Method for entering mobile robot into moving walkway and mobile robot thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11269328-B2
Application number	US-201916539609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2019
Priority date	Jun 28, 2019
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method of causing a mobile robot to enter a moving walkway, the method including setting a movement path including a moving walkway, recognizing, by the mobile robot, to enter the moving walkway included in the movement path, adjusting at least one of a speed of the mobile robot and a speed of a step belt of the moving walkway via communication between the mobile robot and the moving walkway, and moving the mobile robot onto the step belt of the moving walkway based on the adjusted speed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for entering a mobile robot into a moving walkway comprising:
setting a movement path including the moving walkway;
recognizing that the mobile robot enters the moving walkway included in the movement path;
adjusting at least one of a speed of the mobile robot and a speed of a step belt of the moving walkway via communication between the mobile robot and the moving walkway; and
moving the mobile robot onto the step belt of the moving walkway based on the adjusted speed,
wherein the adjusting includes:
adjusting the at least one of the speed of the mobile robot and the speed of the step belt of the moving walkway based on whether or not a passenger is present on the moving walkway,
adjusting the at least one of the speed of the mobile robot and the speed of the step belt of the moving walkway so that the speed of the mobile robot and the speed of the step belt of the moving walkway match each other, and
adjusting the speed of the step belt of the moving walkway so as to match the speed of the mobile robot when no passenger is present on the moving walkway.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recognizing includes recognizing that the mobile robot enters the moving walkway via a sensor provided on the moving walkway.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting further includes:
receiving information indicating whether or not the passenger is present on the moving walkway from the moving walkway; and
determining whether or not the passenger is present on the moving walkway based on the received information.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting includes adjusting the speed of the mobile robot so as to match the speed of the step belt of the moving walkway when the passenger is present on the moving walkway.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting includes adjusting the at least one of the speed of the mobile robot and the speed of the step belt of the moving walkway from a time when it is recognized that the mobile robot enters the moving walkway to a time when the mobile robot moves onto the step belt of the moving walkway.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the moving further includes adjusting an orientation of the mobile robot so that a movement direction of the mobile robot moved onto the step belt of the moving walkway is parallel to a movement direction of the step belt of the moving walkway.

7. A mobile robot comprising:
a communication unit configured to communicate with a moving walkway; and
a processor configured to set a movement path including the moving walkway, to recognize that the mobile robot enters the moving walkway included in the movement path, to adjust at least one of a speed of the mobile robot and a speed of a step belt of the moving walkway via communication between the mobile robot and the moving walkway, and to move the mobile robot onto the step belt of the moving walkway based on the adjusted speed,
wherein the processor is configured to:
adjust the at least one of the speed of the mobile robot and the speed of the step belt of the moving walkway based on whether or not a passenger is present on the moving walkway,
adjust the at least one of the speed of the mobile robot and the speed of the step belt of the moving walkway so that the speed of the mobile robot and the speed of the step belt of the moving walkway match each other, and
adjust the speed of the step belt of the moving walkway so as to match the speed of the mobile robot when no passenger is present on the moving walkway.

8. The mobile robot of claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to recognize that the mobile robot enters the moving walkway via a sensor provided on the moving walkway.

9. The mobile robot of claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive information indicating whether or not the passenger is present on the moving walkway from the moving walkway, and to determine whether or not the passenger is present on the moving walkway based on the received information.

10. The mobile robot of claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to adjust the speed of the mobile robot so as to match the speed of the step belt of the moving walkway when the passenger is present on the moving walkway.

11. The mobile robot of claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to adjust the at least one of the speed of the mobile robot and the speed of the step belt of the moving walkway from a time when it is recognized that the mobile robot enters the moving walkway to a time when the mobile robot moves onto the step belt of the moving walkway.

12. The mobile robot of claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to adjust an orientation of the mobile robot so that a movement direction of the mobile robot moved onto the step belt of the moving walkway is parallel to a movement direction of the step belt of the moving walkway.

13. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium comprising a computer program for performing the method for entering a mobile robot into a moving walkway of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Nakyeong
• Moon Sungmin
• Lee Sanghak
• Seo Jeongkyo

Classifications

• B66B25/003 Primary

  Methods or algorithms therefor · CPC title

• B25J9/1664 Primary

  characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning · CPC title

• B66B25/00

  Control of escalators or moving walkways (walkways of variable speed type B66B21/12; handrails of variable speed type B66B23/26; of general application G05) · CPC title

• B25J9/1633

  compliant, force, torque control, e.g. combined with position control · CPC title

• B66B29/08

  Means to facilitate passenger entry or exit (moving handrails B66B23/24) · CPC title