KR20200040088A - Method and apparatus for controlling robots - Google Patents

Abstract

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for controlling a robot designed independently of a hardware platform and an apparatus for performing the method. The apparatus for controlling a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention may include: a team building unit which configures a team including at least one robot; a service determination unit which determines a service to be performed by the configured team; a multi-task setting unit for setting a multi-task service to be performed together with at least a part of the service; a dynamic mode determination unit setting a dynamic mode related to a change in a steering method by which motion of the team is controlled; a mission establishment unit for establishing a mission to which the team, the service, the multi-task service, and the dynamic mode are reflected; and a control unit controlling at least one robot according to the established mission.

Description

Robot control method and device {METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING ROBOTS}

The present invention relates to a method for controlling a plurality of robots in a team unit including a plurality of robots and an apparatus for performing the method.

With the development of technology, robots are used in various fields. Robots used in various fields may be designed in different forms depending on the purpose. Accordingly, the robot can be controlled in various ways by various types of hardware or software. However, in this case, the user of the robot has the inconvenience of having to perform individual control by learning a control method designed to be suitable for the robot's hardware or software. Accordingly, there is an increasing demand for a control method that can be commonly applied to heterogeneous robots, that is, different types of robots.

A conventional robot control development method, for example, a software development method for controlling a robot, performs development using a specific programming environment of a robot provided by a robot manufacturer. The development of the robot control is performed by creating a robot program for controlling the robot, based on providing a device driver and a software library as a programming environment.

On the other hand, since the software of the robot depends on the platform of the robot's hardware, the software must be re-designed every time the platform of the robot's hardware is changed even in the same operating specification, so the reusability of the software is poor and the development efficiency is very low. The problem exists.

In addition, since the existing robot control method controls the robot by performing programming using a computer programming language, it is difficult for a non-expert, that is, a general user who does not have basic knowledge of computer programming to control the robot. There is discomfort to use.

Accordingly, the robot can be more easily controlled so that even non-experts can freely use it, and furthermore, a robot control method commonly used in various types of robots is required.

Korean Registered Patent No. 10-0995592 (Registered on November 15, 2010)

The problem to be solved by the present invention is a robot control method that is intuitively represented by using a service for a mission to be performed by the robot and a task as a detailed control of the robot and a task as a detailed control of the robot and is designed independently of the hardware platform and It is to provide an apparatus for performing the method.

However, the problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, but are not mentioned, but include the purpose that can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description can do.

The robot control apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a team configuration unit constituting a team including at least one robot, a service determination unit determining a service to be performed by the configured team, and at least a part of the service A multi-task setting unit for setting a multitasking service to be performed together, a dynamic mode determination unit for setting a dynamic mode related to a change in a steering method in which the operation of the team is controlled, and the team, the service, and the A multi-task service and a mission establishment unit for establishing a mission reflecting the dynamic mode and a control unit for controlling the at least one robot according to the established mission may be included.

Further, further comprising an input unit for receiving an input by a user, the team configuration unit configures the team based on the received input, and the service determination unit determines the service to be performed based on the received input and The multi-task setting unit may set the multi-task based on the received input, and the dynamic mode determination unit may set the dynamic mode based on the received input.

In addition, the input, the input for determining the number of the at least one robot, the input for designating the service to be performed, the input for selecting whether to perform the multi-task, the other service distinct from the service is the multi-task service It may include at least one of the input to designate, and an input for setting a reference for the change of the steering method.

In addition, the steering method includes at least one of remote control and autonomous driving, and may be changed according to a reference set by the input.

In addition, a strategy determination unit may further include a task for identifying the established mission and determining a task indicating an operation as a sub-unit of the service for the at least one robot for performing the mission.

In addition, the task may be configured in plural, and may be mapped to the service and stored in advance in the strategy determination unit in a predetermined manner.

In addition, the strategy determining unit, based on at least one of the mission, the number of robots, the type of the robot, the state of the robot, the position of the robot and the environment in which the robot is located, the It is possible to determine at least one task most suitable for the performance of the mission.

