Image transmission system for a mobile robot

• US 20040190753A1
• Filed: 04/01/2004
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sakagami, Yoshiaki, Higaki, Nobuo, Sumida, Naoaki, Kawabe, Koji, Gotou, Tomonobu, Saitou, Youko
• Application Number:
  US10/814,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20040190753A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39369 Host and robot controller and vision processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

In an image transmission system for a mobile robot that can move about and look for persons such as children separated from their parents in places where a large number of people congregate, a human is detected from the captured image and/or sound. An image of the detected human is cut out from a captured image, and the cut out image is transmitted to a remote terminal or a large screen. By thus cutting out the image of the detected human, even when the image signal is transmitted to a remote terminal having a small screen, the image of the detected human can be shown in a clearly recognizable manner. Also when the image is shown in a large screen, the viewer can identify the person even from a great distance. The transmitted image may be attached with various pieces of information such as the current location of the robot.

Claims

1. An image transmission system for a mobile robot, comprising:

a camera for capturing an image as an image signal;

a microphone for capturing sound as a sound signal;

human detecting means for detecting a human from the captured image and/or sound;

a power drive unit for moving the robot toward the detected human;

an image cut out means for cutting out an image of the detected human according to information from the camera; and

image transmitting means for transmitting the cut out human image to an external terminal.

2. An image transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to detect a moving object from the image signal obtained from the camera, and determine that the object is a human from color information of the moving object.

3. An image transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to determine a direction of a sound source from the sound signal obtained from the microphone.

4. An image transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising means for monitoring state variables including a current position of the robot;

the image transmitting means transmitting the monitored state variables in addition to the cut out human image.

5. An image transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to have the robot direct the camera toward the position of the detected human.

6. An image transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises means for measuring a distance to the detected human according to the information from the camera, and providing a target of a movement to said mobile robot.