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

• US 20060271238A1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• 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, Choi, Byung-Kwon, Shim, Hyun-Sik
• Granted Patent: US 7,890,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 its velocity according to a robot control velocity included in a received robot control message;

a server for receiving the video data frames provided from the robot and processing the received video data frames according to performance criteria of a client; and

a client for receiving the video data frames captured by the robot through the 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.

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 adjusting the number of video data frames provided from the robot according to the 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 the processing performance criteria of the client.

16. A robot velocity control method in a network-based robot control system, the robot velocity control method comprising the steps of:

receiving video data frames captured by a robot;

calculating a robot control velocity according to a video data frame reception state; and

generating a robot control message including the calculated robot control velocity and transmitting the generated robot control message to the robot.

17. The robot velocity control method of claim 16, further comprising the robot changing its velocity according to the robot control velocity included in the robot control message.

18. The robot velocity control method of claim 16, wherein the step of calculating the robot control velocity comprises:

determining a velocity weight according to the number of received video data frames; and

calculating the robot control velocity by multiplying a preset default robot velocity by the determined velocity weight.

19. The robot velocity control method of claim 16, wherein the robot control velocity is calculated as follows:

V_newV_base×

a
a=f_c/f_max(0≦

f_c≦

f_max)′

where V_new indicates a calculated new robot control velocity, V_base indicates a preset default robot velocity, a indicates a 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.

20. The robot velocity control method of claim 18, wherein the robot control velocity is calculated as follows:

V_newV_base×

a
a=f_c/f_max(0≦

f_c≦

f_max)′

where V_new indicates a 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.

21. The robot velocity control method of claim 16, 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 a calculated new robot control velocity, V_base indicates a preset default robot velocity, a indicates a 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.

22. The robot velocity control method of claim 18, 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 a 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.

23. The robot velocity control method of claim 16, wherein the robot control velocity includes a robot movement velocity.

24. The robot velocity control method of claim 23, 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.

25. The robot velocity control method of claim 16, wherein the robot control velocity includes a robot camera velocity.

26. The robot velocity control method of claim 25, 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.