Autonomous mobile device

Abstract

The present invention relates to an autonomous mobile device comprising: a pesticide storage unit; a water level detection unit; a signal transmission / reception unit for receiving a plurality of ultrasonic signals and a plurality of RF signals transmitted from a plurality of signal transmission / reception modules, respectively; a distance calculation unit for calculating a plurality of measurement distances, which are distances to the respective signal transmission / reception modules, by using the respective ultrasonic signals and RF signals; an operation control unit; a spray control unit; and a steering driving unit. The operation control unit: determines the current location of the autonomous mobile device by using the plurality of measured distances applied from the distance calculation unit; stores the determined current location as the current start location in a memory; causes a wheel unit to move along a work path stored in the memory by controlling the operation of the steering driving unit to correspond to the work path when the water level of the pesticide storage unit, which is determined by a signal applied from the water level detection unit, is equal to or higher than a set water level; controls the operation of the spray control unit so that the pesticide is sprayed through a spray nozzle during the movement operation; and controls the steering driving unit to move the autonomous mobile device to a local start position when an unmanned pesticide device reaches an end point of the work path.

Description

autonomous mobility devices

[0001] The present invention relates to an autonomous mobile device, and more specifically, to an agricultural autonomous mobile device that automatically performs pest control operations using an autonomous driving method and determines the degree of growth of crops.

[0002] [National R&D projects that supported this invention]

[0003] [Project ID] 1545024866

[0004] [Assignment No.] 421025-04

[0005] [Ministries] Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Science and ICT, Rural Development Administration

[0006] [Project Management (Specialized) Agency Name] Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Food, Agriculture and Forestry Technology, Smart Farm Research and Development Foundation

[0007] [Research Project Name] Smart Farm Multi-Ministry Package Innovation Technology Development Project

[0008] [Research Project Title] Development and Demonstration of an Unmanned Autonomous Smart Model Farm Using a Dedicated MCU Board for K-FARM

[0009] [Contribution Rate] 1 / 1

[0010] [Name of Project Performing Organization] Korea Institute of Science and Technology

[0011] [Research Period] 2023.01.01 ~ 2024.12.31

[0012] When cultivating crops, agricultural workers must carry out pest control measures using pesticides or nutrients so that the crops grow healthily without diseases or pests.

[0013] Conventionally, pest control operations were carried out by workers directly spraying pesticides or nutrients onto crops using sprayers. Consequently, when spraying pesticides or insecticides onto crops, workers are exposed to substances harmful to their health, leading to significant adverse effects.

[0014] In addition, due to supply pipes that deliver pesticides to sprayers, problems also arise where surrounding crops are damaged by the pipes depending on the direction of the worker's movement.

[0015] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to automatically perform crop pest control operations.

[0016] Another problem that the present invention aims to solve is to determine the growth status of crops and notify the manager.

[0017] An autonomous mobile device according to one feature of the present invention comprises: a drug storage unit storing a drug; a water level detection unit detecting the water level of the drug storage unit; a signal transmission and reception unit receiving a plurality of ultrasonic signals and a plurality of RF signals transmitted from a plurality of signal transmission and reception modules, respectively; a distance calculation unit connected to the signal transmission and reception unit and calculating a plurality of measurement distances, which are distances to each signal transmission and reception module, using each ultrasonic signal and RF signal received from the signal transmission and reception unit; an operation control unit connected to the water level detection unit, the distance calculation unit, and the signal transmission and reception unit; a memory connected to the operation control unit and storing a work path for pest control to be performed; a spray control unit connected to the operation control unit and a spray nozzle and controlling the operation of the spray nozzle; and a steering drive unit connected to the operation control unit and a wheel unit and controlling the operation of the wheel unit. The operation control unit determines the current position of the autonomous mobile device using the plurality of measurement distances applied from the distance calculation unit, stores the determined current position as the current starting position in the memory, and the drug storage unit determined by the signal applied from the water level detection unit When the water level is above the set water level, the operation of the steering drive unit is controlled in accordance with the work path stored in the memory to cause the wheel unit to move along the work path, and the operation of the spray control unit is controlled to cause the agent to be sprayed through the spray nozzle during the movement, and when the unmanned agent device reaches the end point of the work path, the steering drive unit is controlled to move the autonomous moving device to the local starting position.

[0018] The distance calculation unit determines the reception time of the received RF signal and the reception time of each ultrasonic signal, sets the reception time of the RF signal as a reference time, measures the time from the reference time to the reception time of each ultrasonic signal, calculates the distance to each signal transmission / reception module using the measured time, and outputs the plurality of measured distances to the operation control unit.

[0019] The above signal transmitting and receiving unit may include a plurality of ultrasonic receiving units that each receive an ultrasonic signal transmitted by each signal transmitting and receiving module, and an RF transmitting and receiving unit that receives an RF signal transmitted by each signal transmitting and receiving module.

[0020] The frequencies of the ultrasonic signals output from each signal transmitting and receiving module may differ from one another.

[0021] Each ultrasonic receiver can receive an ultrasonic signal of a predetermined frequency.

[0022] The above operation control unit can determine the reception status of the ultrasonic signal of each ultrasonic receiver using a signal applied from each ultrasonic receiver, determine the type of crop stored in the memory, and determine the current growth status of the crop using the determined type of crop and each reception status.

[0023] The above current growth state may be one of the early growth period, the harvest preparation period, and the harvest period of the above crop.

[0024] The autonomous moving device according to the above features may further include a position adjustment unit connected to the motion control unit and the signal transmission / reception unit, and the memory may store a set height of the signal transmission / reception unit, and the motion control unit may determine the set height of the signal transmission / reception unit and control the position adjustment unit to adjust the height of the signal transmission / reception unit to the set height.

