Network-based robot control system and robot velocity control method in the network-based robot control system

• US 7,890,210 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Joon-Koo, Shim, Hyun-Sik, Choi, Byung-Kwon
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): KING, RODNEY P
• Application Number:
  US11/395,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,782 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40174 Robot teleoperation through internet

Abstract

Provided are a network-based robot control system and a robot velocity control method in the network-based robot control system. A client calculates a robot control velocity according to its reception state of video data frames captured by a robot, generates a robot control message including the calculated robot control velocity, and transmits the robot control message to the robot. The robot then changes its velocity according to the robot control velocity included in the received robot control message. In this way, the velocity of the robot is controlled according to the video data reception state of the client, thereby allowing a user to easily control the robot regardless of the performance of the client.

Claims

1. A network-based robot control system comprising:

a robot for providing video data frames captured by performing a predetermined operation and changing a robot velocity according to a robot control velocity included in a received robot control message;

a client for receiving the video data frames captured by the robot through a server, calculating the robot control velocity according to its video data frame reception state, generating the robot control message including the robot control velocity, and transmitting the robot control message to the robot through said server; and

said server receiving the video data frames provided from the robot, receiving client type information of the client, changing the received video data based on the client type information of the client, and transmitting the changed video data to the client for calculating the robot control velocity.

2. The network-based robot control system of claim 1, wherein the client calculates the robot control velocity according to the number of received data frames.

3. The network-based robot control system of claim 1, wherein the client calculates a new robot control velocity by multiplying a preset default robot velocity by a velocity weight according to the number of received video data frames.

4. The network-based robot control system of claim 1 wherein the robot control velocity is calculated as follows:

V_new=V_base×

a

a=f_c/f_max(0≦

f_c≦

f_max)′

where V_new indicates the calculated new robot control velocity, V_base indicates a preset default robot velocity, a indicates the velocity weight, f_c indicates the number of video data frames received per second. and f_max indicates the maximum number of video data frames per second.

5. The network-based robot control system of claim 3, wherein the robot control velocity is calculated as follows:

V_new=V_base×

a

a=f_c/f_max(0≦

f_c≦

f_max)′

where V_new indicates the calculated new robot control velocity, _{V base} indicates the preset default robot velocity, a indicates the velocity weight, f_c indicates the number of video data frames received per second, and f_max indicates the maximum number of video data frames per second.

6. The network-based robot control system of claim 1 wherein the robot control velocity is calculated as follows:

V_new=V_base×

a

a=log₂(f_c/f_max+1)(0≦

f_c≦

f_max)′

where V_new indicates the calculated new robot control velocity, V_base indicates a preset default robot velocity, a indicates the velocity weight, f_c indicates the number of video data frames received per second, and f_max indicates the maximum number of video data frames per second.

7. The network-based robot control system of claim 1, wherein the robot control velocity includes a robot movement velocity.

8. The network-based robot control system of claim 3, wherein the robot control velocity is calculated as follows:

V_new=V_base×

a

a=log₂(f_c/f_max+1)(0≦

f_c≦

f_max)′

where V_new indicates the calculated new robot control velocity, V_base indicates the preset default robot velocity, a indicates the velocity weight, f_c indicates the number of video data frames received per second, and f_max indicates the maximum number of video data frames per second.

9. The network-based robot control system of claim 7, wherein the robot movement velocity includes a linear velocity in the movement direction of the robot and a rotation angular velocity in the rotation direction of the robot.

10. The network-based robot control system of claim 1, wherein the robot control velocity includes a robot camera velocity.

11. The network-based robot control system of claim 10, wherein the robot camera velocity includes the velocity of an up/down or left/right movement and a zoom-in/out operation of a camera of the robot.

12. The network-based robot control system of claim 1, wherein the client comprises:

a transmission/reception unit for receiving video data packets captured by the robot from the server and transmitting the robot control message to the server;

a video data processor for calculating the number of video data frames received per second;

a robot control velocity calculation unit for calculating the robot control velocity according to the calculated number of video data frames received per second;

a user interface unit for displaying the processed video data frames; and

a robot control message generation unit for generating the robot control message including the robot control velocity.

13. The network-based robot control system of claim 12, wherein the robot control velocity calculation unit calculates a new robot control velocity by multiplying a preset default robot velocity by a velocity weight according to the number of video data frames received per second.

14. The network-based robot control system of claim 1, wherein the server transmits the video data frames to the client after changing the number of video data frames provided from the robot according to a processing performance criteria of the client.

15. The network-based robot control system of claim 1, wherein the server transmits the video data frames to the client after changing the quality of the video data frames provided from the robot according to a processing performance criteria of the client.

16. The network-based robot control system of claim 1, wherein the client type information indicates that the client is one of a personal computer, a cell phone, and Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) including a wireless communication unit.

17. A method for controlling movement of a robot in a network-based robot control system, the network-based robot control system including the robot, a client, and a server for communicating with the robot and the client, the method comprising:

receiving, by the server, video data frames captured by the robot;

receiving, by the server, a client type information of the client;

changing, by the server, a number of the received video data frames based on the received client type information of the client;

transmitting, from the server to the client, the changed number of the received video data frames; and

changing, by the client, a robot control velocity corresponding to the changed number of the received video data frames per second.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

generating, by the client, a robot control message including the robot control velocity; and

transmitting, from the client to the server, the robot control message.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the robot control velocity includes a robot movement velocity.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the robot movement velocity includes a linear velocity in the movement direction of the robot and a rotation angular velocity in the rotation direction of the robot.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the robot control velocity includes a robot camera velocity.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the robot camera velocity includes a velocity of an up/down or left/right movement and a zoom-in/out operation of a camera of the robot.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the robot control velocity is calculated by determining a velocity weight according to the number of received video data frames, and multiplying a preset default robot velocity by the determined velocity weight.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, by the server, the robot control message including the robot control velocity; and

transmitting, from the server to the robot, the robot control message.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising changing, by the robot, its velocity according to the robot control velocity included in the robot control message.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the client type information indicates that the client is one of a personal computer, a cell phone, and Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) including a wireless communication unit.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the client type information includes information of the client'"'"'s processing performance for receiving and processing video data frames.