Obstacle avoidance method and obstacle-avoidable mobile apparatus

• US 20080040040A1
• Filed: 08/07/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawano, Hajime, Goto, Takanori
• Granted Patent: US 7,778,776 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/242 Obstacle avoidance manoeuvre
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• 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 1/0272 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

An obstacle avoidance method for mobile apparatus includes the steps of acquiring, by a mobile apparatus, information as to relative movement of an obstacle with respect to the mobile apparatus, calculating a travel path and a travel direction of the obstacle based on the information during its relative movement, setting a non-intrusion area having a configuration which is longer in the travel direction of the obstacle than in a direction perpendicular to the travel direction, and performing such travel control on the mobile apparatus as to avoid the non-intrusion area, by which obstacle avoidance operation is fulfilled. Thus, an obstacle avoidance method as well as an obstacle-avoidable mobile apparatus are provided which are capable of not only reducing collisions against obstacles and repetitions of avoidance operation, but also preventing impartment of uneasiness and oppression to persons in the obstacle avoidance operation for mobile apparatuses such as robots.

Claims

1. An obstacle avoidance method for mobile apparatus, comprising:

acquiring, by a mobile apparatus, information as to relative movement of an obstacle with respect to the mobile apparatus;

calculating a travel path and a travel direction of the obstacle based on the information;

setting, around the obstacle, a first area having a configuration which is longer in the travel direction of the obstacle than in a direction perpendicular to the travel direction; and

performing, by the mobile apparatus, such travel control as to avoid the first area.

2. The obstacle avoidance method for mobile apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the acquisition of the information as to the relative movement of the obstacle is fulfilled by sensing a relative distance, a relative velocity and a relative direction with respect to the obstacle by a sensor mounted on the mobile apparatus.

3. The obstacle avoidance method for mobile apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first-area avoidance travel by the mobile apparatus is fulfilled by calculating path lengths of a forward-side path and a rearward-side path, respectively, of the travel direction of the obstacle and selecting a path that is the shorter in path length.

4. The obstacle avoidance method for mobile apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the first-area avoidance travel by the mobile apparatus is fulfilled by calculating path lengths of a forward-side path and a rearward-side path, respectively, of the travel direction of the obstacle, and when the forward-side path and the rearward-side path are equal in path length, the rearward-side path is selected.

5. The obstacle avoidance method for mobile apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

deciding whether or not a direction in which the obstacle acquires image information is directed toward the mobile apparatus;

if it is decided that the direction of acquisition of image information is directed toward the mobile apparatus, changing a longitudinal direction of the first area to the direction toward the mobile apparatus to re-set the first area.

6. The obstacle avoidance method for mobile apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

changing a ratio of a length of the first area in the travel direction to a length thereof in a direction perpendicular to the travel direction according to a velocity of the obstacle.

7. The obstacle avoidance method for mobile apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein the length in the travel direction is increased relative to the perpendicular direction as the velocity of the obstacle increases.

8. An obstacle-avoidable mobile apparatus comprising:

a relative movement information acquisition unit for acquiring information as to relative movement of an obstacle with respect to a mobile apparatus;

a first area setting unit for setting a first area having a configuration which is longer in a travel direction of the obstacle than in a direction perpendicular to the travel direction by calculating a travel path and a travel direction of the obstacle based on the information acquired by the relative movement information acquisition unit; and

a travel control unit for exerting travel control on the mobile apparatus so that the first area set by the first area setting unit is avoided.

9. The obstacle-avoidable mobile apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the relative movement information acquisition unit includes a sensor for detecting a relative distance, a relative velocity and a relative direction with respect to the obstacle as information as to the relative movement.

10. The obstacle-avoidable mobile apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein

the information as to the relative movement acquired by the relative movement information acquisition unit contains information as to a velocity of the obstacle, and

the first area setting unit sets the first area by changing a ratio of a length of the first area in the travel direction to a length thereof in a direction perpendicular to the travel direction according to the information as to the velocity of the obstacle.

11. The obstacle-avoidable mobile apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the first area setting unit sets the first area so that the length in the travel direction is increased relative to the perpendicular direction as the velocity of the obstacle increases.