System and method for service-oriented automatic remote control, remote server, and remote control agent

• US 20060147001A1
• Filed: 11/22/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Cho, Young-Jo, Sohn, Joo-Chan, Ha, Young-Guk
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/90.10
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31457 Factory remote control, monitoring through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40174 Robot teleoperation through internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The present invention relates to a remote control system, a remote server, a remote control agent, and a remote control method. According to the present invention, when controlling the remote apparatus to perform a target service, remote apparatus information and service information are searched and a service plan is generated based on the searched remote apparatus information and service information for execution of the target service. In addition, a remote apparatus control process generated by the service plan and the process is performed. Therefore, users can easily control the remote apparatus and can be provided desired services.

Claims

1. A remote control system for controlling a remote apparatus to perform a target service, the remote control system comprising:

a remote control agent for requesting a service for the remote apparatus; and

a remote server for controlling the remote apparatus based on information on the remote apparatus and the service in accordance with a service execution request of the remote control agent.

2. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the remote apparatus information comprises information on at least one of a remote apparatus function, a remote apparatus control interface, and an atomic process directly performed by the remote apparatus.

3. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the service information comprises information on at least one of a composite process formed of a plurality of atomic processes and a data flow of the process, the composite process and the data flow being domain knowledge for service task configuration, and the plurality of atomic processes directly performed by the remote apparatus.

4. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the remote server comprises:

a control knowledge storage unit for storing the remote apparatus information and the service information; and

a device control agent for performing a request service by controlling the remote apparatus on the basis of the remote apparatus information and the service information.

5. The remote control system of claim 4, wherein the control knowledge storage unit comprises:

a knowledge base for storing the remote apparatus information and the service information as device knowledge and domain knowledge, respectively;

a search service module for searching for information associated with a request of the remote control agent from the knowledge base; and

a deduction module for performing planning for a target service on the basis of the device knowledge and domain knowledge transmitted from the search service module.

6. The remote control system of claim 5, wherein the deduction module generates a deduction model for the target service using the device knowledge and the domain knowledge, generates a planning domain from the deduction model, sets a target task, and generates a service plan.

7. The remote control system of claim 6, wherein the deduction module generates the service plan using a planning method (tasks than can be recursively decomposed into subtasks), a planning operator (a primitive task that can be directly performed), an initial state, and a target task by employing an artificial intelligence planning algorithm, the planning method, the planning operator, the initial state, and the target task being generated from a planning domain generation and semantic extension process from the deduction model.

8. The remote control system of claim 7, wherein the artificial intelligence planning algorithm is a hierarchical task network (HTN) planning algorithm.

9. The remote control system of claim 5, wherein the knowledge base comprises a device knowledge base for storing the device knowledge and a domain knowledge base for storing the domain knowledge.

10. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the device control agent comprises a control service module for controlling a connected remote apparatus according to a device control process generated for execution of a target service.

11. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the remote control agent comprises:

a process configuration module for generating a device control process for the remote apparatus through the service plan generated by the remote server for execution of the target service; and

a process execution module for performing the device control process for the remote server to control the remote apparatus for execution of the target service.

12. A remote control agent for requesting a remote apparatus to perform a target service through a remote server, the remote control agent comprising:

a process configuration module for generating a device control process through a service plan generated by the remote server based on remote apparatus information and service information; and

a process execution module for performing the device control process for the remote server to control the remote apparatus for execution of the target service.

13. The remote control agent of claim 12, further comprising a search module for searching the remote apparatus information and the service information from the remote server.

14. The remote control agent of claim 12, further comprising an interface module for receiving a target service from a user.

15. A remote server connected to a remote control agent, and for controlling a remote apparatus according to a request from a remote control agent to perform a target service, the remote server comprising:

a control knowledge storage unit for storing remote apparatus information and service information; and

a device control agent for controlling the remote apparatus to perform a requested service based on the stored remote apparatus information and service information.

16. The remote server of claim 15, wherein the remote apparatus information includes information on at least one of functions of the remote apparatus, a remote apparatus control interface, and an atomic process directly performed by the remote apparatus.

17. The remote server of claim 15, wherein the service information contains information on at least one of a composite process formed of a plurality of atomic processes and a data flow of the process, the composite process and data flow being domain knowledge for service task configuration, and the plurality of atomic processes directly performed by the remote apparatus.

18. The remote server of claim 15, wherein the control knowledge storage unit comprises:

a knowledge base for storing the remote apparatus information and the service information as device knowledge and domain knowledge, respectively;

a search service module for searching information associate with a request of the remote control agent from the knowledge base; and

a deduction module for performing planning for a target service on the basis of device knowledge and domain knowledge transmitted from the search service module.

