KR102687041B1 - Floor drawing robot with high precision - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention includes a main body, a running unit for moving the main body, a drawing means provided in the main body for drawing on the floor, a storage unit for storing design data in a drawing area, and a device that recognizes the current position and stores the design data. Accordingly, a floor drawing robot with high precision is provided, including a control unit that controls drawing on the floor surface using the drawing means.

Description

Floor drawing robot with high precision {FLOOR DRAWING ROBOT WITH HIGH PRECISION}

The present invention relates to a robot, and more specifically, to a high-precision floor drawing robot that can draw on the floor with great precision.

Various types of equipment are required in factories and laboratories, and installation of large equipment is often required. Various wiring must be connected to such large equipment, and usually the wiring can be provided on the floor without being exposed to the outside.

To this end, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of floor plates 1' may be provided adjacent to each other at the same height to form the floor 1 of a factory or laboratory. The bottom plate 1' is supported upward by a plurality of support legs S1 to S3, so that a predetermined space can be formed in the lower part of the spaced apart bottom plate 1'.

In this way, various wiring is provided in a predetermined space formed at the bottom of the floor plate (1'), and these wires are connected to equipment installed on the floor (1) through a connection hole (not shown) formed in the floor plate (1'). You can.

Therefore, before various types of equipment are installed, a design representing the connection hole must be displayed on the floor 1 in order to provide a pre-perforated connection hole.

Figure 2 is a layout diagram of equipment installed in the factory. As shown in FIG. 2, there may be a site on the factory floor (1) where various types of equipment are installed (Eq. #1 to Eq. #12 in FIG. 2).

Conventionally, in order to drill the connection hole at the site, a worker placed a large design showing the connection hole on the floor (1), drew the design one by one with a pen by hand, and then punched the hole at the corresponding location. .

When workers draw by hand like this, there is a problem that a connection hole design of an incorrect size may be drawn in an incorrect location, and there is also the inconvenience of having to prepare a separate large design for each piece of equipment.

Accordingly, there is a need for necessary technologies that can solve these problems.

J.P. 2019-196988 A J.P. 2017-015523 A

The present invention seeks to provide a high-precision floor drawing robot that can automatically draw a picture according to a design precisely on the floor.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a main body, a running part for moving the main body, a drawing means provided in the main body for drawing on the floor, a storage part for storing design data in the drawing area, and a current location. It provides a floor drawing robot with high precision, including a control unit that recognizes and controls drawing on the floor surface using the drawing means according to the design data.

According to one embodiment, the drawing means may be a spray device that sprays ink to draw, or a pen that draws by contacting the bottom surface.

According to one embodiment, the drawing means may be located at the center of the main body.

According to one embodiment, a plurality of lidars are provided in the main body, and further include a lidar that detects an object in front using laser light, wherein the control unit travels along a movement path within the drawing area, By recognizing the current location using the lidar, it is possible to control drawing on the floor surface using the drawing means according to the design data.

According to one embodiment, the control unit may use the lidar to detect a reflector provided at at least one preset reference point in the drawing area and recognize the current location using the reflector.

According to one embodiment, a plurality of LIDARs are provided along the outer peripheral surface of the main body, and the control unit can recognize the current location using a band-shaped reflector provided along the edge of the drawing area. .

According to one embodiment, the control unit calculates the shortest distance for some of the reflectors provided along one side of the drawing area, and the shortest distance for another part of the reflectors provided along the other side of the drawing area. By calculating , the current location can be recognized.

According to one embodiment, the control unit moves the main body back and forth along the vertical direction within the drawing area, while moving a small distance along the horizontal direction, using the drawing means according to the design data. It can be controlled to draw on the floor surface.

According to one embodiment, the control unit may set the micro-distance differently depending on the size of the figure drawn by the drawing means at the current position.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to automatically draw a picture according to a pattern on the floor with precision.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an access floor, which is an example of a floor on which a floor drawing robot moves according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a layout diagram of equipment installed in the factory.
Figure 3 is an exemplary exterior view of a floor drawing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a configuration diagram of a floor drawing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is an example diagram of design data in a drawing area according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6a is an exemplary diagram of a reflector according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6b is a diagram for explaining a process by which a floor drawing robot determines its current location using a reflector according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a diagram showing the bottom of a floor drawing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8a is an exemplary diagram of a first movement path along which a floor drawing robot travels within a drawing area according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8b is an exemplary diagram of a second movement path along which a floor drawing robot travels within a drawing area according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, identical or similar components will be assigned the same reference numbers regardless of reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes “module” and “part” for the components used in the following description are given or used interchangeably only for the ease of preparing the specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles in themselves. Additionally, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the detailed descriptions will be omitted. In addition, the attached drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical idea disclosed in this specification is not limited by the attached drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention are not limited. , should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

