APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MULTI-ROBOT LINKED IN VIRTUAL SPACE

• US 20100145514A1
• Filed: 12/03/2009
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: KIM, Hyun, Matai, Janarbek, Kang, Taegun, Kim, Myungeun, Cho, Joonmyun, Suh, Youngho, Kim, Hyoungsun, Lee, Kangwoo
• Application Number:
  US12/630,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20100145514A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/248
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/161 Hardware, e.g. neural networks, fuzzy logic, interfaces, processor
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1661 characterised by task planning, object-oriented languages
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39254 Behaviour controller, robot have feelings, learns behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40306 Two or more independent robots

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space, and when an event is generated in accordance with information change in virtual space including the web as well as the environmental change around a robot, the present invention controls individual behavior or collective behavior or corresponding robots by transmitting behavior data corresponding to the generated event to a plurality of robots. According to the present invention, by making a robot perform specific behavior in response to not only changes in the real environment, but information changes in the web, it is possible to arouse the user'"'"'s interest or the developer'"'"'s originality while removing due to complicity of the real environment, which is a problem limiting application of the robot, or dynamic response.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space including a control robot controlling behavior of a plurality of robots in accordance with information changes in virtual space, wherein the control robot includes:

an event processor, when changed information is received from the gateway server for virtual space that is linked with the virtual space and collects information in the virtual space, manages an event corresponding to the changed information; and

a robot task that reads the event of the event processor and transmits behavior data corresponding to the event of behavior data stored in a storage unit to a corresponding robot.

2. The apparatus for controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 1, wherein the control robot sets one or more information categories in the gateway server for virtual space, and receives an information change event from the gateway server for virtual space, when information change is generated in the set information categories.

3. The apparatus for controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 1, wherein the robot task transmits behavior data corresponding to the event to a plurality of robots, when the event by the information change in the virtual space satisfies a predetermined condition.

4. The apparatus for controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 1, wherein the robot task transmits behavior data corresponding to the event to each group including the plurality of robots, when the event by information change in the virtual space satisfies a predetermined condition.

5. The apparatus for controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 1, wherein the behavior data includes behavior information corresponding to the function of each of the robots, and a control command for implementing corresponding behavior.

6. The apparatus for controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 5, wherein the behavior data includes different control commands in accordance with the function of each robot pertaining to the predetermined groups.

7. The apparatus for controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 5, wherein the behavior data includes different control commands in accordance with environmental information around each robot pertaining to the predetermined group.

8. The apparatus for controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 1, wherein the control robot further includes an task coordinator that classifies the plurality of robots into one or more groups and allocates work to the robots included in each group.

9. The apparatus for controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 8, wherein the task coordinator downloads the robot task from a robot management server where the plurality of robots are registered, and binds the robot task to each robot or each group.

10. The apparatus for controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 1, wherein the robot task, when an event in accordance with a change in environmental information around the robot is generated, transmits behavior data corresponding to the event in accordance with the change in environmental information to a corresponding robot, on the basis of environmental information detected by the plurality of robots.

11. The apparatus for controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 1, wherein the control robot further includes a robot monitoring unit that manages the condition of each robot on the basis of environmental information detected by the plurality of robots.

12. The method of controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space of a control robot controlling behavior of a plurality of robots in accordance with information changes in the virtual space, comprising:

receiving changed information from gateway server for virtual space that is linked with the virtual space and collects information in the virtual space;

detecting an event corresponding to the received information; and

transmitting behavior data corresponding to an event in accordance with information change in the virtual space to a corresponding robot.

13. The method of controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 12, further comprising:

setting one or more information categories in the gateway server for virtual space, and

the changed information is included in the set information categories.

14. The method of controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 12, wherein the behavior data includes behavior information corresponding to the function of each of the robots, and a control command for implementing corresponding behavior.

15. The method of controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 14, wherein the behavior data includes different control command in accordance with the function of each robot pertaining to the predetermined groups.

16. The method of controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 14, wherein the behavior data includes different control commands in accordance with environmental information around each robot pertaining to the predetermined group.

17. The method of controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 12, further comprising:

classifying the plurality of robots into one or more groups; and

monitoring the behavior of a corresponding robot in the classified groups.

18. The method of controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 12, further comprising:

confirming whether environmental information around the robots is changed, by receiving environmental information detected by the plurality of robots; and

when the environmental information around the robots is changed, generating an event corresponding to the changed environmental information.

19. The method of controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 12, wherein the transmitting of behavior data transmits the behavior data to a corresponding robot or the group including a corresponding robot, when the environmental information around the robots is changed.

20. The method of controlling a multi-robot linked in virtual space according to claim 12, further comprising:

downloading a predetermined number of robot tasks from a robot management server where a plurality of robot tasks is registered; and

binding the downloaded robot tasks to at least one of the plurality of robots.