Apparatus for remotely controlling robots and control method thereof

Abstract

An apparatus for remotely controlling field robots, including: an interface unit; a work command generator generating a work command signal for operating field robots; an autonomous command generator which generates an autonomous operation command signal for controlling an operation of a second field robot when a user selects a following mode and the work command generator generates a work command signal for a first field robot to correspond to the following mode, or generates an autonomous operation command signal for controlling operations of the first field robot and the second field robot in order to operate an object of work when the user selects an object mode and the work command generator generates a work command signal for the object of work to correspond to the object mode; and a communication unit transmitting the generated autonomous operation command signal to the first and second field robots.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for remotely controlling one or more field robots, comprising:
 an interface unit which receives information about field robots to be remotely controlled and selection of an operation mode for the field robots from a user operation device, and also receives an operation command signal for controlling operations of the field robots;   a work command generator which generates a work command signal for operating the field robots to be remotely controlled or an object of work to correspond to the received information about the operation mode and the received operation command signal;   an autonomous command generator which generates an autonomous operation command signal for controlling an operation of a second field robot when a user selects a following mode and the work command generator generates a work command signal for a first field robot to correspond to the following mode, or generates an autonomous operation command signal for controlling operations of the first field robot and the second field robot in order to operate the object of work when the user selects an object mode and the work command generator generates a work command signal for the object of work to correspond to the object mode;   and a communication unit which transmits the generated autonomous operation command signal to the first field robot and the second field robot.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the user operation device detects a motion of the user, and generates the operation command signal corresponding to the detected motion. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the work command generator generates the work command signal allowing one field robot to be remotely controlled to operate according to the user's motion when the user selects a monopoly mode. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the work command generator generates the work command signal allowing the first field robot to operate according to the user's motion when the user selects the following mode, and wherein the autonomous command generator generates the autonomous operation command signal that is same as the work command signal, or symmetric to the work command signal, centering a particular rotation axis when the user selects the following mode. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the autonomous command generator generates the autonomous operation command signal for controlling the operations of the first field robot and the second field robot in order to operate the object of work according to the work command signal when the user selects the object mode. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a storage unit which stores the work command signals, the autonomous operation command signals, and information about work performance supplied from the field robots,
 wherein the autonomous command generator extracts the autonomous operation command signal corresponding to the work command signal to be repeatedly executed among the already stored work command signals and autonomous operation command signals.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , when the communication unit receives the work performance information including at least one of location information, sound information, image information, and contact information, wherein the autonomous command generator directly modifies the autonomous operation command signal to correspond to the work performance information, or transmits the work performance information to the user operation device, receives the modified operation command signal from the user operation device, and then modifies the autonomous operation command signal to correspond to the modified operation signal. 
     
     
         8 . A control method of an apparatus for remotely controlling one or more field robots, comprising:
 a step of receiving information about operations of field robots to be remotely controlled and selection of an operation mode for the field robots from a user operation device, together with an operation command signal;   a step of generating a work command signal for operating the field robots to be remotely controlled or an object of work to correspond to the operation mode and the operation command signal;   a step of generating an autonomous operation command signal for controlling an operation of a second field robot when a user selects a following mode and the work command signal for a first field robot is generated, or generating an autonomous operation command signal for controlling operations of the first field robot and the second field robot in order to operate the object of work according to the work command signal when the user selects an object mode and the work command signal for the object of work is generated;   and a step of transmitting the autonomous operation command signal to the first field robot and the second field robot.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the user operation device detects a motion of the user, and generates the operation command signal corresponding to the detected motion. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the step of generating the work command signal generates the work command signal allowing one field robot to be remotely controlled to operate according to the user's motion when the user selects a monopoly mode. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the step of generating the work command signal generates the work command signal allowing the first field robot to operate according to the user's motion when the user selects the following mode,
 and wherein the step of generating the autonomous operation command signal that is same as the work command signal or symmetric to the work command signal, centering a particular rotation axis when the user selects the following mode.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the step of generating the work command signal generates the autonomous operation command signal for controlling the operations of the first field robot and the second field robot in order to operate the object of work according to the work command signal when the user selects the object mode. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising a step of storing the work command signals, the autonomous operation command signals, and information about work performance supplied from the field robots,
 wherein the step of generating the work command signal extracts the autonomous operation command signal corresponding to the work command signal to be repeatedly executed, among the already stored work command signals and autonomous operation command signals when the user selects a reproduction mode.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , when the communication unit receives the work performance information including at least one of location information, sound information, image information, and contact information, wherein the step of generating the work command signal directly modifies the autonomous operation command signal to correspond to the work performance information, or transmits the work performance information to the user operation device, receives the modified operation command signal from the user operation device, and then modifies the autonomous operation command signal to correspond to the modified operation signal.