[0025] The above operation control unit transmits the set height to the plurality of signal transmission and reception modules using the RF signal of the signal transmission and reception unit, so that the position of each signal transmission and reception module can be adjusted according to the set height.

[0026] The autonomous mobile device according to the above features may further include a communication unit connected to the operation control unit, and the operation control unit transmits the current growth status determined using the communication unit to a user terminal so that the current growth status can be output to the user terminal.

[0027] According to these features, the distance between each signal transmission / reception module and the autonomous mobile device can be calculated using RF (radio frequency) signals and ultrasonic signals, and the position of the autonomous mobile device in a defined area can be determined using the calculated distance.

[0028] As a result, the location of the autonomous mobile device is accurately determined within a limited area, particularly within an indoor space, allowing the device to accurately and rapidly spray pesticides onto surrounding crops along a designated path without deviating from it.

[0029] In addition, since pest control operations on crops are performed automatically, labor costs can be significantly reduced, and work efficiency can also be greatly improved.

[0030] In addition, the autonomous mobile device can determine the current growth status of crops planted in its current location using the reception status of received ultrasonic signals and transmit this information to a user terminal. As a result, the manager can manage the crops more easily by utilizing the current growth status transmitted to the user terminal and harvest agricultural products or fruits at the appropriate time.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an autonomous movement system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of the autonomous mobile device illustrated in Figure 1.

[0033] Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram of the signal transmission and reception module illustrated in Figure 1.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a data flow diagram between an autonomous mobile device and a first signal transmission and reception module in an autonomous mobile system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling the automatic movement of an autonomous mobile device in an autonomous mobile system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Identical or similar components regardless of drawing symbols are assigned the same reference number, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of related prior art could obscure the essence of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, such detailed description will be omitted.

[0037] Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components are not limited by said terms. These terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

[0038] A singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0039] In this application, each step described may be performed regardless of the order listed, except where it must be performed in the order listed by a particular causal relationship.

[0040] In this application, terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0041] Hereinafter, an autonomous moving device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0042] An autonomous mobile device according to one embodiment of the present example may be a device that automatically sprays chemicals, such as pesticides or nutrients, onto crops while moving along a predetermined path in a designated area through autonomous driving operation.

[0043] In addition, the autonomous moving device according to one embodiment of the present example may be a device capable of determining the growth status of the crop and forecasting the crop's growth status, such as the harvest time, to the outside.

[0044] In this example, the growth state may include at least one of the early growth period, the harvest preparation period, and the harvest period of the crop.

[0045] At this time, the early growth period is judged to be the early growth period of the crop in question, and is a time when there are no crops or fruits to harvest yet, the harvest preparation period is the time when the harvest of the crop or fruit must begin within 2-3 days of the crop's growth, and the harvest period may be the time when the harvest of the crop or fruit must begin immediately.

[0046] Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, an autonomous movement system (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention equipped with such an autonomous movement device (10) will be described.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 1, the autonomous mobile system (1) of the present example may include an autonomous mobile device (10), a plurality of signal transmission and reception modules (e.g., first to fourth signal transmission and reception modules) (21-24) that transmit each ultrasonic signal and RF signal to the autonomous mobile device (10) and receive the RF signal transmitted from the autonomous mobile device (10), and a user terminal (30) that communicates with the autonomous mobile device (10).

[0048] Referring to FIG. 1, the autonomous moving device (10) communicates with a plurality of signal transmission and reception modules (21-24), determines its own location, and can perform an autonomous moving operation of spraying a chemical, such as a pesticide or nutrient, onto surrounding crops along a predetermined path from its determined location.

[0049] This autonomous moving device (10) may be equipped with a drug storage unit (not shown) for storing drugs such as pesticides or nutrients, which is not shown, and a spray nozzle (181) connected to the drug storage unit for spraying drugs stored in the drug storage unit.

[0050] In addition, the autonomous moving device (10) of the present example may additionally be equipped with components such as those shown in FIG. 2 to control autonomous moving movements.

[0051] For example, the autonomous moving device (10) may be equipped with a user input unit (11), a water level detection unit (12), a signal transmission and reception unit (13), a distance calculation unit (14) connected to the signal transmission and reception unit (13), a motion control unit (15) connected to the user input unit (11), the water level detection unit (12), the distance calculation unit (14), and the signal transmission and reception unit (13), a communication unit (16) connected to the motion control unit (15), a memory (17) connected to the motion control unit (15), a spray control unit (18) connected to the motion control unit (15) and the spray nozzle (181), a steering drive unit (19) connected to the motion control unit (15) and the wheel unit (191), and a position adjustment unit (110) connected to the motion control unit (15) and adjusting the height of the signal transmission and reception unit (13).

[0052] The user input unit (11) is for inputting information and commands necessary for the operation of the autonomous mobile device (10), and can generate a signal related to the input operation and output it to the operation control unit (15).

[0053] The water level detection unit (12) is for detecting the water level of the medicine stored in the medicine storage unit and determining the amount of medicine remaining in the medicine storage unit.

[0054] Accordingly, the water level detection unit (12) can detect the water level of the medicine stored in the medicine storage unit, generate a water level detection signal of the corresponding state, and output it to the operation control unit (15).

[0055] The operation control unit (15) can read the water level detection signal input from the water level detection unit (12) to determine the amount of medicine remaining in the medicine storage unit and determine whether to replenish the medicine.

[0056] The signal transmission and reception unit (13) is for transmitting and receiving signals with the first to fourth signal transmission and reception modules (21-24), which are a plurality of signal transmission and reception modules.

[0057] In this example, the number of signal transmission and reception modules (21-24) is shown as 4 as an example, but the number of signal transmission and reception modules (21-24) can be increased or decreased as needed, and can be at least 3.

[0058] These multiple signal transmission and reception modules (21-24) can be installed within a designated area, such as a house, where pest control operations are performed by the autonomous mobile device (10).

