Obstacle detection apparatus, method and medium

• US 20070273864A1
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Seong-il, Kim, Dong-yoon, Cho, Woo-jong, Cho, Sung-mun
• Granted Patent: US 7,444,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/28
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles

Abstract

An obstacle detection apparatus and method which can detect the state of an obstacle according to a signal generated when the obstacle detection apparatus collides with the obstacle and a change in the posture of the obstacle detection apparatus caused due to the collision with the obstacle. The obstacle detection apparatus includes a main body which can be moved along the surface of the ground, a movement amount determination module which determines whether the amount of movement of the main body is outside a predefined threshold range, a posture determination module which determines the changed posture of the main body with respect to the surface of the ground according to the amount of movement of the main body, and a state determination module which determines the state of an obstacle based on the results of determination of the movement amount determination module or the posture determination module.

Claims

1. An obstacle detection apparatus comprising:

a main body which can be moved along a surface of the ground;

a movement amount determination module which determines whether an amount of movement of the main body is outside a predefined threshold range;

a posture determination module which determines a changed posture of the main body with respect to the surface of the ground according to the amount of movement of the main body; and

a state determination module which determines a state of an obstacle according to the results of the determination performed by the movement amount determination module or according to the results of the determination performed by the posture determination module.

2. The obstacle detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the amount of movement of the main body comprises a variation in acceleration, angular velocity, velocity, or direction of the main body.

3. The obstacle detection apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a sensor module which detects the amount of movement of the main body using at least one sensor.

4. The obstacle detection apparatus of claim 3, wherein the movement amount determination module determines whether a variation in the acceleration of the main body detected in the direction of movement of the main body by the sensor module is outside the predefined threshold range.

5. The obstacle detection apparatus of claim 3, wherein the posture determination module determines the changed posture of the main body by referencing a variation in the gravitational acceleration detected by the sensor module.

6. The obstacle detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the main body maintains the changed posture for a predetermined amount of time, the movement amount determination module determines an offset of the predefined threshold range according to the amount of movement of the main body.

7. The obstacle detection apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a control module which determines whether when the amount of movement of the main body is determined to be outside the predefined threshold range or when a change in the posture of the main body is detected, is caused by a collision between the main body and the obstacle.

8. The obstacle detection apparatus of claim 7, wherein the control module determines when the amount of movement of the main body is determined to be outside the predefined threshold range or when a change in the posture of the main body is detected, is caused by a collision between the main body and the obstacle by using a difference between the time when a front wheel of the main body hits the obstacle and the time when a rear wheel of the main body hits the obstacle.

9. The obstacle detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the state of the obstacle comprises the location, width, and height of the obstacle.

10. An obstacle detection method for controlling an obstacle detection apparatus, the method comprising:

determining whether the amount of movement of a main body of the obstacle detection apparatus is outside a predefined threshold range;

determining the changed posture of the main body with respect to the surface of the ground according to the amount of movement of the main body; and

determining the state of an obstacle based on the results of determining whether the amount of movement of the main body is outside the predefined threshold range or determining the changed posture of the main body.

11. The obstacle detection method of claim 10, wherein the amount of movement of the main body comprises a variation in the acceleration, angular velocity, velocity, or direction of the main body.

12. The obstacle detection method of claim 10 further comprising:

detecting the amount of movement of the main body using at least one sensor.

13. The obstacle detection method of claim 12, wherein the detecting comprises determining whether a variation in the acceleration of the main body detected in the direction of movement of the main body by the sensors is outside the predefined threshold range.

14. The obstacle detection method of claim 12, wherein the determining the changed posture of the main body comprises determining the changed posture of the main body using a variation in the gravitational acceleration detected by the sensors.

15. The obstacle detection method of claim 10, wherein the determining the changed posture of the main body comprises determining the offset of the predefined threshold range according to the amount of movement of the main body when the main body maintains the changed posture for a predetermined amount of time.

16. The obstacle detection method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining whether when the amount of movement of the main body is determined to be outside the predefined threshold range or when a change in the posture of the main body is detected, is caused by a collision between the main body and the obstacle.

17. The obstacle detection method of claim 16, further comprises:

determining whether when the amount of movement of the main body is determined to be outside the predefined threshold range or when a change in the posture of the main body is detected, is caused by a collision between the main body and the obstacle by using a difference between the time when a front wheel of the main body hits the obstacle and the time when a rear wheel of the main body hits the obstacle.

18. The obstacle detection method of claim 10, wherein the state of the obstacle comprises a location, width, and height of the obstacle.

19. A computer readable medium implementing a method of detecting an obstacle using an obstacle detection apparatus performed by a computer, the method comprising:

determining whether an amount of movement of a main body of the obstacle detection apparatus is outside a predefined threshold range;

determining a changed posture of the main body with respect to the surface of the ground according to the amount of movement of the main body; and

determining a state of an obstacle based on the results of determining whether the amount of movement of the main body is outside the predefined threshold range or determining the changed posture of the main body.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the amount of movement of the main body comprises a variation in the acceleration, angular velocity, velocity, or direction of the main body.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising:

detecting the amount of movement of the main body using at least one sensor.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 20, further comprises:

determining whether a variation in the acceleration of the main body detected in the direction of movement of the main body by the sensors is outside the predefined threshold range.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the determining the changed posture of the main body comprises determining the changed posture of the main body using a variation in the gravitational acceleration detected by the sensors.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the determining the changed posture of the main body comprises determining an offset of the predefined threshold range according to the amount of movement of the main body when the main body maintains the changed posture for a predetermined amount of time.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising:

determining whether the amount of movement of the main body is determined to be outside the predefined threshold range or a change in the posture of the main body is detected, is caused by a collision between the main body and the obstacle.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25, further comprises:

determining whether the amount of movement of the main body is determined to be outside the predefined threshold range or the change in the posture of the main body is detected is caused by a collision between the main body and the obstacle by using a difference between the time when a front wheel of the main body hits the obstacle and the time when a rear wheel of the main body hits the obstacle.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the state of the obstacle comprises a location, width, and height of the obstacle.

28. An obstacle detection apparatus comprising:

a sensor to detect a variation in an acceleration of the obstacle detection apparatus when the obstacle detection apparatus collides with an obstacle; and

a sensor to determine a posture of the obstacle detection apparatus after the collision with the obstacle.

29. The obstacle detection apparatus of claim 28, further comprising:

a movement amount unit to determine whether an amount of movement of the obstacle detection apparatus is within a predefined threshold range by using the variation in the acceleration of the obstacle detection apparatus detected.

30. The obstacle detection apparatus of claim 29, wherein the predefined threshold range is predetermined by a user.