330) can set the number of robots that can be located (or enter) in the zone (820a) of the first attribute based on a user input. If the zone (820a) of the first attribute is set to allow multiple robots to enter, the control unit (330) can control the zone (820a) of the first attribute to be reserved for as many robots as possible.

[0183] Meanwhile, the control unit (330) can release the reservation of a specific robot (R1) for the node (N5) of the first attribute when a preset condition is satisfied while the occupancy of the node (N5) of the first attribute is reserved. In this case, the node (N5) of the first attribute can be switched from a first state in which the occupancy of the specific robot (R1) is reserved to a second state in which the occupancy of the specific robot (R1) is released.

[0184] The control unit (330) may allow another robot (R2) to reserve (or position or enter) the node (N5) of the first attribute based on the release of the reservation of a specific robot (R1) for the node (N5) of the first attribute (based on the node of the first attribute transitioning from the first state to the second state).

[0185] That is, in the present invention, in conjunction with the release of a reservation of a specific robot (R1) for a node (N5) of the first attribute, the movement of another robot (R2) for a node (N5) of the first attribute is controlled, and it is most important to quickly release the reservation for smooth movement of the other robot (R2).

[0186] The control unit (330) can monitor whether a preset condition for releasing the occupancy reservation is satisfied between the node (N5) of the first attribute and the specific robot (R1) in a state where the occupancy of the node (N5) of the first attribute is reserved for a specific robot (R1).

[0187] Here, the preset conditions may include at least one of i) termination of node occupation of the robot's first attribute, ii) the robot is located in a node different from the node of the first attribute, iii) the robot's status information corresponds to the "check" status, and iv) deletion of robot registration.

[0188] As illustrated in (a) of Fig. 18, the control unit (330) can release the reservation of a specific robot (R1) for a node (N5) of the first attribute based on the termination of the occupation of the specific robot (R1) for the node (N5) of the first attribute.

[0189] As described above, the control unit (330) can determine that the node (N5) of the first attribute is occupied by the specific robot (R1) if the specific robot (R1) is located within a certain error range area (510) based on the node (N5) of the first attribute.

[0190] The control unit (330) can monitor the location of the robot. The control unit (330) can use the monitoring result to determine whether a specific robot (R1) has passed through a node (N5) of the first attribute. For example, the control unit (330) can determine that a specific robot (R1) has passed through a node (N5) of the first attribute based on the fact that the specific robot (R1) is located outside a certain error range area (510) with respect to the node (N5) of the first attribute after the node (N5) of the first attribute is occupied by the specific robot (R1). If the specific robot (R1) has passed through the node (N4) of the first attribute, the control unit (330) can determine that the occupation of the node (N5) of the first attribute by the specific robot (R1) has ended. And, the control unit (330) can release the occupancy reservation of a specific robot (R1) for the node (N5) of the first attribute.

[0191] Furthermore, as illustrated in (b) of FIG. 18, the control unit (330) can release the reservation of a specific robot (R1) for a node (N5) of the first attribute based on the fact that the specific robot (R1) is located in a node (N5) different from the node (N5) of the first attribute.

[0192] The control unit (330) can collect location information of a specific robot (R1) in real time. However, due to a network communication failure, the control unit (330) may miss collecting some of the location information of the specific robot (R1). In addition, the specific robot (R1) may move along a different movement path from the existing movement path. Accordingly, the control unit (330) may release the reservation of the specific robot (R1) for the node (N5) of the first attribute based on the fact that the specific robot (R1) is located at a different node (N6) than the node (N5) of the first attribute.

[0193] More specifically, the control unit (330) may release the occupancy reservation of a specific robot (R1) for a node (N5) of the first attribute based on the movement path of the specific robot (R1) being located at any other node (N6) positioned next to the node (N5) of the first attribute. In this case, the other node (N6) may correspond to nodes next to the node (N5) of the first attribute, and the specific robot (R1) may be located within a certain error range area based on the next node.

[0194] In addition, the control unit (330) can release the reservation of a specific robot (R1) for the node (N5) of the first attribute even if the robot is located in a different node that is not included in the movement path of the robot. For example, if information (at least one of a control command and the robot's location information) is not transmitted or received between the specific robot (R1) and the control unit (330) due to a network communication failure, the specific robot (R1) can move to a different node that is not included in the existing movement path. The control unit (330) can release the reservation of the specific robot (R1) based on the robot's location information collected after the communication failure is restored, based on the robot's location information being located in a different node from the node (N5) of the first attribute.