When a component is said to be "connected" or "connected" to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, but that other components may exist in between. It should be. On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a component is “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In this specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that it does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Figure 3 is an exemplary exterior view of a floor drawing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4 is a configuration diagram of a floor drawing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the floor drawing robot 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body, a traveling unit 120 for moving the main body, and drawing data in the drawing area 20. A storage unit 130 for storing (d1 to d5), a drawing means 160 provided in the main body for drawing on the floor (1), recognizing the current position, and drawing data (d1 to d5) ) may include a control unit 110 that controls drawing on the floor 1 surface using the drawing means 160.

In this way, the floor drawing robot 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention measures the current position and draws the drawing data (d1 to d5) in the drawing area 20 of the floor 1 using the drawing means 160. Because you draw along the surface, you can create precise designs on the floor.

However, since the components shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are not essential, it is of course possible to implement a floor drawing robot with more or fewer components.

Below, we will look at each component.

The main body of the floor drawing robot 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited in its shape, but is preferably cylindrical or disc-shaped with a low height, as shown in FIG. 3.

That is, a plurality of lidars 141 may be provided on the side or side outer peripheral surface of the main body of the floor drawing robot 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this case, the plurality of lidars 141 may be provided on the main body. It is desirable to be disposed at predetermined intervals along the outer circumferential surface of the floor drawing robot 10 so as to detect or recognize an object to be sensed omnidirectionally (360°) around the main body of the floor drawing robot 10.

Lidar 141 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a 2D lidar, and a plurality of 2D lidars may be arranged to face a 360° direction centered on the position of the main body.

The traveling unit 120 may include at least one wheel for moving the main body of the floor drawing robot 10 and a driving device including a motor for rotationally driving the wheel.

The driving unit 120 may further include a steering device for setting the driving direction in the front, rear, left, and right directions. However, if it does not include a steering device, the driving part 120 rotates the wheels provided on each of the left and right sides without a steering device. By varying the speed, the driving direction of the main body can be changed to the left or right, or the main body can be rotated.

Although not shown in the drawing, the floor drawing robot 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a battery to supply power required for overall operation, and here, the battery is preferably a rechargeable secondary battery.

The storage unit 130 may store a control program for controlling or driving the floor drawing robot 10 and corresponding data. Specifically, the storage unit 130 can store design data (d1 to d5) within the drawing area 20, and the storage unit 130 can also store driving methods, etc.

The storage unit 130 may mainly use non-volatile memory, where non-volatile memory (NVM, NVRAM) is a storage device that can retain stored information even when power is not supplied. For example, It may be ROM, flash memory, magnetic computer storage (eg, hard disk, diskette drive, magnetic tape), optical disk drive, magnetic RAM, PRAM, etc.

The control unit 110 is a means of controlling the overall operation of the floor drawing robot 10, and can execute various application programs in conjunction with each component of the floor drawing robot 10 and perform operations related thereto. . That is, the control unit 110 controls the operation of the floor drawing robot 10 by processing signals or data input and output through the components of the floor drawing robot 10, or by running an application program stored in the storage unit 130. can do. Additionally, the control unit 110 may control at least some of the components of the floor drawing robot 10 to run the application program stored in the storage unit 130.

The control unit 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention determines the current position and uses the current position to draw the floor (1) using the drawing means 160 according to the design data (d1 to d5) stored in the storage unit 130. You can draw on the surface.

The control unit 110 may use various methods to determine the current location, but according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 110 may determine the current location using the LIDAR 141 and a reflector. A detailed explanation of this will be provided later.

Figure 5 is an example diagram of design data in a drawing area according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the floor drawing robot 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can draw on the floor 1 according to design data d1 to d5 using the drawing means 160.

In other words, unlike in the past, a design can be drawn on the floor (1) according to the design data (d1 to d5) instead of laying a large piece of paper with a design drawn on the floor (1), and depending on the purpose of the design, the worker can draw it if necessary. You can also make holes according to the design drawn on the floor (1).

The drawing area 20 is an area where a design is drawn according to design data (d1 to d5) on the floor 1, and the floor drawing robot 10 moves on the border or inside the drawing area 20, drawing the floor. You can draw in (1). That is, the floor drawing robot 10 can draw according to the design data d1 to d5 within the area bordered by the edge of the drawing area 20. The design data (d1 to d5) may refer to information about the design provided in the drawing area (20) of the floor (1), and the shapes of the design data (d1 to d5) and the drawing area (20) may vary. , the present invention is not particularly limited to its form.