In addition, the controller may control the movement of each of the at least one robot in order to perform the mission for each of the at least one robot.

The robot may be a biomimetic robot that performs an operation by imitating the characteristics of living things.

In the robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention, a team including at least one robot is configured, a service to be performed by the configured team is determined, and multitasking to be performed together with at least a part of the service ) Setting a service, setting a dynamic mode related to a change in a steering method in which the operation of the team is controlled, and establishing a mission in which the team, the service, the multi-tasking service, and the dynamic mode are reflected, And controlling the at least one robot according to the established mission.

In addition, the method further includes receiving an input by a user, based on the received input, the team is configured, the service to be performed is determined, the multi-task is set, and the dynamic mode can be set.

In addition, the input, an input for determining the number of the at least one robot, an input for designating the service to be performed, an input for selecting whether or not to execute the multi-task, the multi-service service for other services distinguished from the service It may include at least one of the input to designate, and an input for setting a reference for the change of the steering method.

In addition, the steering method includes at least one of remote control and autonomous driving, and may be changed according to a reference set by the input.

Further, the method may further include determining a task representing an operation as a sub-unit of the service for the at least one robot for performing the mission by identifying the established mission.

In addition, the step of determining the task is based on at least one of the mission, the number of robots, the type of the robot, the state of the robot, the location of the robot, and the environment in which the robot is located, consisting of a plurality of And determining at least one task best suited to performing the mission.

The robot control method and apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can be designed independently of the hardware platform of the robot to be applicable to various robots, thereby improving the efficiency of robot control. In addition, a non-expert can easily control the robot by using a service that more intuitively indicates the mission to be performed by the robot.

However, the effects obtainable in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. Will be able to.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 shows an example of a functional configuration of a robot control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 shows an example of a functional configuration of a mission establishment unit of a robot control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 shows the flow of each step of the robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 illustrates an example of a dynamic mode and multiple operations provided by a robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 shows a mission implementation example of a robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 illustrates an example of implementing a strategy determining unit of a robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 shows an example of the implementation related to the control unit of the robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9A shows another example of an implementation related to a control unit of a robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9B shows another example of the implementation related to the control unit of the robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and methods for achieving them will be clarified with reference to embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and have ordinary knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to fully inform the person of the scope of the invention, and the scope of the invention is only defined by the claims.

In describing the embodiments of the present invention, detailed descriptions of known functions or configurations will be omitted except when actually necessary in describing the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in an embodiment of the present invention, which may vary according to a user's or operator's intention or practice. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the contents throughout this specification.

The present invention can be applied to various changes and may include various embodiments, and specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood as including all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

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

When an element is said to be 'connected' or 'connected' to another component, it is understood that other components may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, but other components may exist in the middle. It should be.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the robot control device 10 displays team configuration content 11, service content 12, multitasking content 13, and dynamic mode content 14 for receiving user input can do.

The robot control apparatus 10 may determine a team composed of at least one robot based on receiving a user input to the team composition content 11. In some cases, part of a robot in a team language may have different parts and different types, that is, different hardware platforms.

The robot control apparatus 10 may determine a service to be performed by the team based on receiving a user input to the service content 12. Here, the service may mean a high-level intuitive operation that can be expressed in common even though the types of robots that make up the team are different.

The robot control apparatus 10 may set a multitasking service to be performed together with the service based on receiving a user input for multitasking content 13.

The robot control apparatus 10 may perform setting for a mode related to steering of the team based on receiving a user input to the dynamic mode content 14.

The robot control apparatus 10 may establish a mission to be performed by the team based on at least one of a team configuration, a service decision, a multi-task service setting, and a dynamic mode setting. A more detailed description related to the establishment of the mission will be described later.

The robot control apparatus 10 may perform control for each robot included in the team through a process of establishing a strategy for the established mission. More specifically, the robot control apparatus 10 may establish a mission to be performed by the team, and then determine a strategy for each operation of each of the at least one robot constituting the team for performing the established mission. . Through this, the robot control apparatus 10 may control the at least one robot constituting the team so that the mission is performed.