[0059] At this time, the installation height of each signal transmission / reception module (21-24) may be substantially the same, and the installation height may be changed as needed. At this time, the installation height of the signal transmission / reception module (21-24) may be determined according to the set height of the signal transmission / reception unit (13) of the autonomous mobile device (10). In this example, the set height of the signal transmission / reception unit (13) of the autonomous mobile device (10) may be determined according to the type of crop.

[0060] The signal transmission and reception unit (13) of the autonomous mobile device (10) outputs at least one of the ultrasonic signal and RF signal transmitted from each signal transmission module to the distance calculation unit (14) and the operation control unit (15) so as to calculate the distance to each signal transmission module and determine the reception status of the ultrasonic signal transmitted from each signal transmission and reception module (21-24).

[0061] The signal transmitting and receiving unit (13) may be equipped with a plurality of ultrasonic receiving units that receive ultrasonic signals transmitted from each signal transmitting and receiving module (21-24), for example, first to fourth ultrasonic receiving units (131-134), and an RF transmitting and receiving unit (135) that receives RF signals transmitted from each signal transmitting and receiving module (21-24) and transmits RF signals toward each signal transmitting and receiving module (21-24) according to the control of the operation control unit (15).

[0062] In this example, each ultrasonic signal transmitted from the first to fourth signal transmission and reception modules (21-24) may have a different frequency.

[0063] In addition, the first to fourth transmitting and receiving modules can output an ultrasonic signal having a corresponding frequency magnitude at a predetermined period in a predetermined state (e.g., a predetermined number of pulse signals and the height (intensity) of each pulse).

[0064] Accordingly, each ultrasonic signal of the first to fourth signal transmission and reception modules (21-24) having different frequencies can be received by a designated ultrasonic receiver among the first to fourth ultrasonic receivers (131-134). Since the magnitude of the frequency to be received may already be determined for each ultrasonic receiver (131-134), it can primarily receive only the corresponding ultrasonic signal having that frequency.

[0065] For example, an ultrasonic signal (e.g., first ultrasonic signal) of a first signal transmission / reception module (21) having a first frequency magnitude can be received by a first ultrasonic receiver (131), an ultrasonic signal (e.g., second ultrasonic signal) of a second signal transmission / reception module (22) having a second frequency magnitude can be received by a second ultrasonic receiver (132), an ultrasonic signal (e.g., third ultrasonic signal) of a third signal transmission / reception module (23) having a third frequency magnitude can be received by a third ultrasonic receiver (133), and an ultrasonic signal (e.g., fourth ultrasonic signal) of a fourth signal transmission / reception module (24) having a fourth frequency magnitude can be received by a fourth ultrasonic receiver (134). Due to the frequency difference of each of these ultrasonic signals, the autonomous mobile device (10) can identify the signal transmission / reception module (21-24) that transmitted each ultrasonic signal among the first to fourth signal transmission / reception modules (21-24).

[0066] In addition, each of the first to fourth ultrasonic receivers (131-134) can output the ultrasonic signal it has received to the operation control unit (15).

[0067] To this end, the first to fourth ultrasonic receivers (131-134) may be equipped with an amplifier for amplifying the received signal and an analog-to-digital converter that converts the amplified analog signal into a digital signal and outputs it to the operation control unit (15). However, in an alternative example, the analog-to-digital converter may be provided within the operation control unit (15), in which case each of the first to fourth ultrasonic receivers (131-134) may omit the analog-to-digital converter.

[0068] In this way, when an ultrasonic signal received from the first to fourth ultrasonic receivers (131-134) is input, the operation control unit (15) can determine the growth status of the crop planted in the corresponding area using the state of the ultrasonic signal received from each ultrasonic receiver (131-134), that is, the amount and intensity of the received ultrasonic signal.

[0069] Here, the amount of the received ultrasonic signal can be calculated using the number of pulses of the received ultrasonic signal, and the intensity of the received ultrasonic signal can be calculated using the pulse height of the received ultrasonic signal.

[0070] The distance calculation unit (14) can calculate the distance between each signal transmission / reception module (21-24) and the autonomous mobile device (10) using the reception time difference, which is the difference between the reception time of the ultrasonic signal received by each of the first to fourth ultrasonic receiving units (131-134) and the reception time of the RF signal received by the RF transmission / reception unit (135).

[0071] Generally, since the speed of RF signals is much faster than that of ultrasonic signals, when ultrasonic and RF signals are transmitted simultaneously, the reception time of the RF signal becomes much faster than that of the ultrasonic signal.

[0072] Therefore, in the case of this example, instead of using the time between transmitting and receiving a single signal such as an ultrasonic signal or an RF signal, the reception time of the RF signal is set as a reference time (i.e., the transmission time of the ultrasonic signal), and the distance between each desired signal transmission / reception module (21-24) and the autonomous mobile device (10) can be measured by using the difference between the reference time (i.e., the transmission time of the ultrasonic signal) and the reception time of the ultrasonic signal.

[0073] Using this principle, the distance calculation unit (14) can calculate the first to fourth measured distances, which are the distances between each of the first to fourth signal transmission and reception modules (21-24) and the autonomous moving device (10), and output them to the operation control unit (15).

[0074] The operation control unit (15) can calculate the position in the area where it is located (e.g., inside a house) by using a triangulation method, etc., with the first to fourth measurement distances applied from the distance calculation unit (14).

[0075] In FIG. 2, the distance calculation unit (14) is a separate component from the operation control unit (15), but in an alternative example, the operation of the distance calculation unit (14) can be performed in the operation control unit (15).

[0076] The RF transceiver (135) receives RF signals transmitted simultaneously from the first to fourth signal transceiver modules (21-24) and, conversely, transmits RF signals according to the control of the operation control unit (15) so that each of the first to fourth signal transceiver modules (21-24) can receive RF signals transmitted from the autonomous mobile device (10).

