KR-102959953-B1 - AUTONOMOUS MOBILE SANITIZATION ROBOTS

KR102959953B1KR 102959953 B1KR102959953 B1KR 102959953B1KR-102959953-B1

Abstract

A disinfection robot according to one embodiment of the present application comprises a spraying unit having a function of spraying a disinfectant solution, a recognition unit recognizing at least one marker, a movement unit moving the position of the disinfection robot based on the recognition result of the at least one marker, and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor can perform an operation of searching for a reference marker, an operation of approaching the reference marker, an operation of aligning with the reference marker, and an operation of spraying the disinfectant solution.

Inventors

조남준
권우영

Assignees

주식회사 토트

Dates

Publication Date: 20260511
Application Date: 20231127

Claims (17)

Regarding disinfection robots, A spray unit equipped with a function to spray disinfectant solution; A recognition unit that recognizes at least one marker; A moving unit that moves the position of the disinfection robot based on the recognition result of the at least one marker; and Includes at least one processor; and The above disinfection robot includes a first module equipped with a spraying unit and a second module equipped with a moving unit, wherein the first module is positioned on the upper part of the second module and coupled to the second module so as to be rotatable with respect to the second module. The above-mentioned at least one processor is, Performing the operation of searching for a reference marker, the operation of approaching the reference marker, the operation of aligning with the reference marker, and the operation of spraying the disinfectant solution, The operation of accessing the above reference marker is, A first approach operation of rotating the disinfection robot by a first approach angle; a second approach operation of determining whether the distance between the disinfection robot and the reference marker satisfies a first condition; a third approach operation of advancing the disinfection robot by a first approach distance if the distance between the disinfection robot and the reference marker satisfies the first condition; a fourth approach operation of determining whether the distance between the disinfection robot and the reference marker satisfies a second condition if the distance between the disinfection robot and the reference marker does not satisfy the first condition; a fifth approach operation of advancing the disinfection robot by a second approach distance if the distance between the disinfection robot and the reference marker satisfies the second condition; and a sixth approach operation of determining that the disinfection robot has completed approaching the reference marker if the distance between the disinfection robot and the reference marker does not satisfy the second condition; wherein The first condition above is when the distance between the disinfection robot and the reference marker is greater than the sum of the minimum distance at which the reference marker can be recognized by the recognition unit and the unit movement distance of the disinfection robot, and the second condition is when the distance between the disinfection robot and the reference marker is greater than the minimum distance at which the reference marker can be recognized by the recognition unit. The operation of aligning to the above reference marker is, The method is performed after the operation of approaching the reference marker is completed, and includes: a first alignment operation of rotating the disinfection robot by a first alignment angle when the distance between the disinfection robot and the reference marker is smaller than a predetermined distance; a second alignment operation of advancing the disinfection robot to approach the reference marker; and a third alignment operation of rotating the disinfection robot by a second alignment angle so that it faces the placement direction of the reference marker. The first alignment angle is the angle formed by a straight line formed by the movement direction of the disinfection robot and a straight line formed by the position of the disinfection robot and the reference marker, and the second alignment angle is the angle formed by a straight line formed by the movement direction of the disinfection robot and a straight line formed by the direction in which the reference marker is placed. The operation of spraying the above disinfectant solution is, The method includes the step of controlling the first module to rotate independently relative to the second module according to the spraying condition mapped to the reference marker while the second module is moving toward a direction of movement determined by the positional relationship with the reference marker, so as to face a direction different from the direction of movement, and then spraying the disinfectant solution. The above reference marker is positioned and placed in the said space based on quarantine information extracted by receiving and analyzing information about the workspace. Disinfection robot.
In paragraph 1, The operation of searching for the above reference marker is, A first search operation attempting to recognize the reference marker through the recognition unit; and If recognition of the reference marker fails, a second search operation of rotating the disinfection robot by a first search angle and then attempting recognition of the reference marker; Disinfection robot.
In paragraph 2, The operation of searching for the above reference marker is, If recognition of the reference marker fails, a third search operation of rotating the disinfection robot by a second search angle and then attempting to recognize the reference marker; and A fourth search operation, wherein if recognition of the reference marker fails, the disinfection robot is rotated by the first search angle and advanced by the first search distance, and then attempts to recognize the reference marker; Disinfection robot.
In paragraph 3, The size of the first search angle is half the size of the second search angle, and The above first to fourth search operations operate in a time-series manner. Disinfection robot.
In paragraph 4, The above at least one process is, Through the second search operation, the disinfection robot is rotated in the first direction by the first search angle, through the third search operation, the disinfection robot is rotated in the second direction by the second search angle, and through the fourth search operation, the disinfection robot is rotated in the first direction by the first search angle, wherein The first direction and the second direction are opposite directions, Disinfection robot.
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In paragraph 1, The above first approach distance is the unit movement distance of the disinfection robot, and The second approach distance is determined based on the value obtained by subtracting the minimum distance at which the reference marker can be recognized by the recognition unit from the distance between the disinfection robot and the reference marker, Disinfection robot.
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In paragraph 1, The spraying conditions of the disinfectant solution and the movement conditions of the moving part are mapped to at least one marker above, and The above-mentioned at least one processor is, Controlling the injection unit and the moving unit based on information mapped to at least one marker, Disinfection robot.
In Paragraph 11, The spraying conditions of the disinfectant solution include at least one of a first spraying condition regarding the spraying direction of the disinfectant solution, a second spraying condition regarding the spraying angle of the disinfectant solution, a third spraying condition regarding the spraying intensity of the disinfectant solution, and a fourth spraying condition regarding the spraying time of the disinfectant solution. The above movement conditions include a first movement condition regarding the movement direction, movement distance, and left/right rotation conditions of the moving part, or a second movement condition regarding whether the moving part starts, waits, or stops moving. Disinfection robot.
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In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned at least one processor is, Controlling the first module to rotate left and right based on the first injection condition, and controlling the vertical rotation angle of the injection unit based on the second injection condition. Disinfection robot.
In paragraph 1, The left-right rotation angle of the first module is 90 degrees, and the up-down rotation angle of the injection part is 30 degrees, Disinfection robot.
In paragraph 1, The above disinfection robot includes at least one sensor, and The above at least one sensor includes a sensor that detects an obstacle on the movement path of the moving part. Disinfection robot.
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Description