Meanwhile, the determining of a strategy may be a step of applying a predetermined detailed task to each of the at least one robot in consideration of the characteristics of the robot. Here, the characteristics of the robot may include a robot type, that is, a hardware platform. Even if the team is composed of robots of different types through the step of determining the strategy, the usability of the robot can be improved by entering a mission at a higher level. In other words, since there is a step for determining a strategy, a user who is not an expert in the robot control field can establish a mission at a higher level where the hardware of the robot does not need to be considered, thereby maximizing the usability of the robot.

2 shows an example of a functional configuration of a robot control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Used below… The term "sub" means a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

Referring to FIG. 2, the robot control apparatus 10 may include an input unit 210, a mission establishment unit 220, a strategy determination unit 230, and a control unit 240.

The input unit 210 may receive an input by a user. Here, the input is an input for determining the number of at least one robot constituting a team, an input for designating a service to be performed by the team, an input for selecting whether to execute multiple tasks, a multi-task service for other services separated from the service It may include at least one of the input to be specified, and the input to set a standard for changing the steering method. However, the present invention is not limited to the above, and various inputs related to robot control may be received.

The input unit 210 displays, for example, a window for setting at least one robot to form a team based on receiving a user input to the team configuration content 11 of FIG. 1, and through the displayed window The number of at least one robot and a user input for selecting each type of the at least one robot may be received.

The input unit 210 displays a window for setting a service based on receiving a user input to the service content 12 of FIG. 1, for example, and a service to be performed by the team through the displayed window, eg For example, a user input for selecting a service moving to a specific point may be received.

The input unit 210 displays a window for setting a multi-task service, for example, based on receiving a user input for the multi-task content 13 of FIG. 1, and the service content 12 through the displayed window A user input for selecting a multi-task service to be performed along with a service determined through, for example, a service for listening to sound, etc. may be received.

The input unit 210 displays a window for setting the dynamic mode, for example, when an input for clicking the dynamic mode content 14 of FIG. 1 is received, and through the displayed window, for example, 'arrive at a specific point If so, it is possible to receive a user input for designating a change condition and a change condition of a control method called 'change the control method from a remote control method to an autonomous driving method.

The input applied to the input unit 210 may include various types of input. For example, it may include a tab, click, or text input.

The input unit 210 may provide (or transmit) the received input to the mission establishment unit 220.

The mission establishment unit 220 configures a team including at least one robot based on the input from the input unit 210, determines a service to be performed by the configured team, or performs multiple tasks to be performed with at least a part of the service The service may be set or a dynamic mode related to a change in a steering method in which the operation of the team is controlled may be set. Services may refer to common actions to be performed by the team. For example, the service may be an operation of moving to a specific point.

In some cases, the service may consist of a plurality of time series services. For example, the service may include moving to a specific point and detecting a specified object at a specific point.

The mission establishment unit 220 may establish a team, service, multi-task service, and a mission in which the dynamic mode is reflected. The established mission can be a goal, objective, or mission performed by the team. More detailed description related to the team, service, multi-task service and dynamic mode will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

The strategy determination unit 230 may identify the established mission, and determine a task or task graph indicating an operation as a sub-unit of a service for at least one robot for performing the mission. For example, when the upper level service determined through the mission establishment unit 220 is 'move to a specific location', the resource and computational power of at least one robot having different hardware is required to provide such a service. Since there can be multiple algorithms, you need to decide which algorithm will perform the actual operation. Here, the algorithm will be described as a task in the specification, but is not limited to the term.

The task may refer to a detailed operation determined by reflecting the characteristics of each of the at least one robot. For example, if the service is an operation to move to a specific point, and at least one robot is a new robot and a puppy robot, the task for the new robot is an operation to fly to a specific point, and the task for the puppy robot is jumped to a specific point. It may be a movement to a point.

Regarding the task, it may be determined according to the characteristics of the robot. For example, in the case of a new robot, a task for flying and a task for walking may be designated in connection with a moving service. For another example, in the case of a puppy robot, a task for jumping and moving and a task for walking may be designated in relation to a moving service.