[0077] The RF transceiver (135) may be equipped with an amplifier for amplifying a received signal, an analog-to-digital converter for converting the amplified analog signal into a digital signal and outputting it to an operation control unit (15), and a digital-to-analog converter for converting a digital signal applied from the operation control unit (15) into an analog signal and outputting it as an RF signal. However, in an alternative example, at least one of the analog-to-digital converter and the digital-to-analog converter may be provided within the operation control unit (15), and in this case, the RF transceiver (135) may omit the analog-to-digital converter or the digital-to-analog converter separately.

[0078] Accordingly, the operation control unit can determine the transmission time of the ultrasonic signal by the operation of the RF transceiver (135), as previously described.

[0079] The operation control unit (15) is for controlling the overall operation of the autonomous mobile device (10), and may be, for example, a processor.

[0080] The detailed operation of this operation control unit (15) will be explained in detail below.

[0081] The communication unit (16) is for communication with an external device such as a user terminal (30) or a medicine storage device, and may be equipped with one or more communication modules.

[0082] For example, the communication unit (16) of the present example may be equipped with a short-range communication module for short-range communication and an internet communication module for internet communication.

[0083] Accordingly, the operation control unit (15) outputs a control signal to the drug storage device through a short-range communication module to control the injection tube of the drug storage device to an open state so that the drug stored in the drug storage device can be supplied to the autonomous movement device (10).

[0084] In addition, the operation control unit (15) can communicate with the user terminal (30) using an internet communication module to transmit the growth status of the crop.

[0085] Technologies for short-range communication may include NFC, Bluetooth, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), infrared communication (IrDA, Infrared Data Association), UWB (Ultra Wideband), ZigBee, magnetic induction, or resonant induction.

[0086] Technologies for internet communication may include WLAN (Wireless LAN) (WiFi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), etc.

[0087] This communication unit (16) may additionally be equipped with other types of communication modules as needed.

[0088] The memory (17) may be a storage medium that stores data required for the operation of the operation control unit (15) or data generated during the operation.

[0089] For example, the memory (17) may store map information on which the autonomous mobile device (10) must carry out pest control, a movement path on the map, i.e., a work path, the type of crop planted in the facility where the autonomous mobile device (10) is located, and the growth state according to the type of crop and the reception status of the ultrasonic signal.

[0090] In this example, the autonomous mobile device (10) can obtain map information of a desired area by connecting to an external map server using the internet communication module of the communication unit (16).

[0091] In addition, the memory (17) stores the type of crop planted in the area for pest control, the set height of the signal transmission and reception unit (13), etc.

[0092] The types of crops and the setting height of the signal transmission and reception unit (13) can be entered by an administrator or others using the user input unit (11), and then stored in memory (17) by the operation of the operation control unit (15).

[0093] The spray control unit (18) is connected to a spray nozzle (181) for spraying a chemical agent such as a liquid pesticide or nutrient, and can control the operating state of the spray nozzle (181) according to a control signal applied by the operation control unit (15).

[0094] In this example, the spray control unit (18) can control the operation of the spray nozzle (181) according to the type of drug being sprayed and the spraying state, etc., and accordingly, the spraying cycle of the drug sprayed from the spray nozzle (181) and the spraying time during spraying can be controlled.

[0095] Information for controlling the operation of such injection nozzles (181) may be stored in memory (17), and thus, the operation control unit (15) can output a control signal of the corresponding state to the injection control unit (18) using the information stored in memory (17).

[0096] The steering drive unit (19) is for controlling the direction of movement of the autonomous moving device (10) and can be connected to the wheel unit (191) connected to the autonomous moving device (10).

[0097] Accordingly, the motion control unit (15) can control the rotation direction, rotation speed, left turn or right turn operation of the wheel unit (191) by outputting a control signal to the steering drive unit (19) according to the movement path stored in the memory (17).

[0098] The position adjustment unit (110) is for adjusting the height of the signal transmission and reception unit (13), and the height of the signal transmission and reception unit (13) can be varied by changing the operating state under the control of the operation control unit (15).

[0099] This position adjustment unit (110) may be equipped with a motor, etc., connected to a signal transmission and reception unit (13).

[0100] The signal transmission and reception unit (13) of the present example may be equipped with a motor, etc., connected to the position adjustment unit (110), and may additionally be equipped with a mechanism that can move up and down according to the operation of the position adjustment unit (110).

[0101] In this example, the operation of the position adjustment unit (110) can be changed according to the type of crop planted in the area.

[0102] Until harvest time, the growth height of leafy vegetables such as lettuce—that is, the height from the ground—can be much lower than the height at which the fruit of vine crops such as cucumbers or pumpkins is located.

[0103] Therefore, in the case of leafy vegetables, the height of the signal transmitting and receiving unit (13) must be lower than in the case of vine crops so that the amount of RF signal transmitted to the signal transmitting and receiving unit (13) can change according to the growth of the leafy vegetables.

[0104] On the other hand, in the case of a vine crop, the height of the signal transmitting and receiving unit (13) may be located at the level where the fruit is located, and in this case, the amount of RF signal transmitted to the signal transmitting and receiving unit (13) may change depending on the degree of growth of the fruit.

[0105] The first to fourth signal transmission and reception modules (21-24), which are multiple signal transmission and reception modules communicating with the autonomous mobile device (10), may be installed in a designated area (e.g., inside a house) where the operation of the autonomous mobile device (10) can take place, as previously described.

[0106] Accordingly, as previously described, each signal transmission and reception module (21-24) outputs an ultrasonic signal and an RF signal at a set interval, so that the autonomous moving device (10) can perform autonomous moving operations.

