System, apparatus, and method of preventing collision of remote-controlled mobile robot

• US 20070282531A1
• Filed: 12/26/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Jun-ho, Kim, Yeon-ho, Bang, Seok-won
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0253 extracting relative motion information from a plurality of images taken successively, e.g. visual odometry, optical flow determining position or orientation from images G06T7/70
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A system, apparatus, and method of preventing a collision of a remote-controlled mobile robot are disclosed. The system includes a mobile robot transmitting image data taken by a camera mounted on the mobile robot and moving in accordance with received control data, and a control appliance receiving and analyzing the image data, displaying the analyzed result on a screen, and transmitting the control data to the mobile robot.

Claims

1. A system for preventing a collision of a remote-controlled mobile robot, comprising:

a mobile robot transmitting image data taken by a camera mounted on the mobile robot and moving in accordance with received control data; and

a control appliance receiving and analyzing the image data, displaying the analyzed result on a screen, and transmitting the control data to the mobile robot,

wherein an image of an obstacle that may collide with the mobile robot is color-mapped on the screen and an alarm signal causing the control appliance to emit an alarm is generated before the mobile robot collides against the obstacle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile robot and the control appliance transmit and receive data via a data communication network.

3. An apparatus for preventing a collision of a remote-controlled mobile robot, comprising:

an image processing unit storing and comparing images of a heading direction of the mobile robot;

an obstacle detecting unit detecting an obstacle positioned in the heading direction of the mobile robot to generate collision expecting information; and

a color-mapping unit generating color information to be mapped on a collision expecting region of the obstacle based on the collision expecting information.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising an encoder unit generating information on a traveling speed, a traveling direction, and a traveling distance of the mobile robot.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a transceiver unit transmitting, to a control appliance controlling the mobile robot, at least one of image information on the heading direction, the collision expecting information, and the color information to be mapped on the collision expecting region and receiving control data to control the mobile robot from the control appliance.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the image processing unit calculates an optical flow usable to determine the heading direction.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the image processing unit calculates a focus of expansion (FOE) based on the calculated optical flow.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the obstacle detecting unit calculates a time of contact (TOC) of the mobile robot with respect to the obstacle positioned in the heading direction of the mobile robot.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the obstacle detecting unit calculates the collision expecting region where the mobile robot is likely to collide against the obstacle positioned based on the TOC.

10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the obstacle detecting unit transmits an alarm signal to a control appliance controlling the mobile robot before a specified collision expecting time when the mobile approaches the obstacle.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a point of time when the alarm signal is transmitted to the control appliance is settable by a user.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the obstacle detecting unit calculates a time of contact (TOC) of the mobile robot with respect to the obstacle positioned in the heading direction of the mobile robot, and

wherein the color-mapping unit adjusts a tone of color to be mapped on the collision expecting region in accordance with a TOC value.

13. An apparatus for preventing a collision of a remote-controlled mobile robot, comprising:

a color-mapping unit color-mapping a collision expecting region of an obstacle, against which the mobile robot is likely to collide, to be displayed on a screen, based on information received from the mobile robot;

a traveling information display unit displaying traveling information of the mobile robot on the screen, based on the received information; and

an alarm sound generating unit generating an alarm sound, based on the received information, before a specified collision expecting time when the mobile robot the obstacle.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the information received from the mobile robot includes image data of a heading direction of the mobile robot, collision expecting information for the obstacle positioned in the heading direction of the mobile robot, and color information to be mapped on the collision expecting region.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the traveling information display unit displays a focus of expansion (FOE) of the mobile robot, and displays a speed dimension and a heading direction of the mobile robot as an icon and optical flow.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the collision expecting information includes information on the alarm sound cautioning of a collision before the mobile robot collides against the obstacle.

17. A method of preventing a collision of a remote-controlled mobile robot, comprising:

(a) storing images of a heading direction taken by a camera mounted on the mobile robot at a specified time difference, and comparing the images;

(b) detecting an obstacle positioned in a heading direction of the mobile robot to generate collision expecting information; and

(c) generating color information to be mapped on a collision expecting region of the obstacle based on the collision expecting information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising detecting motion of a wheel of the mobile robot to obtain information on a traveling speed and a traveling distance of the mobile robot.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein an optical flow usable to determine the heading direction is calculated in operation (a).

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a focus of expansion (FOE) based on the calculated optical flow is calculated in operation (a).

21. The method of claim 17, wherein a time of contact (TOC) of the mobile robot with respect to the obstacle positioned in the heading direction of the mobile robot is calculated in operation (b).

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a collision expecting region where the mobile robot is likely to collide against the obstacle positioned based on the TOC is calculated in operation (b).

23. The method of claim 17, wherein an alarm signal is transmitted to a control appliance controlling the mobile robot before a specified collision expecting time when the mobile approaches the obstacle, in operation (b).

24. The method of claim 17, wherein a tone of color to be mapped on the collision expecting region in accordance with a value of TOC calculated in operation (b) is adjusted in operation (c).

27. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with processing instructions for causing a processor to execute the method of claim 17.

25. A method of preventing a collision of a remote-controlled mobile robot, comprising:

color-mapping a collision expecting region of an obstacle, against which the mobile robot is likely to collide, to be displayed on a screen, based on information received from the mobile robot;

displaying traveling information of the mobile robot on the screen, based on the received information; and

generating an alarm sound to a user, based on the received information, before a specified collision expecting time when the mobile robot approaches a collision expected obstacle.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the displaying displays a focus of expansion (FOE) of the mobile robot and displays a speed dimension and a heading direction of the mobile robot as an icon and optical flow.

28. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with processing instructions for causing a processor to execute the method of claim 25.