The strategy determining unit 230 may use an XML markup language to indicate (or specify) a strategy related to task determination. XML markup languages can be suitable for expressing complex requirements using a relatively simple schema. In this regard, it will be described in more detail through FIG. 7.

The strategy determination unit 230 may identify various conditions related to the at least one robot, and determine a task for the service based on the identified conditions. For example, the strategy determining unit 230 may include at least one robot hardware platform, at least one robot type, at least one robot function, at least one robot location, or at least one robot location. Based on the task can be determined.

In other words, the strategy determination unit 230 may be embodied as a task that is a lower unit than the service so that the mission can be mapped to each of the actions of the actual robot for the execution of the mission. The actual operation of the robot may be programmed and implemented through the control unit 240 described below.

The control unit 240 may control at least one robot according to the established mission. More specifically, the control unit 240 may program the task determined by the strategy determination unit 230 to be performed for each of the at least one robot to perform the established mission.

More specifically, the control unit 240 generates a task graph model indicating a dependency relationship between tasks performing each service through the strategy determination unit 230, and describes the action of the actual robot designated through the mission as a task graph model can do. The controller 240 may perform programming using a programming language suitable for each of the at least one robot in consideration of the task graph model and the operating system supported by each of the at least one robot. The control unit 240 may control each of the at least one robot through programming.

On the other hand, the task graph model may be a more specific operation to be performed in each of the at least one robot for coding each of the at least one robot. If it is easy for a person skilled in the art in connection with the generation of the task graph model, a detailed description may be omitted. Examples related to the task graph model may refer to FIGS. 8, 9A, or 9B.

In some cases, the controller 240 may perform various analyzes such as performance prediction for each of the at least one robot using the task graph model. Furthermore, the control unit 240 may verify the entire system in advance.

In some cases, the task graph model may be preset and abstracted as a service related to the preset task graph model. In this case, the abstracted service may be included in one of the services provided by the robot control device 10, and if the user selects the abstracted service, control of the robot may be performed using a preset task graph model. have.

The controller 240 may individually control at least one robot according to a strategy determined using various known programming languages. More specifically, the available programming languages may be different according to at least one robot, and the controller 240 may individually control the operation of each of the at least one robot using a programming language suitable for each of the at least one robot. .

For example, in the case of a new robot, when a strategy of 'flying and moving to a specific location' is determined, the control unit 240 may perform programming for performing such a strategy. Programming may be performed by programming using a language suitable for a new robot among various programming languages (or computer languages), for example, a language such as the c language.

3 shows an example of a functional configuration of a mission establishment unit of a robot control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the mission establishment unit 220 may include a team configuration unit 310, a service determination unit 320, a multi-task setting unit 330, and a dynamic mode determination unit 340.

The team building unit 310 may configure a team including at least one robot based on receiving a user input related to team building. The user input may include an input for selecting the number of at least one robot and each type of at least one robot.

For example, when the team configuration unit 310 receives an input for selecting the number of at least one robot as 3, at least one robot constituting the team may be determined as three. The team building unit 310 may determine the type of each of the three robots by receiving a user input for determining the type of each of the three robots.

In this case, according to the user's input, the team configuration unit 310 may select each of the three robots as different types of robots, for example, a new robot, a dog robot, or a cat robot, and some of them may be selected as robots of the same type. It might be.

In some cases, the team building unit 310 may configure a plurality of teams. For example, three robots can be determined as one team, and two new robots can be determined as one other team.

The service determination unit 320 may determine a service to be performed by the configured team based on receiving user input. For example, when receiving a user input for selecting a service called 'move to a specific point', the service determination unit 320 is configured to move the 'move to a specific point' as a service to be performed by a team consisting of at least one robot. Can decide. Here, the service may be an operation as a higher level unit represented by a level that can be commonly performed by the team.

The multi-task setting unit 330 may set a multi-task service to be performed together with at least a part of the service based on receiving a user input. The multi-tasking service may include a plurality of services, and may be a service corresponding to a service determined by the service content 12, that is, an operation as an upper unit expressed in a level commonly performed by a team. .