[0107] The structures of these first to fourth signal transmission and reception modules (21-24) may all be identical, and as an example, as shown in FIG. 3, each signal transmission and reception module (21-24) may be equipped with an ultrasonic transmitter (211), an RF transmitter / receiver (212), a signal control unit (213) connected to the ultrasonic transmitter (211) and the RF transmitter / receiver (212), a memory (214) connected to the signal control unit (213), and a position adjustment unit (215) connected to the signal control unit (213).

[0108] The ultrasonic transmitter (211) can output an ultrasonic signal at a frequency of a predetermined magnitude under the control of the signal control unit (213).

[0109] As previously described, the frequencies of the ultrasonic signals output from the first to fourth signal transmission and reception modules (21-24) of the present example are different from each other, so that the autonomous mobile device (10) can identify the signal transmission and reception module (21-24) transmitting each ultrasonic signal.

[0110] The RF transceiver (212) can transmit an RF signal according to the control of the signal control unit (213), and can receive an RF signal transmitted from the autonomous mobile device (10) and output it to the signal control unit (213).

[0111] The signal control unit (213) controls the overall operation of the corresponding signal transmission and reception module (21-24) and may be a processor.

[0112] Accordingly, when the operation starts, the signal control unit (213) outputs an ultrasonic signal and an RF signal to the autonomous moving device (10) at predetermined intervals so that the autonomous moving device (10) can determine its own position.

[0113] The memory (214) may be a storage medium that stores data required for the operation of each signal transmission and reception module (21-24) and data generated during operation.

[0114] For example, the memory (214) can store at least one of the mounting position (e.g., installation direction) of the corresponding signal transmission and reception module and the adjustment angle according to the set height of the transmission and reception unit.

[0115] The position adjustment unit (215) is for changing the position, more specifically the angle, of the corresponding signal transmission and reception module (21-24) to which it belongs, and may be equipped with a motor, etc.

[0116] By the operation of the position adjustment unit (215), the transmission angle of the ultrasonic signal and RF signal transmitted from each signal transmission and reception module (21-24) can be changed.

[0117] In this example, the position adjustment unit (215) can change the operating state according to at least one of the installation height of each signal transmission / reception module (21-24) and the type of planted crop, thereby changing the transmission angle of the transmitted ultrasonic signal and RF signal.

[0118] By the operation of the position adjustment unit (215), the reception state of the ultrasonic signal received by the autonomous moving device (10) can be changed according to the growth state of the crop without being affected by the type of crop planted, and accordingly, the autonomous moving device (10) can determine the growth state of the crop by using the reception state of the received ultrasonic signal.

[0119] The first to fourth signal transmission and reception modules (21-24) may further be equipped with a mechanism that can change the installation angle of the signal transmission and reception modules (21-24) by being connected to a position adjustment unit (215) and a motor, etc.

[0120] The user terminal (30) may be a terminal of a manager who manages crops planted within the facility.

[0121] This user terminal (30) communicates with the autonomous mobile device (10) and can receive the growth status of the crop from the autonomous mobile device (10).

[0122] Such a user terminal (30) may be equipped with a communication unit for operation with an autonomous mobile device (10), a terminal control unit connected to the communication unit, and a memory and output unit connected to the terminal control unit.

[0123] The communication unit is equipped with at least one communication module, such as a short-range communication module and an internet communication module, and can perform wired or wireless communication with an external device such as an autonomous mobile device (10).

[0124] The terminal control unit controls the operation of the user terminal (30) and may be a processor.

[0125] The memory may be a storage medium capable of storing information or data for the operation of the user terminal (30) and data generated during the operation.

[0126] The output unit can output data output from the terminal control unit according to the control of the terminal control unit.

[0127] This output unit can output data related to vision or hearing.

[0128] For example, the output unit may be equipped with a liquid crystal display module or an organic light-emitting diode display module, and in this case, visual information can be output by the control of the terminal control unit.

[0129] Accordingly, the output unit of the user terminal (30) can output the current growth status of a crop transmitted from the autonomous mobile device (10) in accordance with communication with the autonomous mobile device (10), and the manager can determine the time to harvest the crop (e.g., lettuce) or the harvest time of the crop fruit (e.g., cucumber) by using the current growth status of the crop output to the output unit.

[0130] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the operation of an autonomous mobile system (1) having such a structure will be explained.

[0131] First, when power required for the operation of the autonomous movement system (1) is supplied, the operation of the autonomous movement system can begin.

[0132] In the case of the present example, the data transmission and reception operations between the autonomous mobile device (10) and each signal transmission and reception module (21-24) may all be identical. Accordingly, FIG. 4 illustrates a data flow diagram between the autonomous mobile device (10) and the first signal transmission and reception module (21) as an example.

[0133] Accordingly, the autonomous movement device (10) can be located in an area equipped with a plurality of signal transmission and reception modules (21-24), and can start autonomous movement operation by a power signal input by an operator using a user input unit (11), etc.

[0134] The operation control unit (15) of the autonomous mobile device (10) that has started operation can first operate the RF transmission / reception unit (135) of the signal transmission / reception unit (13) to check the communication status with each signal transmission / reception module (21-24) installed in a designated area, and output a start signal for a set time using an RF signal (S11).

[0135] In this way, when a start signal is output in the form of an RF signal from the autonomous mobile device (10), the RF transceiver (212) of the corresponding signal transceiver module (e.g., first signal transceiver module) (21) can receive the start signal transmitted from the autonomous mobile device (10) and input it to the signal control unit (213).

[0136] Accordingly, when the signal control unit (213) receives a start signal transmitted from the autonomous mobile device (10), it can control the state of the corresponding signal transmission / reception module (21) to a standby state for operation of the autonomous mobile system (1) (S12). As a result, each signal transmission / reception module (21-24) can be switched to a state where it can perform communication with the autonomous mobile device (10).