Autonomous Mobile Sanitization Robots The present invention relates to a method for efficiently providing disinfection work by spraying disinfectant solution in small and medium-sized multi-use facilities using a mobile robot, and more specifically, to a method for performing disinfection spraying work using a disinfection robot in various non-standardized spaces. For small to medium-sized multi-use facilities, disinfection typically requires a large number of personnel to meticulously spray disinfectant solution while wearing mandatory personal protective equipment. Since the areas requiring disinfection are extensive and the targets are diverse, the process is classified as highly labor-intensive. Due to these characteristics, workers face the discomfort of wearing protective gear for extended periods, while managers experience increased labor costs and operational complexity resulting from the disinfection work. Disinfection robots have emerged following technological advancements that automate tasks previously performed by humans. Designed to move autonomously, these robots can perform disinfection in public facilities frequently used by many people. However, conventional disinfection robots are designed to operate in a structured manner or by autonomously spraying disinfectant over large spaces, and they have limitations in responding to the complex and diverse environments of everyday spaces. In particular, since the deployment of disinfection robots in spaces with complex and diverse environmental characteristics, such as multi-use facilities, requires complex planning and operational strategies, there is a limitation in that personnel with specialized knowledge to optimize the robots are essential for their on-site application. Accordingly, there is a need to develop disinfection robots capable of performing rapid and intuitive disinfection tasks using robots without the need for professionally trained operating personnel in spaces such as multi-use facilities with diverse environmental characteristics. FIGS. 1 and FIGS. 2 are drawings for explaining a disinfection system using a disinfection robot device according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a disinfection robot according to one embodiment. FIGS. 4 to 6 are drawings for explaining the form of a disinfection robot according to one embodiment. FIG. 7 is a drawing for exemplarily explaining the operation of the first module and the second module of a disinfection robot according to one embodiment. FIGS. 8 and 9 are drawings illustrating a method for a disinfection robot to perform disinfection work based on markers according to one embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a disinfection robot searching for a marker according to one embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a disinfection robot approaching a marker according to one embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a disinfection robot aligning with a marker according to one embodiment. FIGS. 13 and FIGS. 14 are drawings for exemplarily illustrating a marker according to one embodiment. The aforementioned objectives, features, and advantages of the present application will become more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, as the present application is subject to various modifications and may have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail below. Throughout the specification, identical reference numbers generally represent identical components. Additionally, components with identical functions within the same scope of concept appearing in the drawings of each embodiment are described using the same reference numeral, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted. If it is determined that a detailed description of known functions or configurations related to this application could unnecessarily obscure the essence of this application, such detailed description is omitted. Furthermore, numbers used in the description of this specification (e.g., First, Second, etc.) are merely identifiers to distinguish one component from another. Furthermore, the suffixes "module" and "part" for components used in the following embodiments are assigned or used interchangeably solely for the ease of drafting the specification, and do not inherently possess distinct meanings or roles. In the following examples, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the following embodiments, terms such as "include" or "have" mean that the features or components described in the specification are present, and do not preclude the possibility that one or more other features or components may be added. In the drawings, the size of components may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience of explanation. For example, the size and thickness of each co