The dynamic mode determiner 340 may set a dynamic mode related to a change in a steering method in which the motion of the team is controlled based on receiving a user input to the dynamic mode content 14. For example, the dynamic mode determination unit 340 may designate a change of a steering method and a change condition. Here, the steering method may include a method in which the team is controlled, for example, a remote control method and an autonomous driving method.

On the other hand, the mission established by the mission establishing unit 220 may include all matters related to the work performed by the team in which team configuration, service, multi-task service, and dynamic mode setting are all reflected.

For example, the team is composed of two new robots and one robot by the team configuration unit 310, and the service determined by the service determination unit 320 is a service moving to a specific point, and a multi-task setting unit When the service set by 330 is a service for listening to sound, and the dynamic mode is set to continuously operate in the remote control mode, the mission determined finally is the remote control mode, two new robots and one robot Team consisting of, while listening to the sound may be to move to a specific point.

Figure 4 shows the flow of each step of the robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Needless to say, each step of the method illustrated in FIG. 4 may be performed in a different order as illustrated in the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 4, the input unit 210 may receive input for at least one of a team, service, multi-task, and dynamic mode (S110). The input is, for example, an input for determining the number of at least one robot, an input for designating a service to be performed, an input for selecting whether to execute multiple jobs, an input for designating a different service from the service as a multi-job service , It may include an input for setting a standard for changing the steering method.

On the other hand, the steering method includes at least one of remote control and autonomous driving, and may be changed according to a reference set by input.

The mission establishment unit 220 may configure a team based on the received input, determine a service, set multiple tasks, and determine a dynamic mode (S120). More specifically, the mission establishing unit 220 configures a team including at least one robot, determines a service to be performed by the configured team, sets a multitasking service to be performed together with at least a portion of the service, and , It is possible to set a dynamic mode related to a change in a steering method in which the motion of the team is controlled.

The mission establishment unit 220 may establish a team, service, multi-task service, and a mission in which the dynamic mode is reflected. Mission can refer to the purpose, goal, or task of the work to be performed by the team. A service is a part of a mission, and as an upper unit of a task, it may represent a type of operation commonly performed by at least one robot constituting a team.

The strategy determining unit 230 may determine a task for performing a service (S130). More specifically, the strategy determination unit 230 may identify the established mission, and determine a task indicating an operation as a sub-unit of the service for the at least one robot for performing the mission.

The task is a sub-unit of the service, and may be a detailed operation predetermined for the performance of the service based on the characteristics of each of the at least one robot. The strategy determining unit 230 may determine a suitable task for each of the at least one robot so that each of the at least one robot performs a mission according to the mission established by the mission establishing unit 220.

More specifically, the strategy determining unit 230 is based on at least one of the mission, the number of robots, the type of robot, the state of the robot, the location of the robot, and the environment in which the robot is located, and is most suitable for performing a mission among a plurality of tasks. You can decide on a suitable task. The strategy determining unit 230 may determine a task most suitable for the performance of the mission as a strategy for performing the mission.

The controller 240 may perform a service based on the determined strategy (S140). More specifically, the control unit 240 may generate a task graph model for performing a mission described as a time-series service, and based on this, may perform programming for driving each of the at least one robot.

Meanwhile, the task and the task graph model may be pre-mapped, and the control unit 240 may use the mapped task graph model for each of the at least one robot based on the task being determined by the strategy determination unit 230. Programming can be done individually.

5 illustrates an example of a dynamic mode and multiple operations provided by a robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the dynamic mode may include remote control, autonomous driving, and treasure hunt. Remote control, autonomous driving, and treasure hunt can be switched according to the criteria determined by the mission establishment unit 220. For example, a change of the dynamic mode may be performed from remote control to autonomous driving in the 'A' position.

In some cases, the change of the dynamic mode may be performed by the control unit 240. The controller 240 performing remote control of the robot, based on detecting that the robot conforms to a predetermined criterion, in order to change to autonomous driving, the controller 240 transmits a specific command to change the dynamic mode to be dynamic You can switch modes.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, tasks for performing a service may vary according to a dynamic mode. In FIG. 5, multiple tasks in which three tasks of listening, reporting, and operation are performed simultaneously are represented, and information on which task is performed according to each mode may be previously designated and stored in a database. The strategy determining unit 230 may determine an appropriate task by identifying at least one robot, a service, and a dynamic mode determined by the mission establishing unit 220 based on the mission being established.