[0137] After the operation control unit (15) of the autonomous moving device (10) outputs a start signal, it can determine the set height of the signal transmission and reception unit (13) using the data stored in the memory (17) (S13).

[0138] The setting height of the signal transmission and reception unit (13) can be determined according to the type of crop planted in the area where the autonomous moving device (10) is located, and can be input from the user input unit (11) and stored in memory (17).

[0139] Next, the operation control unit (15) can operate the position adjustment unit (110) to adjust the height of the signal transmission / reception unit (13) to the determined set height (S14). At this time, if the current height of the signal transmission / reception unit (13) is the same as the determined set height, the operation control unit (15) may not control the operation of the position adjustment unit (110).

[0140] At this time, the autonomous moving device (10) may additionally be provided with a separate height detection unit to detect the current height of the signal transmission and reception unit (13). Accordingly, the operation control unit (15) can determine the current height of the signal transmission and reception unit (13) using a signal applied from the height detection unit, and then control the operation of the position adjustment unit (110) by comparing the current height with the set height.

[0141] In this way, after controlling the height of the signal transmission / reception unit (13) to a desired set height, the operation control unit (15) can transmit data regarding the set height of the signal transmission / reception unit (13) determined in step (S13) to each signal transmission / reception module (21-24) using the RF transmission / reception unit (135) (S15).

[0142] Accordingly, the signal control unit (213) of each signal transmission / reception module (21-24) can determine the transmitted set height using the signal input through the RF transmission / reception unit (212), and can control the operation of the position adjustment unit (215) according to the determined set height to adjust the transmission angle of the ultrasonic signal and the RF signal (S16).

[0143] At this time, since the adjustment angle according to the size of the determined set height is already stored in the memory (214), the signal control unit (213) can control the operation of the position adjustment unit (215) so that the transmission operation of the ultrasonic signal and RF signal is performed at an angle corresponding to the set height. At this time, the rotation angle of each signal transmission / reception module (21-24) can be determined by referring to the installation direction of the corresponding signal transmission / reception module (21-24).

[0144] Accordingly, by the operation of the position adjustment unit (215), each signal transmission and reception module (21-24) equipped with an ultrasonic transmitter (211) and an RF transmitter and receiver (212) rotates in a predetermined direction and angle, so that the positional relationship with the signal transmission and reception unit (13) of the autonomous moving device (10) can be determined according to the type of crop.

[0145] The memory (214) may already store mounting information (mounting direction and mounting height, etc.) of the corresponding signal transmission and reception module (21-24). Accordingly, the signal control unit (213) can control the operation of the position adjustment unit (215) using the mounting information and a set angle corresponding to the transmitted height.

[0146] In this way, when the adjustment operation of the position (e.g., angle) of each signal transmission and reception module (21-24) according to the set height of the signal transmission and reception unit (13) of the autonomous mobile device (10) is completed, the signal control unit (213) of each signal transmission and reception module (21-24) can operate the ultrasonic transmission unit (211) and the RF transmission and reception unit (212) to transmit ultrasonic signals and RF signals.

[0147] As previously described, the frequencies of the ultrasonic signals transmitted from each signal transmission / reception module (21-24) may differ from one another, and the ultrasonic signals of each frequency may be received by the corresponding ultrasonic receiver (131-134) among the first to fourth ultrasonic receivers (131-134).

[0148] For example, the first ultrasonic signal, which is the ultrasonic signal of the first signal transmission / reception module (21), can be received by the first ultrasonic receiver (131), the second ultrasonic signal, which is the ultrasonic signal of the second signal transmission / reception module (22), can be received by the second ultrasonic receiver (132), the third ultrasonic signal, which is the ultrasonic signal of the third signal transmission / reception module (23), can be received by the third ultrasonic receiver (133), and the fourth ultrasonic signal, which is the ultrasonic signal of the fourth signal transmission / reception module (24), can be received by the fourth ultrasonic receiver (134).

[0149] In this way, when the first to fourth ultrasonic signals and RF signals are transmitted from each signal transmission / reception module (21-24), the first to fourth ultrasonic signals are each received by the first to fourth ultrasonic receivers (131-134) of the autonomous mobile device (10), and the RF signal can be received by the RF transmission / reception unit (135) of the autonomous mobile device (10).

[0150] Accordingly, the distance calculation unit (14) can determine the time at which each of the first to fourth ultrasonic signals is received by the first to fourth ultrasonic receivers (131-134) and the time at which the RF signal is received by the RF transmitter / receiver (135) by using the first to fourth ultrasonic receivers (131-134) and the RF transmitter / receiver (135), and determine the reception interval (i.e., reception time difference) of each of the transmitted first to fourth ultrasonic signals and the RF signal.

[0151] Then, the distance calculation unit (14) sets the reception time of the RF signal as the reference time, and calculates the distance (e.g., first to fourth measurement distances) between each of the first to fourth signal transmission / reception modules (21-24) and the autonomous moving device (10) using the reception interval, which is the time interval from the reference time until the ultrasonic signal is received, and outputs it to the operation control unit (15) so that the operation control unit (15) can input the first to fourth measurement distances (S17).

[0152] Accordingly, the motion control unit (15) can determine the current position of the autonomous moving device (10) within the facility using these first to fourth measurement distances, and can store the determined current position as the current starting position in the memory (17) (S18).

[0153] Next, the operation control unit (15) can determine the reception status of the ultrasonic signal received at each of the first to fourth ultrasonic receivers (131-134) using the signal applied from the first to fourth ultrasonic receivers (131-134) (S19).

[0154] At this time, the reception state of the ultrasonic signal may be at least one of the signal amount and intensity of the received ultrasonic signal.

[0155] In memory (17), the growth status of the crop may already be stored according to the type of crop currently planted and the reception status of the received ultrasonic signal.