[0195] Furthermore, the control unit (330) can release the reservation of the specific robot (R1) for the node (N5) of the first attribute based on the fact that the status information of the specific robot (R1) corresponds to the “inspection” status. The control unit (330) can switch the status of the specific robot (R1) to the “inspection” status when an error occurs in the specific robot (R1) or based on a user input, as illustrated in (c) of FIG. 18. The control unit (330) can release the occupation reservation of the specific robot (R1) for the node (N5) of the first type based on the fact that the status information of the specific robot (R1) is switched to the “inspection” status.

[0196] Furthermore, as illustrated in (d) of FIG. 18, the control unit (330) can cancel the reservation of a specific robot (R1) for a node (N5) of the first attribute based on the deletion of the system (or service) registration of the specific robot (R1).

[0197] Furthermore, as illustrated in (e) of FIG. 18, the control unit (330) can process the release of the reservation of a specific robot (R1) for a node (N5) of the first attribute based on the input (request) from the user (or system operator) of the release of the reservation of a specific robot (R1) for the node (N5) of the first attribute. If the occupation of the specific robot (R1) for the node (N5) of the first attribute has ended, but the release of the reservation of the specific robot (R1) for the node (N5) of the first attribute has not been processed, the user (or system operator) can input (request) the release of the reservation of the specific robot (R1) for the node (N5) of the first attribute through the interface (800).

[0198] Meanwhile, as illustrated in (a) of FIG. 19a, if the movement path of a specific robot (R1) includes nodes (911 to 914) of the first attribute that are consecutive, the control unit (330) can collectively perform an occupancy reservation of the specific robot (R1) for the nodes (911 to 914) of the first attribute that are consecutive.

[0199] The control unit (330) can check the occupancy status of each of the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute based on the fact that a specific robot (R1) moving toward a destination (or destination node, 900) along a movement path approaches the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute included in the movement path. For example, the control unit (330) can control the specific robot (R1) to stop at at least one node (which can be named a standby node) positioned before the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute based on the movement path of the specific robot (R1), and check the occupancy status of the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute.

[0200] The control unit (330) can reserve occupancy for a specific robot (R1) for the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute based on the occupancy status of all of the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute being the second status (unoccupied and unreserved status of another robot). The control unit (330) can withhold occupancy reservation for the specific robot (R1) for all of the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute when the status of at least one of the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute is the first status. In addition, the control unit (330) can continuously monitor the occupancy status of the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute and perform occupancy reservation for the specific robot (R1) based on the fact that all of the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute are in the first status.

[0201] The control unit (330) can control a specific robot (R1) to move via the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute based on the completion of the occupancy reservation for the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute.

[0202] In this case, the control unit (330) can control the specific robot (R1) to move based on the completion of the occupancy reservation for the specific robot (R1) for all of the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute. That is, the control unit (330) can control the specific robot (R1) to continue to be located in the standby node if the occupancy reservation for the specific robot (R1) is not completed for at least one of the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute.

[0203] Furthermore, the control unit (330) can perform reservation release processing on nodes that satisfy preset reservation release conditions among the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute.

[0204] For example, as illustrated in (b) and (c) of FIG. 19a, based on the termination of the occupation of a specific robot (R1) for at least some of the nodes (911, 912) among the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute, the control unit (330) may release the occupation reservation of the specific robot (R1) for some of the nodes (911, 912). In this case, even if the occupation reservation of some of the nodes (911, 912) among the nodes (911 to 914) of the first consecutive attribute is released, the control unit (330) may continue to maintain the occupation reservation state of the specific robot (R1) for the remaining nodes (913, 914).

[0205] Meanwhile, as described above, the control unit (330) can release the occupancy reservation of the specific robot (R1) for the node of the first attribute if the specific robot (R1) is located in a node different from the nodes of the first attribute. The control unit (330) can release the occupancy reservation of the specific robot (R1) for the nodes of the first attribute in a plurality of consecutive first attributes if the specific robot (R1) is located in a node different from the nodes of the first attribute in a plurality of consecutive first attributes or in any one of the nodes of the first attribute in a plurality of consecutive first attributes.