6 illustrates an implementation example related to a mission establishment unit of a robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 6 shows an example of a mission expressed in a script language.

Referring to FIG. 6, a script language is expressed in a BNF (Backus-Nauer) format. Here, the suffix '*' means 'repeated more than 0 times', '+' means 'repeated more than once', and '?' Can mean '0 or 1 hour'.

In some cases, a mission can consist of two parts: team building and team action. Team behavior can consist of services, multitasking services, and dynamic modes. If this is expressed in BNF format, it may be as shown in Table 1.

<MissionScenario> :: = <TeamScenario> +
<TeamScenario> :: = <TeamComposition><TeamBehavior>
<TeamBehavior> :: = <Service> + <Multitasking> +
<DynamicModeChange>

Table 2 shows the team structure in BNF format.

<TeamComposition> :: = <TeamName>: <RobotList> +
<RobotList> :: = <RobotType><RobotName>

Referring to Table 2, team composition may be expressed as a list of robots belonging to the team. Each robot can be represented by the type and name of the robot. This may be represented by a team named Team1 and a lego_robot type r1 in Team1, for example, as indicated in line 1 of FIG. 6. The robot's operation can be defined as a script language service. If the service is expressed in BNF format, it may be as shown in Table 3.

<Service> :: = <TeamName>. <PlanName>. <CompServiceName>
{<Stmt> +} <RepeatStmt>?
<RepeatStmt> :: = repeat (<LoopCondition> *)

Referring to Table 3, when specifying a composite service composed of a plurality of services, each composite service is different depending on the operation (Plan), so the operation name (PlanName) can be explicitly entered in the syntax of the service. The following plan should be understood in the same sense as the operation. Repeated execution of complex service can be created with repeat conditions or cycles through the repeat statement. For example, it can be seen that three complex services are defined through lines 2 to 8 of FIG. 6, one for each job (or plan). The scripting language can support conditional and looping statements in complex service definitions. Conditional statement execution can be expressed using if and else, and loop statements can be expressed using loop. Because communication occurs frequently due to the nature of the robot, send and receive may be defined as a service in advance. The throw statement can be used to generate events in composite services. It can be used to perform dynamic mode changes or conditional execution of dynamic modes.

According to line 8 of FIG. 6, when TEAM 1 arrives at the destination, an event for changing the mode to 'SEARCH_MODE' may occur. At this time, services registered in advance in the database may also be used. Various kinds of built-in services such as "move", "video capture" and "object detection" can be used, for example. In this regard, the form of BNF can be expressed as shown in Table 4.

<Stmt> :: = <ConditionalStmt>
| <IterationalStmt>
| <ExpressionStmt>
<ConditionalStmt> :: = if (<Condition> +) {<Stmt> +}
<ElseStmt>?
<ElseStmt> :: = else {<Stmt> +}
<IterationalStmt> :: = loop (<LoopCondition> +) {<Stmt> +}
<LoopCondition> :: = <PeriodTime>
| <Condition>
<ExpressionStmt> :: = send (<TeamName>, <Attribute> +)
| receive (<TeamName>, <Attribute> +)
| <Built-in-Service>
| throw <EventName>

The format of the multi-task BNF can be expressed as shown in Table 5.

<Multitasking> :: = <TeamName>. <ModeName>{<SetStmt> +}
<SetStmt> :: = set (<PlanName>, <CompServiceName>)
| set (<PlanName>, OFF)

Referring to Table 5, the operation (or plan) can be terminated through 'set (<PlanName>, OFF)'. Lines 9 to 12 of FIG. 6 may represent a method of defining the operation of each plan in the autonomous driving mode. Table 6 shows the format of the BNF for the dynamic mode.

