Mobile robot

• US 20070100498A1
• Filed: 04/04/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yano, Kazuo, Matsumoto, Kosei, Moriya, Toshio
• Granted Patent: US 8,036,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/008 based on physical entities controlled by simulated intelligence so as to replicate intelligent life forms, e.g. based on robots replicating pets or humans in their appearance or behaviour

Abstract

The system constructs a robot autonomously move by simply inputting a rough path. The system has a path-setting unit for setting the path of a mobile apparatus according to the inputted path, a measuring unit for measuring an environment in which the mobile apparatus exists, an extracting unit for extracting an object existence region in the environment according to the values measured by the measuring unit, a judging unit that judges the validity of the path according to the path set by the path setting unit and to the object existence region extracted by the extracting unit, a position determining unit that determines a target position to which the mobile apparatus is to move by selecting it from the portions of the path judged as valid, and a movement controller for controlling the mobile apparatus to move to the target position.

Claims

1. The system comprising:

a path-setting unit for setting the path of a mobile apparatus according to an inputted path;

a measuring unit for measuring an environment in which said mobile apparatus exists;

an extracting unit for extracting an object existence region in said environment according to the measured result from said measuring unit;

a judging unit for judging the validity of said path according to said path set by said path setting unit and to said object existence region extracted by said extracting unit;

a position determining unit for determining a target position to which said mobile apparatus is to move by selecting said target position from said path which was not judged as invalid by said judging unit; and

a movement controller for controlling said mobile apparatus to move to said target position.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said judging unit judges that a portion, of said inputted path, not contained within the measurement range of said measuring unit is invalid.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said judging unit judges that a portion, of said inputted path, contained within said object existence region is invalid.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein identifiers are allocated to the points of said inputted path, and said position determining unit determines, on the basis of said identifiers, said target position by selecting the target position from the other portions of said path judged as valid by said judging unit.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the closer said identifiers are to the terminal position of said inputted path, the larger values they are assigned with, and said position determining unit determines said target position on the basis of said values.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display that displays the image of at least one of said inputted path, said object existence region, said path along which said mobile apparatus is to move and said target position.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a printer controller for controlling a printer;

wherein said mobile apparatus has said printer mounted thereon.