The floor drawing robot 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include drawing means 160 to draw a design on the floor 1.

The drawing means 160 may be provided on the bottom of the main body of the floor drawing robot 10 toward the floor 1, and in order for the drawing means 160 to draw on the floor 1, in one embodiment of the present invention. The drawing means 160 may be a spray device that draws by spraying ink, etc.

As shown in FIG. 7, the spray device provided on the bottom of the main body of the floor drawing robot 10 can spray ink toward the floor 1.

The injection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of drawing on the floor 1 by spraying ink, but is not limited to a nozzle hole through which ink is sprayed according to a control command generated from the control unit 110. It is preferable to selectively spray and finely spray ink by selectively opening and closing (not shown), and more preferably, the size or diameter of the nozzle hole can be adjusted according to a control command from the control unit 110 when necessary. , it is better to be able to control the size or shape of the ink spraying surface.

Meanwhile, the drawing means 160 according to another embodiment of the present invention may be a pen capable of drawing in contact with the floor 1, rather than a spray device.

The pen is preferably coupled directly or indirectly to the bottom of the main body of the floor drawing robot 10, and draws with a pen tip in contact with the floor 1 as the main body of the floor drawing robot 10 travels.

At this time, the pen can also be mounted on and detached from the bottom of the main body of the floor drawing robot 10, and is preferably raised and lowered according to a control command generated by the control unit 110 so that drawing can be selectively performed with the pen. do.

The position of the drawing means according to an embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably located at the center of the main body of the floor drawing robot 10, as shown in FIG. 7. This is because generally, when determining the current position of the floor drawing robot 10, the center of the main body is used as a reference.

Meanwhile, as described above, the control unit 110 of the floor drawing robot 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention uses an image captured by at least one camera (not shown) provided in the main body to determine the current position. The current location of the floor drawing robot 10 can be recognized using data, but in order to increase the positioning accuracy of the current location, signals output from the posture sensor 142, encoder 143, lidar 141, etc. Data can be combined.

That is, the type of sensor unit 140 is not particularly limited as long as it is for collecting information or data necessary for the moving floor drawing robot 10 to measure the current position, but specific examples include LIDAR 141, posture It may be one of the sensor 142 and the wheel sensor 143 or a combination thereof.

Lidar (lidar) 141 is a means of detecting an object in front using laser light. It detects an optical signal reflected by irradiating light and measures the distance and direction to detect an object in front. It can be sensed.

The control unit 110 can measure the distance and direction to the front reflector 200 detected by the plurality of LIDARs 141 provided in the main body and use these to calculate the current location.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 110 measures the distance and direction from the main body, specifically the lidar 141, to the reflectors provided at the first and second reference points 2 and 3, The current location of the floor drawing robot 10 can be calculated using triangulation or the like.

The first and second reference points 2 and 3 are absolute positions, and are preferably located on the boundary of the drawing area 20 or outside adjacent to the boundary.

A reflector 33 may be provided at the first and second reference points 2 and 3, where the reflector 33 is sufficient as long as it can be detected by the LiDAR 141, and is the subject of the LiDAR 141. Among these, it is an object that has a relatively high reflectivity and is easy to distinguish from others, so it is desirable to be able to identify it by LiDAR 141 from various angles.

Alternatively, according to another embodiment of the present invention, at least one reflector 33 supported by at least one support 31 or 32 may be provided along the edge of the drawing area 20, and the control unit (110) calculates the shortest distance for some of the reflectors 33 provided along one side of the drawing area 20, and for another part of the reflectors 33 provided along the other side of the drawing area 20. By calculating the shortest distance, you can recognize your current location.

Specifically, in the approximately square drawing area 20, a band-shaped reflector 33 is provided along the perimeter of the drawing area 20, as shown in FIG. 6b, and is provided on the main body of the floor drawing robot 10. It is desirable to place it at a height corresponding to the height of the lidar 141.

At this time, the band-shaped reflector 33 can preferably be automatically wound by elasticity such as a coil spring, and the automatically wound band-shaped reflector 33 is easy to transport and can be used in various drawing areas 20. Workers can easily prepare the area.

The floor drawing robot 10 located within the drawing area 20 formed by the band-shaped reflector 33 recognizes the drawing area 20 formed by the reflector 33 by identifying the reflector 33, and recognizes the drawing area 20 formed by the reflector 33. The drawing area 20 can be saved (or created).