[0206] For example, as illustrated in (a) of Fig. 19b, let us assume that the occupation of a specific robot (R1) is reserved for the nodes (911 to 916) of the first consecutive attribute included in the movement path of the specific robot (R1). As illustrated in (b) of Fig. 19, if the specific robot (R1) is located at any one of the nodes (911 to 916) of the first consecutive attribute, the control unit (330) can release the occupation reservation of the specific robot (R1) for the nodes (911 to 913) of the first consecutive attribute located before any one of the nodes (911 to 916) of the first consecutive attribute based on the movement path of the specific robot (R1).

[0207] The control unit (330) may receive first location information and second location information different from the first location information due to a network communication failure, and may not be able to receive location information when a specific robot (R1) passes through nodes (911 to 913) of the first attribute located between the first location information and the second location information. Even if the control unit (330) does not receive location information that can confirm occupancy of the specific robot (R1), the control unit (330) may release the occupancy reservation of the specific robot (R1) for the nodes (911 to 913) of the first attribute that the specific robot (R1) passed through (or whose occupancy by the specific robot ended).

[0208] In this case, the control unit (330) can maintain the occupancy reservation state of the specific robot (R1) for the nodes (915, 916) of the first attribute whose occupancy by the specific robot (R1) has not ended based on the current location of the specific robot (R1). More specifically, the control unit (330) can maintain the occupancy reservation state of the specific robot (R1) for the nodes (915, 916) of the first attribute located next to any one of the nodes based on the movement path of the specific robot (R1) when the specific robot (R1) is located at any one of the consecutive nodes (911 to 916) of the first attribute.

[0209] Furthermore, if a specific robot (R1) is located at a node that is not included in the movement path, the control unit (330) can release the occupancy reservation of the specific robot (R1) for the nodes (911 to 916) of the first consecutive attribute. For example, as shown in (c) of FIG. 19b, assume that the specific robot (R1) moves along a movement path (920a) different from the existing movement path (920) and is located at a node that is not included in the existing movement path (920). The control unit (330) can release all occupancy reservations of the specific robot (R1) for the nodes (911 to 916) of the first consecutive attribute in the existing movement path (920). In addition, the control unit (330) can update the movement path of the specific robot (R1) so that the specific robot (R1) moves from the current location to the destination / destination.

[0210] Meanwhile, if a specific robot (R1) is reserved for a node of the first attribute, the control unit (330) can restrict another robot (R2) from reserving (or occupying or entering) the node of the first attribute until the reservation of the specific robot (R1) is released. Meanwhile, a method for controlling another robot (R2) based on the reservation of a specific robot (R1) for a node of the first attribute is described below, but this is the same as the method for controlling a specific robot (R2) when the occupancy of another robot (R2) is reserved for a node of the first attribute.

[0211] As illustrated in Fig. 20a, if there is an occupation reservation of a specific robot (R1) for a node (N3) of the first attribute, the control unit (330) can restrict the movement (entry) of another robot (R2) to the node (N3) of the first attribute. The control unit (330) can control another robot (R2) to wait at a node (hereinafter referred to as a standby node, N3) located before the node (N3) of the first attribute based on the movement path of the other robot (R2).

[0212] The control unit (330) can continuously monitor the occupancy status of the node (N3) of the first attribute while another robot (R2) is positioned at the standby node (N2). That is, when the node (N3) of the first attribute is in the first state, the control unit (330) can check whether the occupancy reservation of the node (N3) of the first attribute has been released by a specific robot (R1).

[0213] A node (N3) of the first attribute may correspond to an occupancy reservation state for a specific robot (R1) until the specific robot (R1) satisfies a preset reservation release condition. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 20b, the node (N3) of the first attribute may maintain an occupancy reservation state for a specific robot (R1) until the specific robot (R1) is located at another node (N4) via the node (N3) of the first attribute. In addition, the occupancy reservation for the specific robot (R1) of the node (N3) of the first attribute may be released based on the specific robot (R1) being located at another node (N4).

