Granted Patent B2

US 12,619,263 · App. 18/419,113 · Granted May 5, 2026

Inventors: Byungki Kim (Seoul, KR); Eunkyoung Hong (Seoul, KR)

Assignee: BEAR ROBOTICS KOREA, INC.

G05D1/698

Abstract

Claims (72)

1 . A method performed by a server configured to communicate with a plurality of robots, the method comprising:

forming a queue of the plurality of robots;

assigning a task to a task-assigned robot among the plurality of robots within the queue;

releasing a queue mode of the task-assigned robot when the task-assigned robot departs from the queue of the plurality of robots;

shifting at least one or more robots among the plurality of robots within the queue forward by checking an occupancy rate for a forward part of the queue, in response to a departure of the task-assigned robot from the queue;

computing an average State of Charge (SoC) of robots within a queue area corresponding to the queue;

generating a list of robots to be charged, each robot on the list of robots to be charged having a SoC less than the average SoC;

determining a movement method for moving away at least one of the robots to be charged from the queue area so that a minimum number of neighboring robots of the at least one of the robots to be charged move;

controlling the at least one of the robots to be charged within the list of robots to be charged to move away from the queue area by the movement method,

wherein the controlling the at least one of the robots comprises:

controlling the at least one of the robots to be charged within the list of robots to be charged to move in a direction departing from the queue towards a neighboring robot, wherein the at least one of the robots to be charged moves together with the neighboring robot of at least one neighboring queue based on a mounting area of the at least one of the robots to be charged according to the movement method; and

controlling the neighboring robot, after departing from the at least one neighboring queue, to enter an end of the at least one neighboring queue or an end of the queue while the at least one robot to be charged moves along a designated direction after departing from the queue area.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the releasing the queue mode of the robot comprises:

sensing a generation of a movement start event by the task-assigned robot; and

releasing the queue mode of the task-assigned robot by checking a departed distance of the task-assigned robot from a mounting area, in response to the sensing the generation of the movement start event.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

sensing that the task-assigned robot is to enter the queue after completion of the task; and

assigning a mounting area within the queue, in which the task-assigned robot is to be located after completion of the task, according to a preset condition,

wherein, after the task-assigned robot completes the task, the task-assigned robot moves to the assigned mounting area and switches into the queue mode.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the preset condition is related to at least one of the occupancy rate of the robots within the queue and a current position of the task-assigned robot to enter.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising;

controlling the task-assigned robot to return to the queue area after completion of the task.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the controlling is configured to control the at least one of the robots to be charged within the list of robots to be charged to depart from the queue area by moving between adjacent queues within the queue area when a space in which a distance between the adjacent queues is equal to or greater than a threshold distance.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after the controlling:

controlling the at least one of the robots to be charged within the list of the robots to be charged to sequentially move toward a charging dock to charge the at least one of the robots to be charged until the robot is completely charged and becomes a completely-charged robot; and

controlling the completely-charged robot to return to the queue within the queue area.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

setting a SoC threshold range by computing a reduction of battery levels of the robots remaining within the queue area while the robots within the list of the robots to be charged are charged;

adding robots among the robots remaining within the queue area having a SoC value within the SoC threshold range to the list of the robots to be charged; and

repeatedly performing a charging process of the robots to be charged within the list of robots to be charged by setting a target SoC based on a subsequent task start time when the charging of the robots included in the list of the robots to be charged is completed.

9 . A robot control system comprising:

a plurality of robots; and

a server configured to communicate with the plurality of robots,

wherein the plurality of robots are configured to be arranged into a queue within a queue area, and

wherein the server is configured to:

assign a task to a task-assigned robot among the plurality of robots,

release a queue mode of the task-assigned robot when the task-assigned robot departs from the queue, and

shift at least one or more robots among the plurality of robots within the queue forward by checking an occupancy rate for a forward part of the queue, in response to a departure of the task-assigned robot from the queue,

compute an average State of Charge (SoC) of robots within the queue area,

generate a list of robots to be charged, each robot on the list of robots to be charged having a SoC less than the average SoC,

determine a movement method for moving away at least one of the robots to be charged from the queue area so that a minimum number of neighboring robots of the at least one robot to be charged move;

control the at least one of the robots to be charged within the list of robots to be charged to move away from the queue area by the movement method,

wherein the movement method comprises:

controlling the at least one of the robots to be charged within the list of robots to be charged to move in a direction departing from the queue towards a neighboring robot, wherein the at least one of the robots to be charged moves together with the neighboring robot of at least one neighboring queue based on a mounting area of the at least one robot to be charge according to the movement method, and

controlling the neighboring robot, after departing from the at least one neighboring queue, to enter an end of the at least one neighboring queue or an end of the queue while the at least one robot to be charged moves along a designated direction after departing from the queue area.

10 . The robot control system of claim 9 , wherein the server is further configured to:

sense a generation of a movement start event by the task-assigned robot, and

release the queue mode of the task-assigned robot by checking a departed distance of the robot from a mounting area, in response to sensing the generation of the movement start event.

11 . The robot control system of claim 10 , wherein the server is configured to:

sense that the task-assigned robot is to enter the queue after completion of the task, and

assign a mounting area of within the queue, in which the robot to enter is to be located after completion of the task, according to a preset condition, and

wherein, after the task-assigned robot completes the task, the task-assigned robot moves to the assigned mounting area and switches into the queue mode.

12 . The robot control system of claim 11 , wherein the preset condition is related to at least one of the occupancy rate of the robots within the queue and a current position of the task-assigned robot to enter.

13 . The robot control system of claim 9 , wherein the server is configured to:

control the task-assigned robot to return to the queue of a queue area after completion of the task.

14 . The robot control system of claim 9 , wherein the server is configured to control the at least one of the robots to be charged within the list of robots to be charged to depart from the queue area by moving between adjacent queues within the queue area when a space in which a distance between the adjacent queues is equal to or greater than a threshold distance.

15 . The robot control system of claim 9 , wherein the server is configured to:

control the at least one of the robots to be charged within the list of the robots to be charged to sequentially move toward a charging dock to charge the at least one of the robots to be charged until the robot is completely charged and becomes a completely-charged robot, and

control the completely-charged robot to return to the queue within the queue area.

16 . The robot control system of claim 15 , wherein the server is configured to:

set a SoC threshold range by computing a reduction of battery levels of the robots remaining within the queue area while the robots within the list of the robots to be charged are charged,

add robots among the robots remaining within the queue area having a SoC value within the SoC threshold range to the list of the robots to be charged, and

repeatedly perform a charging process of the robots to be charged within the list of robots to be charged by setting a target SoC based on a subsequent task start time when the charging of the robots included in the list of the robots to be charged is completed.

17 . A robot control system comprising:

a plurality of robots; and

a server configured to communicate with the plurality of robots,

wherein the plurality of robots are configured to be arranged into a plurality of queues within a preset queue area, and

wherein the server is configured to:

assign a task to a task-assigned robot among the plurality of robots,

release a queue mode of the task-assigned robot when the task-assigned robot departs from a queue among the plurality of queues,

move forward at least one or more robots among the plurality of robots within the queue by comparing location coordinates of pre-registered areas within the queue with a current location of a robot that has occupied the pre-registered areas in response to a departure of the task-assigned robot from the queue, and

when a length of a queue among the plurality of queues is zero (0) or close to 0, a rear robot in an adjacent queue among the plurality of queues moves to another queue among the plurality of queues to continuously maintain the plurality of queues.

Assignments (2)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (11)