Afterwards, the control unit 110 calculates the shortest distance between the floor drawing robot 10 and some of the reflectors 33a to 33d provided in all directions around the floor drawing robot 10, so that the floor drawing robot 10 in the drawing area 20 is currently The location can be accurately calculated.

For example, as shown in Figure 6b, the main body of the floor drawing robot 10 located within the drawing area 20 can identify the reflectors 33a to 33d located around it and recognize the drawing area 20. Within the drawing area 20 created in this way, the control unit 110 measures the shortest distance (P1, P3, P5, P7) with each side of the identified reflector (33a ~ 33d), and then measures the measured distance. Any point within the drawing area 20 derived using this method can be set as the current position of the floor drawing robot 10.

That is, the control unit 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention can use the LIDAR 141 to determine the absolute current position within the drawing area 20.

Meanwhile, the sensor unit 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include an attitude sensor 142 and a wheel sensor 143 in addition to the lidar 141, and the control unit 110 may include an attitude sensor 142. ) and/or the wheel sensor 143, the current location can be determined.

Among the sensor units 140, the posture sensor 142 (or inertia measurement unit (IMU)) is a means for detecting the posture or inertia of the floor drawing robot 10, and includes an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor. It may be comprised of any one of (gyro sensors) or a combination thereof. The control unit 110 can use this to calculate the movement distance and direction, and can determine the current location by applying the relative movement distance and direction based on the previously recognized or set initial position.

The acceleration sensor can detect changes in the moving speed of the floor drawing robot 10. For example, the acceleration sensor can be attached to a position adjacent to a wheel and detect slippage or idling of the wheel. That is, the speed can be calculated using the acceleration detected through the acceleration sensor, compared with the command speed, and the slipping of the floor drawing robot 10 on the floor can be detected based on the difference.

The gyro sensor can detect the rotation direction and/or rotation angle when the floor drawing robot 10 travels. The gyro sensor can detect the angular velocity of the floor drawing robot 10 and output a voltage value proportional to the angular velocity, and the control unit 110 uses this to calculate the rotation direction and/or rotation angle of the floor drawing robot 10. can do.

In addition, the wheel sensor 143 of the sensor unit 140 is connected to the wheel and can detect the rotation speed of the wheel. For example, the wheel sensor may be an encoder (or rotary encoder), and the encoder may detect and output the rotation speed of at least one wheel when the floor drawing robot 10 runs.

The control unit 110 can calculate the rotational speed and the moving speed of the floor drawing robot 10 using the rotational speed of the wheel detected by the wheel sensor 143. Additionally, the control unit 110 may compare the moving speed calculated using the wheel sensor 143 with the command speed and detect the slipping of the floor drawing robot 10 on the floor according to the difference.

However, since the relative position from the initial position is calculated using the information output by the posture sensor 142 and/or the wheel sensor 143, the position of the main body may change due to external force or slip depending on the condition of the floor. In such cases, there is a problem that an error may occur in the current positioning value.

Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 110 can determine the current location using at least one selected from the lidar 141, the posture sensor 142, and the wheel sensor 143, or a combination thereof. .

The present invention is not particularly limited, but as a specific example, before drawing, the initial current position is determined using the lidar 141 and the reflector 33, and then the posture sensor 142 and the wheel sensor 143 are used. Thus, the current location can be continuously determined, and the accumulated error resulting from this can be corrected using the LIDAR 141 and the reflector 33.

Meanwhile, as described above, the floor drawing robot 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can draw a design on the floor 1 according to the design data d1 to d5 in the drawing area 20, and at this time, the floor The drawing robot 10 can move to a corresponding location according to the previously stored design data d1 to d5 and then draw a design using the drawing means 160.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and according to a preferred embodiment, the control unit 110 moves along a preset movement path within the drawing area 20, and determines the current location of the drawing according to the design data (d1 to d5). If it corresponds to the required position, the drawing means 160 can be used to draw a dot-like shape on the floor 1 at the current position.

In other words, the floor drawing robot 10 draws on the floor 1 in the form of multiple points, so that a design in the form of a line or surface can be drawn on the floor 1 by a set of points.

Here, the preset movement path along which the floor drawing robot 10 travels within the drawing area 20 includes a reciprocating path in one direction, for example, a vertical direction, and another direction, one direction, between the reciprocating paths. For example, it may include a path that moves a small distance along the horizontal direction.

