Apparatus and method for calling mobile robot

• US 7,693,605 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Jin-Seok
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jen; Ian
• Application Number:
  US11/029,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20060025887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals

Abstract

An apparatus for calling a mobile robot includes a generator installed at a remote controller, and generating an RF signal and infrared signal for calling a mobile robot when a call signal is inputted by a user; and a controller installed at the mobile robot, calculating a direction of the remote controller based on a position of an infrared ray receiver that receives the infrared signal when an RF signal is received, rotating the mobile robot in the calculated direction, and then making the mobile robot to go straight ahead. When a user calls the mobile robot from a specific place, the mobile robot can move by itself to the specific space, thereby enhancing users'"'"' convenience.

Claims

1. An apparatus for calling a mobile robot comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) generator installed at a remote controller that generates an RF signal for calling a mobile robot when a call signal is inputted by a user by pressing a button;

an infrared ray generator installed at the remote controller that generates an infrared signal for indicating a direction of the remote controller when the call signal is inputted by the user by pressing the button;

an RF receiver installed at the mobile robot that receives the RF signal generated by the RF generator;

a plurality of infrared ray receivers installed at the mobile robot that receive the infrared signal generated by the infrared ray generator; and

a controller installed at the mobile robot that recognizes a direction of the remote controller based on a position of an infrared ray receiver of the plurality of infrared ray receivers that has received the infrared signal, when the RF receiver receives the RF signal, rotates the mobile robot in the recognized direction, and moves the mobile robot in the recognized direction, wherein the controller rotates a front side of the mobile robot in the recognized direction and then moves the mobile robot, and wherein the controller calculates the direction (y) of the remote controller using the following equation;

y=2(π

/n)xx

wherein ‘

n’

is a total number of the plurality of infrared ray receivers installed at the mobile robot, and ‘

x’

is a position number of the infrared ray receiver that has received the infrared signal generated from the infrared ray generator.

2. A method for calling a mobile robot comprising:

generating a radio frequency (RF) signal and an infrared signal for calling a mobile robot by a remote controller, when a call signal is inputted to the remote controller by a user by pressing a button;

switching an operation mode of the mobile robot to a call mode and calculating a direction of the remote controller based on a position of an infrared ray receiver of a plurality of infrared ray receivers installed at the mobile robot that has received the infrared signal, when the RF signal is received by the mobile robot; and

rotating a front side of the mobile robot in the calculated direction and moving the mobile robot in the calculated direction, wherein the direction (y) of the remote controller is calculated by the following equation;

y=2(π

/n)xx

wherein ‘

n’

is a total number of the plurality of infrared ray receivers installed at the mobile robot, and ‘

x’

is a position number of the infrared ray receiver that has received the infrared signal.

3. An apparatus for calling a mobile robot comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) generator installed at a remote controller that generates an RF signal for calling a mobile robot when a call signal is inputted by a user by pressing a button;

an ultrasonic wave generator installed at the remote controller that generates an ultrasonic signal for indicating a distance between the mobile robot and the remote controller when the call signal is inputted by the user by pressing the button;

an RF receiver installed at the mobile robot that receives the RF signal generated by the RF generator;

a plurality of ultrasonic wave receivers installed at the mobile robot that receive the ultrasonic signal generated by the ultrasonic wave generator; and

a controller installed at the mobile robot that calculates a direction of the remote controller and a distance between the mobile robot and the remote controller based on a position of an ultrasonic wave receiver of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receivers that has received the ultrasonic signal, when the RF receiver receives the RF signal, and moves the mobile robot to the remote controller based on the calculated direction and distance, wherein the controller detects a time when the ultrasonic signal reaches the ultrasonic wave receiver after being generated from the ultrasonic wave generator based on a time when the RF signal is generated, and the controller calculates a distance between the mobile robot and the remote controller based on the detected time,

wherein the controller includes a storing unit that stores a preset position number for discriminating the plurality of ultrasonic wave receivers and calculates a direction of the remote controller based on the position of the ultrasonic wave receiver that has received the ultrasonic signal,

wherein when the ultrasonic signal is received by at least two ultrasonic wave receivers, the controller calculates a distance between the mobile robot and the remote controller based on a time when the ultrasonic signal reached the at least two ultrasonic wave receivers, and then calculates an actual distance between the mobile robot and the remote controller through trigonometric measurement based on each calculated distance value, and

wherein the controller calculates the distance between the ultrasonic wave receiver and the ultrasonic wave generator by the following equation;

S=340[m/sec]x(T1−

T2),

wherein 340 [m/sec] is a sonic velocity, T1 is a time when the ultrasonic signal is received, and T2 is a time when the ultrasonic signal is generated after the RE signal is received.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein when an ultrasonic wave receiver receives the ultrasonic signal, the controller calculates a distance between the ultrasonic wave receiver that has received the ultrasonic signal and the remote controller based on the time when the ultrasonic signal reached the ultrasonic wave receiver, and adds a semidiameter of the mobile robot to the calculated distance value, thereby accurately calculating an actual distance between the mobile robot and the remote controller.

5. A method for calling a mobile robot comprising:

simultaneously generating a radio frequency (RF) signal and an ultrasonic signal for calling a mobile robot by a remote controller when a call signal is inputted to the remote controller by a user by pressing a button;

changing an operation mode of the mobile robot to a call mode and calculating a direction of the remote controller based on a position of an ultrasonic wave receiver of a plurality of ultrasonic wave receivers installed at the mobile robot that has received the ultrasonic signal, when the RF signal is received by an RF receiver of the mobile robot;

calculating a distance between the remote controller and the mobile robot based on a time when the ultrasonic signal reaches the ultrasonic wave receiver;

rotating a front side of the mobile robot in the calculated direction; and

moving the mobile robot the calculated distance in the calculated direction, wherein when the ultrasonic signal is received by one of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receivers, the distance between the ultrasonic receiver that has received the ultrasonic signal and the remote controller is calculated based on a time when the ultrasonic signal reached the ultrasonic wave receiver,

calculating the distance between the mobile robot and the remote controller based on a time when the ultrasonic signal has reached at least two of the ultrasonic wave receivers, when the at least two ultrasonic wave receivers receive the ultrasonic signal; and

calculating an actual distance between the mobile robot and the remote controller based on a trigonometric measurement based on each calculated distance value, wherein the distance between the mobile robot and the remote controller is calculated by the following equation;

S=340[m/sec]x(T1−

T2),

wherein 340 [m/sec] is a sonic velocity, T1 is a time when the ultrasonic signal is received, and T2 is a time when the ultrasonic signal is generated after the RF signal is received.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein calculating the distance comprises:

calculating an actual distance between the mobile robot and the remote controller by adding a semidiameter of the mobile robot to the calculated distance value.