Autonomously moving robot

• US 20060184274A1
• Filed: 03/12/2004
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works Ltd (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kitano, Yukihiko, Nakahara, Tomoharu, Yamane, Tsuyoshi, Kitano, Hitoshi, Fujii, Hiroyuki, Sakai, Tatsuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,684,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means

Abstract

An autonomously moving robot drives while evading an obstacle by recognizing the obstacle and self-location by an environment information acquisitioner. The information acquisitioner comprises an imager that takes an image of a circumference on a driving route, an image recognition processor that extracts an area having a property relating to a region of a human body by arithmetically processing the photographed image, a ranger that measures a range and an orientation to an object existing in the circumference on the driving route, a range information analyzer that obtains a shape of the object by arithmetically processing the obtained range information and recognizing that the object is a candidate of a person, and an environment recognizer that recognizes the environment information on the driving route. The environment recognizer compares an orientation of an area having the property extracted in the image recognition processor with an orientation of the object recognized as the candidate of a person in the range information analyzer, and recognize the object as a person when both of them agree with reach other. Thereby, the autonomously moving robot drives safely and smoothly corresponding to the obstacle by judging what the obstacle is.

Claims

1. In an autonomously moving robot which drives while evading obstacles, it comprises:

a memory means for memorizing map information of driving domain and various parameters for driving;

an input instruction means for inputting a destination and a command for moving;

a route forming means for forming a driving route to the destination;

an environmental information acquisition means for acquiring environmental information on the driving route including an object becoming an obstacle;

a driving means for driving it;

a self-location recognition means for recognizing a self-location on a basis of information provided by the above environmental information acquisition means and the map information; and

a driving control means for controlling the driving means to arrive at the destination while evading obstacles with recognizing the self-location by the self-location recognition means by oneself;

wherein

the above environmental information acquisition means further comprises;

an imaging apparatus for taking an environmental image on the driving route;

an image recognition processing means for extracting an area having a property relating to a region of a human body by arithmetically processing a photographed image data;

a ranging apparatus for detecting an object existing in an environment on the driving route and measuring a range and an orientation of the object;

a range information analyzing means for obtaining a shape of the object by arithmetically processing a range data of the measured object and recognizing the object is a candidate of a person from the shape; and

an environment recognition means for comparing a location of an area having the property extracted by the image recognition processing means with a location of an object which is recognized as a candidate of a person by the range information analyzing means, and recognizing the object as a person when both of them agree with.

2. In the autonomously moving robot described in claim 1, characterized by that

the image recognition processing means arithmetically processing an image data with respect to the orientation of the object obtained by the range information analyzing means, and the environment recognition means performs recognition processes with respect to a portion corresponding to the orientation of the object.

3. The autonomously moving robot described in claim 1, characterized by that

the ranging apparatus performs ranging with respect to an area extracted by the image recognition processing means, and the environment recognition means performs recognition processing with respect to a portion corresponding to the orientation of the extracted area.

4. The autonomously moving robot described in claim 1, characterized by that

the ranging apparatus is comprised of a laser-radar which measures a range to an obstacle by scanning a plane parallel to a driving road surface at a previously set angle.

5. The autonomously moving robot of described in claim 1, characterized by that

the range information analyzing means recognizes an object as a candidate of a person when a width of the object obtained by arithmetically processing the range data is in a previously established region.

6. The autonomously moving robot of described in claim 1, characterized by that

the range information analyzing means recognizes an object as a candidate of a person when a measured range to the object is not coincided with a range to an object on a memorized map.

7. The autonomously moving robot of described in claim 1, characterized by that

the imaging apparatus is a camera mounted on the autonomously moving robot, and coordinate of an image taken by it can be converted to a standard coordinates system of the autonomously moving robot.

8. The autonomously moving robot of described in claim 1, characterized by that

the image recognition processing means includes at least a specific color area detecting unit-for detecting a specific color area from a photographed image data and a shape characteristic processing unit for arithmetically processing with respect to a shape of a specific color area detected by the specific color area detecting unit, and recognizes the specific color area as a candidate of a person when the detected specific color area satisfies shape characteristic condition previously established.

9. The autonomously moving robot of described in claim 1, characterized by that

the environment recognition means calculates a ratio of a planar dimension of an area of a color of human skin detected in the image with respect to a planar dimension of an area of a color of human skin at a range previously established from the autonomously moving robot to a person, and judges whether the detected person awakes the autonomously moving robot or not by comparing the ratio with a threshold value previously established.

10. The autonomously moving robot of described in claim 1, characterized by that

the driving control means controls the driving means to stop when an object recognized as a person exists in a moving direction of the autonomously moving robot and within a range previously established, to evade an obstacle when the object recognized as a person does not exist in the moving direction of the autonomously moving robot, and to proceed the driving when no obstacle exists.

11. The autonomously moving robot of described in claim 1, characterized by that

the driving control means controls the driving means to drive for evading an object recognized as a person with a range previously established when the object recognized as a person exists in a moving direction of the autonomously moving robot.

12. The autonomously moving robot of described in claim 1, characterized by that

the driving control means controls the driving means in a moving speed corresponding to a range or a range and an angle when the object recognized as a person exists in a range previously established.

13. The autonomously moving robot of described in claim 9, characterized by that

the driving control means controls the driving means to approach when it is possible to judge that the person detected awakes the autonomously moving robot, and not to approach to the person detected more than a range previously established.

14. The autonomously moving robot of described in claim 1, characterized by that

the driving control means takes an attention attracting action to a person when it passes near the person detected.

15. The autonomously moving robot of described in claim 1, characterized by that

the image information acquisition means (SIC) photographs a person detected, memorizes its image in the memory means or transmits the image to a remote station.