That is, as a specific example, the floor drawing robot 10 traveling along the preset movement path repeats round-tripping along the vertical direction by having the first movement path R1 shown in FIG. 8A. It can move in the horizontal direction by a small distance of d1. That is, while the floor drawing robot 10 repeatedly traverses the drawing area 20, if the current position corresponds to the position where drawing is required according to the design data d1 to d5, the drawing means 160 is used. Using this, a drawing can be performed on the floor 1 as shown in FIG. 5.

However, at this time, the floor drawing robot 10 according to a preferred embodiment creates a blank area 21 in which there is no design in the drawing area 20, that is, an area 21 without a design according to the design data d1 to d5. ) By preventing the floor drawing robot 10 from running on the floor, it is possible to quickly draw a design on the floor 1.

Specifically, the control unit 110 can search for the blank area 21 within the drawing area 20, and after calculating the position and width of the searched blank area 21, the floor drawing robot 10 moves in the vertical direction. After repeating the round trip along the blank area (21), when the blank area (21) is reached, it does not move a small distance in the horizontal direction, but moves as much as the width (R21) of the blank area (21), and then repeats the round trip along the vertical direction again. can do.

Meanwhile, as described above, the control unit 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when traveling back and forth across the drawing area 20, may move in another direction by a small distance in between.

At this time, the control unit 110 preferably sets the micro-distance differently depending on the size of the figure drawn by the drawing means 160 at the current position, for example, the size of the point. That is, as an example, the control unit 110 may determine that the larger the size of the point drawn by the drawing means 160 at the current position, the longer the microdistance can be, and conversely, the size of the point drawn by the drawing means 160 increases. The smaller the distance, the narrower the distance can be.

For example, when the size of the point drawn by the drawing means 160 at the current position becomes relatively small, the second movement path (R2) shown in FIG. 8B is the first movement path (R1) shown in FIG. 8A. If the minute distance d2 can become narrower and, on the contrary, the size of the point drawn by the drawing means 160 at the current position becomes relatively large, the first movement path R1 shown in FIG. 8A is similar to that in FIG. 8B. The small distance d1 may be wider than the second movement path R2 shown in .

In the end, the control unit 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention sets the small distance during the movement path differently depending on the size or diameter of the nozzle sphere of the injection device, which is the drawing means 160, or, according to another embodiment of the present invention, According to one embodiment, when the pen, which is the drawing means 160, is mounted, the type of the mounted pen may be detected, and a small distance during the movement path may be set differently depending on the type of the pen detected or the size of the pen tip.

The present invention is not particularly limited, but according to a preferred embodiment, when the pen is mounted as the drawing means 160, the outer surface of the pen mounted on the pen mounting hole (not shown) formed on the main body of the floor drawing robot 10 A terminal for identifying the type of pen may be provided, and the control unit 110 recognizes the type of the pen by identifying the terminal in contact with the inner surface of the pen mounting device, and adjusts the small distance accordingly. You can set it.

Above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. The description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing its technical idea or essential features.

Therefore, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described later rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts are included in the scope of the present invention. must be interpreted.

1: Floor 10: Floor drawing robot
20: drawing area 31, 32: support
33, 33a ~ 33d: Reflector 110: Control unit
120: running part 130: storage part
140: Sensor unit 141: Lidar
142: Posture sensor 143: Wheel sensor
160: Drawing means

Claims (9)

main body;
a traveling unit for moving the main body;
Drawing means provided in the main body for drawing on the floor surface;
A storage unit that stores design data within the drawing area;
a control unit that recognizes the current position and controls drawing on the floor surface using the drawing means according to the design data; and
A plurality of lidars are provided in the main body, and detect objects in front using laser light;
Including,
The control unit recognizes the drawing area using a band-shaped reflector supported by at least one support and provided to surround the edge of the drawing area - the reflector is disposed at a height corresponding to the height of the lidar. do,
A floor drawing robot with high precision, characterized in that it recognizes the current position using the shortest distance to one side of the reflectors and the shortest distance to another side of the reflectors within the drawing area. According to claim 1,
The drawing means is,
A high-precision floor drawing robot characterized by a spray device for drawing by spraying ink or a pen for drawing in contact with the floor surface. According to claim 2,
A floor drawing robot with high precision, wherein the drawing means is located at the center of the main body. delete delete delete delete According to claim 1,
The control unit,
Controlling the main body to reciprocate along the vertical direction within the drawing area, while moving a small distance along the horizontal direction, and draw on the floor surface using the drawing means according to the design data. A floor drawing robot featuring high precision. According to claim 8,
The control unit,
A floor drawing robot with high precision, characterized in that the minute distance is set differently depending on the size of the figure drawn by the drawing means at the current position.

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