Interoperable Delivery Robots With Home Robot Handover Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot delivery systems require active customer intervention and do not efficiently facilitate interaction between item delivery robots and domestic robots, leading to inconvenience and inefficiency in item delivery processes.
Innovation Solution
A robot system and control method that enables interoperability between a first robot for delivering items and a second robot residing at the customer's residence, using a server to manage communication and authentication between the robots, allowing for seamless and secure item delivery without customer intervention, regardless of the types of robots involved.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If an unmanned delivery robot delivers items directly to the user's location, then delivery efficiency is improved, but the user must be located near the robot and actively intervene to receive the item, causing inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a second robot as an intermediary between the first delivery robot and the user. The second robot resides at the user's residence and receives items from the first robot, then delivers them to the user. This mediator eliminates the need for the user to be physically present near the delivery robot or actively intervene in the delivery process, thus resolving the contradiction between delivery efficiency and user convenience.
2Device complexity
If a delivery robot system operates independently without integration with domestic robots, then system complexity is reduced, but interaction between delivery robots and domestic robots is not facilitated, leading to inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal communication and authentication protocol that enables different types of robots (delivery robots and domestic robots) to interact seamlessly. The server mediates authentication and information exchange between robots of different types, allowing the system to handle diverse robot configurations without increasing complexity. This universal interface resolves the contradiction by enabling efficient multi-robot interaction while maintaining manageable system complexity.
3Reliability
If secure authentication is implemented between robots and servers, then security is improved, but additional authentication steps may increase processing time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary authentication where the second robot authenticates the first robot's server before the actual item delivery occurs. This pre-authentication establishes a trusted connection in advance, allowing subsequent communication and item transfer to proceed without repeated authentication delays. The server authentication and information sharing happen beforehand, resolving the contradiction between security and processing time.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a robot system and a control method thereof. The robot system includes a first server, a first robot which is registered on the first server and which delivers an item to a user according to information received from the first server, a second robot which is configured to interoperate with the first robot and which receives the item from the first robot, and a second server on which the second robot is registered and which operates the second robot. The method for controlling the robot system includes transmitting customer information to the first robot by means of the first server, authenticating the first server, by means of the second robot, so as to allow the first server to access the second robot, and requesting the first robot, by means of the first server, to couple with the second robot so as to allow the first robot to operate in correspondence with operation of the second robot.