[0156] When the crop grows and it is time to harvest the crop or fruit, the ultrasonic signal transmitted from each signal transmission / reception module (21-24) may be blocked by the grown crop or fruit. As a result, the reception state of the ultrasonic signal received by the corresponding ultrasonic receiver (131-134) of the signal transmission / reception unit (13) of the autonomous mobile device (10) may change. That is, the amount of signal received by the corresponding ultrasonic receiver (e.g., 131) may decrease.

[0157] However, conversely, during the early stages of crop growth, the ultrasonic signals transmitted from each signal transmission / reception module (21-24) are not blocked by the crop, so the ultrasonic signals transmitted from each signal transmission / reception module (21-24) can be received by the signal transmission / reception unit (13) of the autonomous mobile device (10) with almost no loss.

[0158] In this way, since the reception state of the ultrasonic signal received by each ultrasonic receiver (131-134) of the signal transmission and reception unit (13) of the autonomous moving device (10) changes according to the growth state of the crop, the autonomous moving device (10) can determine the growth state of the crop located in the signal reception path of each ultrasonic receiver (131-134) by using the reception state of the ultrasonic signal.

[0159] Accordingly, the operation control unit (15) can determine the type of crop currently planted in the facility using data stored in the memory (17), and determine the current growth status of the crop using the determined type of crop and the determined ultrasonic signal reception status (S110).

[0160] As previously described, since the memory (17) stores the growth status according to the type of crop and the reception status of the ultrasonic signal (e.g., amount received), the operation control unit (15) can determine the current growth status of the crop using the determined current type of crop and the reception status of the ultrasonic signal.

[0161] The determined current growth status may be one of the early growth stage, the harvest preparation stage, and the harvest stage of the crop.

[0162] Then, the operation control unit (15) can transmit the determined current growth state to the user terminal (30) through the communication unit (16) (S111).

[0163] Accordingly, the user terminal (30) can output the current growth status transmitted from the autonomous mobile device (10) to the output unit.

[0164] As a result, an administrator using the user terminal (30) can check the current growth status of the crops output to the output unit and recognize the current growth status of the crops. Therefore, appropriate actions, such as harvesting the crops at the right time, can be performed.

[0165] At this time, the area where crops are planted can be distinguished (e.g., zone 1 to zone 4) at the location of each ultrasonic receiver (131-134), and if the growth status differs according to the distinguished area, the growth status according to each zone can be transmitted to the user terminal (30) using the location of each ultrasonic receiver (131-134).

[0166] For example, the growth status of the crops in each zone can be accurately transmitted to the manager through the user terminal (30), such as the first zone being the harvest time, the second zone being the harvest preparation time, the third zone being the harvest time, and the fourth zone being the early growth time, and the manager can accurately identify the growth status of the crops in each zone and take appropriate measures according to the growth status.

[0167] Then, the motion control unit (15) can control the autonomous movement motion using the current starting position stored in the memory (17) in step (S18) (S20).

[0168] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the autonomous movement operation of the autonomous movement device (10) performed by the operation control unit (15) will be explained.

[0169] Referring to FIG. 5, the operation control unit (15) can read the water level detection signal applied from the water level detection unit (12) and determine the current water level of the medicine currently stored in the medicine storage unit (S21).

[0170] If the determined level of the chemical agent is greater than or equal to the set level stored in the memory (17) (S22), the operation control unit (15) can determine that the chemical agent currently stored in the chemical storage unit is sufficient to perform pest control on crops.

[0171] Accordingly, the operation control unit (15) can determine the work path by reading the map information stored in the memory (17) and the path displayed on the map information or a separately entered path (S23).

[0172] Next, the operation control unit (15) controls the operation of the steering drive unit (19) according to the determined work path, and when the autonomous moving device (10) moves due to the operation of the wheel unit (191) according to the operation of the steering drive unit (19), it outputs a control signal of the corresponding state to the spray control unit (18) so that the spray material stored in the medicine storage unit can be sprayed toward the corresponding crop through the spray nozzle (181) (S24).

[0173] At this time, the operating state of the injection control unit (18) can be controlled according to the information stored in the memory (17).

[0174] Under the control of the operation control unit (15), the autonomous moving device (10) can automatically move along the work path of the area and automatically spray a spray onto the crop to perform pest control operations on the crop.

[0175] For such pest control operations, the first to fourth signal transmission and reception modules (21-24) of the autonomous mobile system (1) transmit ultrasonic signals and RF signals at predetermined intervals, and the signal transmission and reception unit of the autonomous mobile device (10) can receive the ultrasonic signals and RF signals transmitted from the first to fourth signal transmission and reception modules (21-24) and output them to the distance calculation unit (14).

[0176] Accordingly, the distance calculation unit (14) can calculate the distance between each signal transmission / reception module (21-24) and the autonomous moving device (10) at a set period and output it to the operation control unit (15), and as a result, the operation control unit (15) can calculate the position at a set period and determine the current position of the autonomous moving device (10).

[0177] The autonomous moving device (10) controls the operation of the steering drive unit (19) by comparing the determined current position with the position of the predetermined work path, so that the autonomous moving device (10) can perform pest control operations while moving accurately along the work path without deviating from the predetermined work path.

[0178] According to this operation, when it is determined that the autonomous moving device (10) has completed the entire set work path, that is, when the current position determined by the operation of the distance calculation unit (14) and the operation control unit (15) is determined to be the same as the position of the end point of the work path (S25), the operation control unit (15) can control the movement to the starting position of the work, that is, the starting point of the work path.

[0179] To this end, the operation control unit (15) may be equipped with a generally well-known navigation function, and thus, the operation control unit (15) may search for the shortest distance from the end point to the starting point of the work path according to the navigation function, and then control the operation of the steering drive unit (19) according to the searched path (S26).