[0214] Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 20c, the control unit (330) can release the occupancy reservation of a specific robot (R1) for a node (N3) of the first attribute based on the fact that the specific robot (R1) satisfies a preset reservation release condition. If, as a result of checking the occupancy status of the node (N3) of the first attribute, the occupancy reservation of the specific robot (R1) for the node (N3) of the first attribute is released, the control unit (330) can perform an occupancy reservation for the node (N3) of the first attribute so that another robot (R2) can move to the node (N3) of the first attribute.

[0215] That is, the control unit (330) can perform an occupancy reservation for another robot (R) for the node (N3) of the first attribute based on the occupancy state of the node (N3) of the first attribute being switched from a first state in which the occupancy is reserved by a specific robot (R1) to a second state in which the occupancy reservation of the specific robot is released.

[0216] In this case, if there is another robot that has priority over the node (N3) of the first attribute over the other robot (R2), the control unit (330) can control the other robot (R2) to wait in the standby node (N2) until the other robot's reservation for the node (N3) of the first attribute is released.

[0217] Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 20d, the control unit (330) can control the other robot (R2) to move to the node (N3) of the first attribute based on the completion of the occupancy reservation of the other robot (R2) for the node (N3) of the first attribute. Although not illustrated, the control unit (330) can release the occupancy reservation of the other robot (R2) for the node (N3) of the first attribute based on the satisfaction of a preset occupancy reservation release condition between the other robot (R2) and the node (N3) of the first attribute.

[0218] The robot control method and system according to the present invention generates a movement path of a specific robot based on a node map, and controls the specific robot to move along the movement path, thereby controlling the robot to move safely, quickly, and accurately within a building.

[0219] Furthermore, the robot control method and system according to the present invention can reserve occupancy for a specific node included in the movement path based on the occupancy status of the specific node, and move the specific robot to the specific node based on the completion of the reservation for the specific node. Through this, the present invention can prevent collisions and deadlocks between robots by controlling the traffic of multiple robots whose movement paths overlap.

[0220] Furthermore, the robot control method and system according to the present invention controls the traffic of robots on a node-by-node basis, thereby enabling space-efficient control compared to controlling traffic on an area-by-area basis, and can perform customized robot control and management according to the performance of the robots.

[0221] Furthermore, the robot control method and system according to the present invention can respond to collisions and deadlocks between robots even when a network communication failure occurs or the robots do not move along the movement path.

[0222] Furthermore, the robot control method and system according to the present invention provides visualized information on robot occupancy and reservation status, allowing users to quickly identify and respond to problems along the robot's path. Consequently, the robot control method and system according to the present invention can efficiently operate robots moving within a building.

[0223] Meanwhile, the present invention discussed above can be implemented as a program that is executed by one or more processes on a computer and can be stored on a medium that can be read by the computer.

[0224] Furthermore, the present invention discussed above can be implemented as computer-readable code or instructions on a program-recorded medium. That is, the various control methods according to the present invention can be provided in the form of programs, either integrated or individually.

[0225] Meanwhile, computer-readable media include all types of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable media include hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state disk drives (SSDs), silicon disk drives (SDDs), ROMs, RAMs, CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, and optical data storage devices.

[0226] Furthermore, the computer-readable medium may include a storage device and may be a server or cloud storage device accessible via communication. In this case, the computer may download the program according to the present invention from the server or cloud storage device via wired or wireless communication.

[0227] Furthermore, in the present invention, the computer described above is an electronic device equipped with a processor, i.e., a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and there is no particular limitation on its type.

[0228] Meanwhile, the detailed description above should not be construed as limiting in any respect and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the equivalent scope of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a robot moving through space based on a node map including a plurality of nodes, A step of generating a movement path of a specific robot based on the above node map; A step of controlling the specific robot so that the specific robot moves along the movement path; A step of reserving occupancy for a specific node based on the occupancy status of the specific node included in the above movement path; and A robot control method, characterized by comprising: a step of moving the specific robot to the specific node based on completion of an occupancy reservation for the specific node.

2. In paragraph 1, The occupancy status of the above specific node is: A first state in which an occupancy reservation is made by a specific robot and another robot among the robots driving the above space, and A robot control method characterized in that it has one of the second states in which no occupancy reservation is made by the other robot.

3. In paragraph 2, The steps to reserve the above occupancy are: Including a step of checking the occupancy status of the specific node, A robot control method characterized in that, as a result of the verification, different controls are performed on the movement of the specific robot depending on which of the first state and the second state the occupancy state of the specific node is.

