Moving object capable of recognizing image and moving-object directing system equipped with the same

• US 20070021869A1
• Filed: 07/20/2006
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Rew, Ho-seon, Baek, Oh-hyun
• Granted Patent: US 7,933,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00

Abstract

A moving object capable of recognizing an image and a system for directing the moving object are disclosed. The system for directing the moving object includes: a charging device on which a docking direction pattern is printed, such that a central point of the docking direction pattern for directing the moving object to a docking location and a power-supply terminal are arranged in a straight line; and a moving object for driving wheel operations to allow the central point of the docking direction pattern captured by a camera to be identical with a central point of an image captured by the camera, and moving to the docking location. The moving-object directing system drives a wheel to track a central point of the docking direction pattern captured by a camera, such that it can quickly and correctly move to the docking location of the charging device.

Claims

1. A moving object capable of recognizing an image comprising:

a camera for capturing an image of a docking direction pattern capable of directing a moving object to a docking location;

a docking direction pattern extractor for extracting the docking direction pattern and its central point from the captured image;

a distance-information calculator for calculating distance information from a current location to the docking location according to a ratio of the number of pixels of the extracted docking direction pattern to the number of pixels of the docking direction pattern captured at a reference location;

an offset-information calculator for calculating a central point of the extracted docking direction pattern, a central point contained in the captured image, and the distance information of the distance to the docking location, and calculating moving-object offset information from the docking location; and

a wheel drive for driving wheel operations of the moving object according to the offset information and the distance information.

2. The moving object according to claim 1, wherein the camera is installed to the moving object, such that the central point of the image captured at the reference location is identical with the central point of the docking direction pattern.

3. The moving object according to claim 1, wherein the docking direction pattern extractor extracts the docking direction pattern from the captured image by detecting an edge of a region having a brightness level corresponding to colored information of the docking direction pattern.

4. The moving object according to claim 3, wherein the docking direction pattern extractor extracts the central point of the docking direction pattern from the captured image by detecting colored information of the docking direction pattern and another brightness level.

5. The moving object according to claim 1, wherein the offset-information calculator divides the distance from the central point of the extracted docking direction pattern to the central point of the captured image by the distance information of the distance to the docking location, and expresses the divided result in the form of an arc-tangent value.

6. The moving object according to claim 1, further comprising:

a directing signal receiver for receiving a docking direction signal.

7. The moving object according to claim 6, wherein the directing signal receiver is an infrared receiver.

8. The moving object according to claim 6, wherein the directing signal receiver is an ultrasound receiver.

9. The moving object according to claim 1, wherein the moving object is a cleaning robot.

10. A system for directing a moving object comprising:

a charging device on which a docking direction pattern is printed, such that a central point of the docking direction pattern for directing the moving object to a docking location and a power-supply terminal are arranged in a straight line; and

a moving object for driving wheel operations to allow the central point of the docking direction pattern captured by a camera to be identical with a central point of an image captured by the camera, and moving to the docking location.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the moving object includes:

a camera for capturing an image of the docking direction pattern;

a docking direction pattern extractor for extracting the docking direction pattern and its central point from the captured image;

a distance-information calculator for calculating distance information from a current location to the docking location according to a ratio of the number of pixels of the extracted docking direction pattern to the number of pixels of the docking direction pattern captured at a reference location;

an offset-information calculator for calculating a central point of the extracted docking direction pattern, a central point contained in the captured image, and the distance information of the distance to the docking location, and calculating moving-object offset information from the docking location; and

a wheel drive for driving wheel operations of the moving object according to the offset information and the distance information.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the camera is installed to the moving object, such that the central point of the image captured at the reference location is identical with the central point of the docking direction pattern.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the offset-information calculator divides the distance from the central point of the extracted docking direction pattern to the central point of the captured image by the distance information of the distance to the docking location, and expresses the divided result in the form of an arc-tangent value.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein:

the charging device further includes a directing signal transmitter for transmitting the docking direction signal, and

the moving object further includes a direction signal receiver for receiving the docking direction signal.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein:

the directing signal transmitter is an infrared transmitter, and

the direction signal receiver is an infrared receiver.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein:

the directing signal transmitter is an ultrasound transmitter, and

the direction signal receiver is an ultrasound receiver.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein the docking direction pattern and its central point are colored in different brightness levels.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the moving object is a cleaning robot.