<DynamicModeChange> :: = <TeamName> .main {
<ModeChange> * <InitialMode>}
<ModeChange> :: = case (<ModeName>): <EventListener> *
<EventListener> :: = catch (<EventName>): <ModeAssign>
<ModeAssign> :: = mode = <ModeName>
<InitialMode> :: = default: <ModeAssign>

Referring to Table 6, the controller 240 may execute the main loop until the program ends, in response to the robot starting to perform the mission. The first mode can be set as the default mode, and the generated event can change the mode. Based on the condition in which the dynamic mode is changed, the control unit 240 may determine the next operation mode based on the event captured in the Catch statement during execution of the main loop. According to line 18 of FIG. 6, it can be seen that when the initial mode is set to "AUTO_MODE", the switching of the dynamic mode occurs under specific conditions as expressed in lines 14 to 17. 7 illustrates an example of implementing a strategy determining unit of a robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 7 shows an example of a strategy expressed using an XML markup language.

FIG. 7 may express an XML expression 'confirming the current location and obstacles, and then moving on a wheel' by specifying a service related to 'movement'. The specific expression may be predetermined by a manufacturer of the robot control apparatus 10 or an expert of robot control, and previously specified in the database. In this case, if the mission is established by the mission establishment unit 220, based on this, the strategy determination unit 230 may embody the mission with detailed tasks as shown in FIG. 7.

In some cases, the strategy determination unit 230 may determine non-functional matters related to the mission. For example, in relation to a service that is a functional matter, for example, a 'move' service, the strategy determination unit 230 may determine a strategy of 'continuously checking the battery level of the robot'.

Tasks in charge of non-functional matters may also be assigned to a service and stored in a database. For example, the task of 'continuously checking the battery level of the robot' may be a task related to the 'move' service and may be previously designated in the database. The strategy determining unit 230 may determine non-functional matters in consideration of various conditions related to the robot, for example, power efficiency of the robot and environmental conditions in which the robot is located.

8 shows an example of the implementation related to the control unit of the robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, when a team of robots is composed of N units, the control unit 240 may generate a task graph model for each of the N robots. 8 shows a task graph model of 'Robot # 2' by way of example.

The task graph model can be composed of various types of tasks, such as sensor tasks, algorithm tasks, actuator tasks, or communication tasks. The task graph model is not limited to what is shown and may exist in connection with performing various operations.

The task graph model may be registered in the database in advance. At this time, the task graph model may be mapped to a strategy for each task. Accordingly, when a strategy is determined by the strategy determination unit 230, a related task graph model may be generated.

The task graph model is for programming the actual robot operation according to the operating system of the robot, and is easy for a person skilled in the art, and detailed description will be omitted.

9A and 9B show other examples of the implementation related to the control unit of the robot control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the case of FIG. 9A, it may be a task graph model for a robot performing remote control movement using communication. In the case of FIG. 9A, since communication is used, a 'Receive' task for receiving a signal may be included.

In the case of FIG. 9B, it may be a task graph model for a robot performing indirect remote control movement using a TLD algorithm. In FIG. 9B, since a TLD algorithm is used, a 'Camera' task for information collection purposes may be included. Here, the TLD algorithm may be pre-designated and stored data.

Since the robot control apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention receives an input for a service expressed by a higher unit that means the operation of the robot by the user, and implements the operation of the robot based on this, it is not an expert. The user can easily control the robot.

In addition, the robot control apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a concept that does not depend on the hardware of the robot in the case of a service. It has high efficiency in that it can be applied.

In addition, the robot control apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applicable to the control of a robot in a team unit composed of a plurality of robots, not control for each individual robot.

Combinations of each block in the block diagrams and respective steps in the flowcharts attached to this specification may be performed by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be mounted on a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, so that instructions executed through a processor of a computer or other programmable data processing equipment may be used in each block or flowchart of the block diagram. In each step, means are created to perform the functions described. These computer program instructions can also be stored in computer readable or computer readable memory that can be oriented to a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to implement a function in a particular manner, so that computer readable or computer readable memory The instructions stored in it are also possible to produce an article of manufacture containing instructions means for performing the functions described in each block or flowchart step of the block diagram. Since computer program instructions may be mounted on a computer or other programmable data processing equipment, a series of operational steps are performed on the computer or other programmable data processing equipment to create a process that is executed by the computer to generate a computer or other programmable data. It is also possible for instructions to perform processing equipment to provide steps for executing the functions described in each block of the block diagram and in each step of the flowchart.