4. In paragraph 3, A robot control method characterized in that, when the specific node is in the first state where an occupancy reservation has been made by the other robot, the movement of the specific robot is stopped so as to wait at a node located before the specific node based on the movement direction of the specific robot.

5. In paragraph 3, A robot control method characterized in that, when the specific node is in the second state in which no occupancy reservation is made by the other robot, occupancy for the specific node is reserved so that the specific robot can move to the specific node.

6. In paragraph 4, The steps to reserve the above occupancy are: If the specific node is in the first state, a step of checking whether the specific node has been released from occupancy reservation by the other robot; and A robot control method characterized in that it further includes a step of performing an occupancy reservation for the specific node so that the specific robot can move to the specific node if, as a result of the verification, the occupancy reservation of the other robot for the specific node is released.

7. In paragraph 2, A robot control method further comprising a step of providing guide information on the occupancy status of the specific node to a user terminal when a preset user input for the specific node is received.

8. In paragraph 7, A robot control method, characterized in that when the specific node is in the first state, the guide information includes information of a robot that has reserved occupation of the specific node.

9. In paragraph 3, Each of the above multiple nodes, It is made to have one of the first property requiring occupancy reservation and the second property not requiring occupancy reservation, A robot control method, characterized in that the specific node has the first property requiring occupancy reservation.

10. In paragraph 9, If, along the movement direction of the specific robot, at least one node continuous with the specific node has the first property, A robot control method, characterized in that the above occupancy reservation is made for both the specific node and a plurality of nodes including at least one node.

11. In paragraph 10, If at least one of the plurality of nodes having the first property is in the first state in which an occupancy reservation has been made by the other robot, A robot control method characterized in that the movement of the specific robot is stopped at a node located before a plurality of nodes having the first property based on the movement direction of the specific robot, so that the specific robot waits.

12. In Article 11 The steps to reserve the above occupancy are: A step of checking whether at least one node in the first state has its occupancy reservation released by the other robot, when at least one of the plurality of nodes having the first property is in the first state; and A robot control method, characterized in that it further comprises a step of performing an occupancy reservation for a plurality of nodes so that the specific robot can move to a plurality of nodes having the first property, if, as a result of the verification, the occupancy reservation of the other robot for at least one node of the first state is released.

13. In paragraph 2, A robot control method, characterized in that the occupancy reservation of the specific robot for the specific node is released based on the satisfaction of a preset reservation release condition.

14. In paragraph 13, A step of monitoring the location of said specific robot; A step of determining whether the specific robot has passed through the specific node using the above monitoring results; and A robot control method, characterized in that it further includes a step of releasing the occupancy reservation of the specific robot for the specific node according to the judgment result.

15. In paragraph 1, Further comprising a step of updating the node map stored in the cloud server, The steps to update the above node map are: A step of receiving a map editing request for a specific floor among multiple floors of a building; In response to the above editing request, a step of providing an editing interface including at least a part of the node map corresponding to the specific layer on a display unit of a user terminal; A step of allocating at least one node having one of a first attribute requiring occupancy reservation and a second attribute not requiring occupancy reservation on the node map included in the editing interface based on the editing information received from the user terminal; and A robot control method, characterized by including a step of updating the node map to a cloud server so that the specific robot drives on the specific floor according to the node properties of the node allocated on the node map.

16. In a system for controlling a robot moving through space based on a node map including multiple nodes, Generate a movement path for a specific robot based on the above node map, Including a control unit that controls the specific robot so that the specific robot moves along the above movement path, The above control unit, Based on the occupancy status of a specific node included in the above movement path, occupancy for the specific node is reserved, A robot control system characterized by moving the specific robot to the specific node based on completion of a reservation for the specific node.

17. A program that is executed by one or more processes in an electronic device and stored in a computer-readable recording medium, The above program is, A step of generating a movement path of a specific robot based on a node map including a plurality of nodes; A step of controlling the specific robot so that the specific robot moves along the movement path; A step of reserving occupancy for a specific node based on the occupancy status of the specific node included in the above movement path; and A program characterized by including commands for performing a step of moving the specific robot to the specific node based on completion of a reservation for the specific node.

Images