[0180] Accordingly, the autonomous moving device (10) can control the movement of the wheel unit (191) along the shortest path found without damaging the crops, so that it can return quickly and accurately to the starting point of the work path.

[0181] In this way, pest control operations on crops in a designated area are carried out normally along a designated work path, but workers, etc., can move the location of the unmanned chemical device to move to the next pest control area and perform pest control operations on the new area.

[0182] However, at step (S22), if it is determined that the position of the medicine stored in the medicine storage unit has not reached the set level (S22), the operation control unit (15) can use the communication unit (16) to send a medicine shortage message to the user terminal (30) (S27).

[0183] Accordingly, the terminal control unit of the user terminal (30) can output a message transmitted from the autonomous mobile device (10) to the output unit, and the manager can recognize that normal pest control operations are not being performed due to a shortage of pesticide currently stored in the autonomous mobile device (10).

[0184] Therefore, the manager can quickly perform appropriate actions, such as replenishing the insufficient medicine in the autonomous moving device (10).

[0185] In this way, the autonomous mobile device (10) of the present example automatically drives along a work path designated by a worker and performs pest control operations on the crops.

[0186] As a result, the manpower required for crop pest control can be reduced, leading to significant labor cost savings; work efficiency is greatly improved compared to manual pest control, and crop damage can be avoided.

[0187] In addition, since chemical treatment of crops is performed using unmanned robots instead of humans, the deterioration of workers' health caused by pesticides can be prevented.

[0188] Additionally, the growth status of crops planted in the area is also determined and transmitted to the user terminal (30), so the manager can quickly and conveniently identify the growth status of crops or fruits and harvest the crops at the appropriate time.

[0189] The technical features disclosed in each embodiment of the present invention are not limited to that embodiment only, and as long as they are not mutually incompatible, the technical features disclosed in each embodiment may be combined and applied to different embodiments.

[0190] Therefore, in each embodiment, the technical features are described primarily, but as long as the technical features are not mutually incompatible, they may be combined and applied together.

[0191] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and the attached drawings, and various modifications and variations may be possible from the perspective of those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be defined not only by the claims of this specification but also by equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. As an autonomous mobility device, A drug storage unit storing drugs; A water level sensor that detects the water level of a drug storage unit; A signal transceiver that receives multiple ultrasonic signals and multiple RF signals transmitted from each of multiple signal transceiver modules; A distance calculation unit connected to the above signal transmission and reception unit and calculating a plurality of measurement distances, which are distances to each signal transmission and reception module, using each ultrasonic signal and RF signal received from the above signal transmission and reception unit; An operation control unit connected to the above-mentioned water level detection unit, the above-mentioned distance calculation unit, and the above-mentioned signal transmission and reception unit; A memory connected to the above-mentioned operation control unit and storing a work path for pest control to be performed; A spray control unit connected to the above-mentioned operation control unit and spray nozzle, and controlling the operation of the above-mentioned spray nozzle; and A steering drive unit connected to the above-mentioned operation control unit and wheel unit, and controlling the operation of the wheel unit. Includes, The above operation control unit is, The current position of the autonomous mobile device is determined using the plurality of measurement distances authorized from the distance calculation unit, and the determined current position is stored in the memory as the current starting position. When the water level of the drug storage unit determined by the signal applied from the water level detection unit is above the set water level, the operation of the steering drive unit is controlled in accordance with the work path stored in the memory so that the wheel unit moves along the work path, and the operation of the spray control unit is controlled so that the drug is sprayed through the spray nozzle during the movement operation. An autonomous mobile device that controls the steering drive unit to move the autonomous mobile device to the local starting position when the above unmanned pharmaceutical device reaches the end point of the above work path.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above distance calculation unit determines the reception time of the received RF signal and the reception time of each ultrasonic signal, sets the reception time of the RF signal as a reference time, measures the time from the reference time to the reception time of each ultrasonic signal, calculates the distance to each signal transmission / reception module using the measured time, and outputs the plurality of measured distances to the operation control unit, thereby forming an autonomous moving device.

3. In Paragraph 2, The above signal transmitting and receiving unit is, A plurality of ultrasonic receivers, each receiving an ultrasonic signal transmitted from each signal transmission / reception module; and RF transceiver that receives RF signals transmitted from each signal transceiver module An autonomous mobile device including 4. In Paragraph 3, An autonomous mobile device with different frequencies of ultrasonic signals output from each signal transmission and reception module.

5. In Paragraph 4, Each ultrasonic receiver is an autonomous mobile device that receives an ultrasonic signal of a predetermined frequency.

6. In Paragraph 1, The above operation control unit determines the reception status of the ultrasonic signal of each ultrasonic receiver using a signal applied from each ultrasonic receiver, and An autonomous mobile device that determines the type of crop stored in the memory above, and determines the current growth state of the crop using the determined type of crop and each of the received states above.

7. In Paragraph 6, The above current growth state is an autonomous moving device that is one of the early growth period, harvest preparation period, and harvest period of the above crop.

8. In Paragraph 6, It further includes a position adjustment unit connected to the above-mentioned operation control unit and the above-mentioned signal transmission and reception unit, and The above memory stores the set height of the signal transmitting and receiving unit, and The above-described operation control unit determines the set height of the signal transmitting and receiving unit and controls the position adjustment unit to adjust the height of the signal transmitting and receiving unit to the set height, thereby forming an autonomous moving device.

9. In Paragraph 8, The above-described operation control unit transmits the set height to the plurality of signal transmission and reception modules using the RF signal of the signal transmission and reception unit, thereby enabling the position of each signal transmission and reception module to be adjusted according to the set height, thereby forming an autonomous mobile device.

10. In Paragraph 6, It further includes a communication unit connected to the above-mentioned operation control unit, and The above-described operation control unit transmits the current growth status determined using the above-described communication unit to a user terminal so that the current growth status is output to the user terminal.

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