Further, each block or each step may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for executing the specified logical function (s). It should also be noted that in some alternative embodiments it is also possible that the functions mentioned in blocks or steps occur out of order. For example, two blocks or steps shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially simultaneously, or it is also possible that the blocks or steps are sometimes performed in reverse order depending on the corresponding function.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential quality of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, but to explain the scope, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by the embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

10: robot control device
210: input
220: Mission establishment
230: strategic decision unit
240: control unit

Claims (15)

A team building unit forming a team including at least one robot,
A service determination unit for determining a service to be performed by the configured team;
A multi-task setting unit for setting a multitasking service to be performed together with at least a part of the service;
A dynamic mode determination unit for setting a dynamic mode related to a change in a steering method in which the motion of the team is controlled;
A mission establishment unit for establishing a mission in which the team, the service, the multi-task service, and the dynamic mode are reflected;
Including the control unit for controlling the at least one robot according to the established mission,
Robot control device. According to claim 1,
Further comprising an input unit for receiving input by the user,
The team configuration unit configures the team based on the received input,
The service determining unit determines the service to be performed based on the received input,
The multi-task setting unit sets the multi-task based on the received input,
The dynamic mode determining unit sets the dynamic mode based on the received input.
Robot control device. According to claim 2,
The input is
An input for determining the number of the at least one robot, an input for designating the service to be performed, an input for selecting whether to perform the multi-task, an input for designating another service distinct from the service as the multi-work service, the Containing at least one of the inputs that set the criteria for changing the steering mode
Robot control device. According to claim 3,
The control method includes at least one of remote control and autonomous driving, and is changed according to a reference set by the input
Robot control device. According to claim 1,
Further comprising a strategy determining unit for identifying the established mission, and determining a task indicating the operation as a sub-unit of the service for the at least one robot for the execution of the mission
Robot control device. The method of claim 5,
The task is composed of a plurality, is mapped to the service and is stored in advance in the strategy decision unit with a predetermined
Robot control device. The method of claim 5,
The strategy determining unit, based on at least one of the mission, the number of robots, the type of the robot, the state of the robot, the location of the robot, and the environment in which the robot is located, of the mission of the plurality of tasks Determining at least one task best suited to perform
Robot control device. According to claim 1,
The control unit controls the movement of each of the at least one robot to perform the mission for each of the at least one robot
Robot control device. According to claim 1,
The robot is a biomimetic robot that performs an operation by imitating the characteristics of living things.
Robot control device. Configure a team including at least one robot, determine a service to be performed by the configured team, set a multitasking service to be performed with at least a part of the service, and control the operation of the team Setting up a dynamic mode related to changing the steering mode,
Establishing a mission in which the team, the service, the multi-task service, and the dynamic mode are reflected;
And controlling the at least one robot according to the established mission.
Robot control method. The method of claim 10,
Further comprising the step of receiving the input by the user,
Based on the received input, the team is configured, the service to be performed is determined, the multi-task is set, and the dynamic mode is set.
Robot control method. The method of claim 11,
The input is
An input for determining the number of the at least one robot, an input for designating the service to be performed, an input for selecting whether to execute the multi-task, an input for designating another service distinct from the service as the multi-work service, the Containing at least one of the inputs that set the criteria for changing the steering mode
Robot control method. The method of claim 12,
The control method includes at least one of remote control and autonomous driving, and is changed according to a reference set by the input
Robot control method. The method of claim 10,
And identifying the established mission, and determining a task representing an operation as a sub-unit of the service for the at least one robot for performing the mission.
Robot control method. The method of claim 14,
Determining the task,
Based on at least one of the mission, the number of robots, the type of the robot, the state of the robot, the position of the robot, and the environment in which the robot is located, at least the most suitable for performing the mission among a plurality of tasks Including determining a task
Robot control method.

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