Increasing robustness of online calibration through motion detection

• US 20070038398A1
• Filed: 08/08/2006
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Joublin, Frank, Rodemann, Tobias
• Granted Patent: US 7,295,942 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/94
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/163 learning, adaptive, model based, rule based expert control
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/401 characterised by control arrangements for measuring, e.g. calibration and initialisation, measuring workpiece for machining purposes G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39367 Using a motion map, association between visual position and joint position
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39387 Reflex control, follow movement, track face, work, hand, visual servoing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40617 Agile eye, control position of camera, active vision, pan-tilt camera, follow object

Abstract

In a method for controlling an orienting/positioning system, the orienting system comprises at least one sensor means, an external motion detection device for detecting an externally-caused motion in the environment of the sensor means and actuator means for controlling an orienting and/or positioning action of the sensor means. The method comprises the steps of: (a) Evaluating pre-action output information of said sensor means in order to detect the position of a pattern in the input space of the sensor means; (b) Deciding on a targeted post-action position of said pattern in the input space of said sensor means; (c) Defining a command for the actuator means by mapping any deviation of the pre-action position and the targeted post-action position in the input space coordinates of the sensor-means to actuator control coordinates using a predefined mapping function; (d) Orienting/Positioning the sensor means by the actuator means according to the defined command in order to carry out an orienting/positioning action; (e) Detecting the real post-action position of the patterns in the input space of said sensor means; (f) Detecting external motion of the pattern; and (g) Adapting the mapping function used in step (c), wherein steps (a) to (g) are repeated using the respectively adapted mapping function. An output signal from the external-motion detection device can be used to control the adaptation step (g).

Claims

1. A method for controlling an orienting system, the orienting system comprising at least one sensor means, an external motion detection device for detecting an externally-caused motion in the environment of the sensor means and actuator means for controlling an orienting and/or positioning action of the sensor means, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) evaluating pre-action output information of said sensor means in order to detect the position of a pattern in the input space of the sensor means;

(b) deciding on a targeted post-action position of said pattern in the input space of said sensor means;

(c) defining a command for the actuator means by mapping any deviation of the pre-action position and the targeted post-action position in the input space coordinates of the sensor-means to actuator control coordinates using a predefined mapping function;

(d) orienting the sensor means by the actuator means according to the defined command in order to carry out an orienting and/or positioning action;

(e) detecting the real post-action position of the patterns in the input space of said sensor means;

(f) detecting external motion of the pattern;

(g) adapting the mapping function used in said defining step (c); and

repeating steps (a) to (g) using the respectively adapted mapping function;

wherein an output signal from the external-motion detection device is used to control at least step (g).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the adaptating of the mapping function is inhibited in the presence of external motion detected by the motion detection device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the adaptating is only affected if the position of motion corresponds to the position for which adaptation is scheduled.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a combined relative object motion, consisting of the measured external motion and that induced by the sensory system'"'"'s orienting motion, is used for the adaptation.

5. A computer software program product embodied on a computer readable medium for performing the method of claim 1 when run on a computing device.

6. An auto-calibrating orienting system, comprising at least one sensory system, an actuator control unit, an actuator unit, an adaptation unit and an external-motion detector,

said actuator control unit comprising:

means for evaluating pre-action output information of said sensory system in order to detect the position of a pattern in the input space of said sensory system,

means for deciding on a targeted post-action position of a pattern in the input-space of the sensory system,

means for generating a command for commanding the actuator unit by mapping any deviation of the pre-action position and the targeted post-action position in the input space of the sensory system to actuator control unit coordinates using a predefined mapping function, and

means for detecting the real post-action position of the pattern in the input space of said sensory system; and

the adaptation unit comprising means for calibrating the mapping function based on a difference of the real post-action position and the targeted post-action position of the pattern in the input space of the sensory system in order to carry out an incremental adaptive learning of the mapping function;

wherein the adaptation unit is supplied with an output signal from the external-motion detection unit.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said system is a robotic device.