19. The remote server of claim 18, wherein the deduction module generates a deduction model for the target service using the device knowledge and the domain knowledge, generates a planning domain from the deduction model, sets a target task, and generates a service plan.

20. The remote server of claim 19, wherein the deduction module generates the service plan using a planning method (tasks than can be recursively decomposed into subtasks), a planning operator (a primitive task that can be directly performed), an initial state, and a target task by employing an artificial intelligence planning algorithm, the planning method, a planning operator, an initial state, and a target task being generated from a planning domain generation and semantic extension process from the deduction model.

21. The remote server of claim 20, wherein the artificial intelligence planning algorithm is a hierarchical task network planning (HTN) algorithm.

22. The remote server of claim 18, wherein the knowledge base comprises a device knowledge base for storing the device knowledge and a domain knowledge base for storing the domain knowledge.

23. The remote server of claim 15, wherein the device control agent comprises a control service module for controlling a connected remote apparatus according to a device control process generated for execution of a target service.

24. A remote control method for controlling a remote apparatus to perform a target service, the remote control method comprising:

a) searching remote apparatus information and service information to perform a target service;

b) generating a service plan based on the searched remote apparatus information and service information; and

c) generating a remote apparatus control process through the service plan and performing the process.

25. The remote control method of claim 24, wherein the remote apparatus information comprises information on at least one of a remote apparatus control interface and an atomic process directly performed by the remote apparatus.

26. The remote control method of claim 24, wherein the service information comprises information on at least one of a composite process formed of a plurality of atomic processes and a data flow of the process, the composite process and the data flow being domain knowledge for service task configuration and the plurality of atomic processes directly performed by the remote apparatus.

27. The remote control method of claim 24, further comprising storing remote apparatus information and service information as device knowledge and domain knowledge, respectively, before a).

28. The remote control method of claim 27, wherein b) comprises:

b-1) receiving device knowledge and domain knowledge corresponding to the target service after a);

b-2) generating a deduction model using the device knowledge and domain knowledge, generating a planning domain from the deduction model, setting a target task, and generating a service plan.

29. The remote control method of claim 28, wherein, in b-2, the service plan is generated using a planning method (tasks than can be recursively decomposed into subtasks), a planning operator (a primitive task that can be directly performed), an initial state, and a target task as inputs by employing an artificial intelligence planning algorithm, the planning method, a planning operator, an initial state, and a target task being generated from a planning domain generation and semantic extension process from the deduction model.

30. The remote control method of claim 29, wherein the artificial intelligence planning algorithm is a hierarchical task network (HTN) planning algorithm.

31. The remote control method of claim 24, wherein c) comprises:

c-1) generating a device control process of the remote apparatus for the execution of the target service based on the service plan; and

c-2) performing the device control process to control the remote apparatus for execution of the target service.

32. A remote control method of a remote server connected to a remote control agent and controlling a remote apparatus according to a request of a remote control agent for execution of a target service, the remote control method comprising:

a) searching remote apparatus information and service information for execution of a target service;

b) generating a service plan based on the searched remote apparatus information and service information; and

c) generating a remote apparatus control process through the service plan and performing the process.

33. The remote control method of claim 32, wherein the remote apparatus information comprises information on at least one of a remote apparatus control interface and an atomic process directly performed by the remote apparatus.

34. The remote control method of claim 32, wherein the service information comprises information on at least one of a composite process formed of a plurality of atomic processes and a data flow of the process, the composite process and the data flow being domain knowledge for service task configuration and the plurality of atomic processes directly performed by the remote apparatus.

35. The remote control method of claim 32, further comprising storing remote apparatus information and service information as device knowledge and domain knowledge, respectively, before a).

36. The remote control method of claim 35, wherein b) comprises:

b-1) receiving device knowledge and domain knowledge corresponding to the target service after a); and

b-2) generating a deduction model using the device knowledge and domain knowledge as an input, generating a planning domain from the deduction model, setting a target task, and generating a service plan.

37. The remote control method of claim 36, wherein, in b)-2, the service plan is generated using a planning method (tasks than can be recursively decomposed into subtasks), a planning operator (a primitive task that can be directly performed), an initial state, and a target task as inputs by employing an artificial intelligence planning algorithm, the planning method, a planning operator, an initial state, and a target task being generated from a planning domain generation and semantic extension process from the deduction model.

38. The remote control method of claim 37, wherein the artificial intelligence planning algorithm is a hierarchical task network (HTN) planning algorithm.

39. The remote control method of claim 32, wherein, in c), the target service is performed by controlling a remote apparatus connected through a network according to a remote apparatus control process generated by the remote control agent.