System of confining robot movement actions and a method thereof

• US 10,046,458 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jason Yan
• Original Assignee: Jason Yan
• Inventors: Yan, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Kiswanto, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US14/738,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20160214258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/163 learning, adaptive, model based, rule based expert control
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1676 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1694 characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system for confining movement actions of a robot and a method thereof, the system comprising a virtual wall device and a robot, the virtual wall device is configured to receive a barrier detection signal in a predetermined receiving range and to emit a virtual wall signal, through the virtual wall signal, a work space can be virtually divided into a first work area and a second work area. The robot continuously emits the barrier detection signal during its operation and is able to receive the virtual wall signal; when the robot gets into the predetermined emitting range and receives the virtual wall signal, the robot decides to get across or escape by checking the information from the virtual wall signal with its passing record. Therefore, the system can be applied to confine the robot to operate in the first work area or the second work area.

Claims

1. A system of confining robot movement actions, comprising:

a virtual wall device placed in a work space for receiving a barrier detection signal in a predetermined receiving range;

said virtual wall device is configured for emitting a virtual wall signal in a predetermined emitting range after receiving the barrier detection signal, the virtual wall signal virtually divides the work space into a first work area and a second work area;

said virtual wall device is configured for terminating the emission of said virtual wall signal when the barrier detection signal is no longer received;

a robot, operating in the work space, configured for emitting the barrier detection signal and receiving said virtual wall signal in the predetermined emitting range;

said robot also being configured for deciding whether to cross the predetermined emitting range so as to confine the operation of said robot in the first work area or the second work area,

wherein the virtual wall device comprises;

a device body configured for being placed in the work space;

a first signal receiver unit attached to the device body for receiving the barrier detection signal;

a virtual wall signal emitter unit attached to the device body for emitting the virtual wall signal toward a direction in the work space;

a virtual wall control unit attached to the device body, connecting to the first signal receiver unit and the virtual wall signal emitter unit;

wherein said virtual wall control unit is configured for receiving the barrier detection signal via the first signal receiver unit, triggering the virtual wall signal emitter unit to emit the virtual wall signal,

wherein the virtual wall device modulates an escape command when receives the detection signal into the virtual wall signal, wherein the robot is confined to pass or escape from the predetermined emitting range of the virtual wall signal based on the escape command,

wherein said virtual wall device is configured with an identity information and a confining time information,

wherein said virtual wall signal is modulated upon the escape command, the identity information and the confining time information;

wherein the confining time information determines a time of said robot being confined in the second work area,

wherein said robot demodulates said virtual wall signal, when receives the virtual wall signal, into the escape command, the identity information and the confining time information;

said robot further stores a passing record, which is a history record of whether said robot has received the identity information and the confining time information from the virtual wall device;

said robot starts to countdown, according to the confining time information, from the robot entering into the second work area across the predetermined emitting range of said virtual wall signal;

said robot then executes several behaviors when receiving the virtual wall signal, the behaviors comprising;

the robot, operating in the first work area, receives the virtual wall signal and checks no identical identity information from the history of said passing record, the robot refuses to execute said escape command and then enters into the second work area;

the robot operating in the second work area receives the virtual wall signal, the robot checks identical identity information from the history of said passing record and countdown of the confining time is not timed out, the robot executes said escape command for staying in the second work area;

the robot operating in the second work area receives the virtual wall signal, the robot checks identical identity information from the history of said passing record and the countdown of the confining time is timed out, the robot refuses to execute said escape command and then enters into the first work area;

the robot operating in the first work area receives the virtual wall signal, the robot checks identical identity information from the history of said passing record and the countdown of the confining time is timed out, the robot executes said escape command for staying in the first work area.

2. The system of confining robot movement actions of claim 1, wherein the escape command is an action command to said robot, which comprising the action of moving backward, redirecting or the combination thereof.

3. The system of confining robot movement actions of claim 1, wherein the robot comprises:

a robot body, which is configured to move and operate in the work space;

a barrier detection unit, set on the robot body, configured to emit the barrier detection signal toward a direction in the work space for detecting barriers;

a virtual wall signal receiver unit, set on the robot body, configured to receive the virtual wall signal when said robot enters the predetermined emitting range of the virtual wall signal;

a robot control unit, set on the robot body, connecting to the barrier detection unit and the virtual wall signal receiver unit, which is configured to trigger the barrier detection unit for emitting the barrier detection signal when the robot body is moving;

wherein, when the robot control unit receives the virtual wall signal via the virtual wall signal receiver unit, the robot determines whether to get across the predetermined emitting range of the virtual wall signal based upon the virtual wall signal after said robot demodulates said virtual wall signal, which confines said robot to enter or stay in the first work area or the second work area.

4. A method of confining robot movement action, applied on a virtual wall device and a robot in a work space, comprising:

emitting a barrier detection signal, from the robot in operation which is moving in a work space;

detecting and receiving the barrier detection signal, by the virtual wall device, in a predetermined receiving range in the work space;

emitting a virtual wall signal, via the virtual wall device, for dividing the work space into a first work area and a second work area when the virtual wall device receives the barrier detection signal;

receiving the virtual wall signal, by the robot;

determining to pass or escape, by the robot, from the predetermined emitting range of the virtual wall signal, which confines the robot to operate in the first work area or the second work area,

wherein the virtual wall signal comprises an escape command, an identity information and a confining time information, wherein the escape command is to control whether the robot escapes from the predetermined emitting range of the virtual wall signal;

wherein a passing record is stored by the robot, which is a history record of whether the identity information and the confining time information has ever been received, said robot checks the passing record when each time receives the virtual wall signal, the robot decides to pass or escape from the predetermined emitting range of the virtual wall signal according to several steps, the steps comprising;

checking whether the identity information from the virtual wall signal has ever recorded in the passing record when the robot receives the virtual wall signal;

if no identical identity information can be discovered from the passing record, said robot refuses to execute the escape command for passing from the first work area, through the predetermined emitting range of the virtual wall signal, to the second work area, the robot then records the identity information on said passing record;

starting to countdown the confining time based upon the confining time information from the virtual wall signal, the confining time determines whether said robot passes the range of said virtual wall signal;

if identical identity information can be found from the passing record and the countdown of the confining time has not timed out,

said robot executes the escape command for staying in the second work area;

if identical identity information can be found from the passing record and the countdown of the confining time has timed out, the robot refuses to execute the escape command for entering into the first work area.