METHOD OF CONTROLLING ROBOT FOR BRIDGE INSPECTION

• US 20100049367A1
• Filed: 04/17/2009
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daelim University College, Industry Academia Cooperation Foundation, EJ Tech Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Daelim University College, Industry Academia Cooperation Foundation, EJ Tech Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yang, Kyung-Taek
• Application Number:
  US12/425,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20100049367A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: E01D 19/106 Movable inspection or maintenance platforms, e.g. travelling scaffolding or vehicles specially designed to provide access to the undersides of bridges lifting devices for movable platforms on vehicles in general B66F11/04

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of controlling a robot for bridge inspection. In the present invention, whether a defect image is being received from a robot device is determined. As a result of the determination, when the defect image is being received, a current location of the robot device is stored. Whether a predetermined period of time has been elapsed after the storage of the current location is determined. When the predetermined period of time has elapsed, a control command for moving the robot device to a prestored location is output. Whether a defect image at a same location as the prestored location is being received is determined. When the defect image at the same location is being received, a defect image at a previous time is compared with a defect image at a current time. A result of the comparison is displayed.

Claims

1-5. -5. (canceled)

6. A method of controlling a robot for bridge inspection, the method controlling a robot device in a robot control system including the robot device for moving to a desired location to inspect a status of a bridge, acquire a state of a defect at the location as an image and transmit the image;

and a monitoring device connected to the robot device to enable wireless communication and configured to control a location of the robot device, analyze the image received from the robot device and monitor the robot device, comprising;

a primary defect measurement step including;

controlling a posture of the camera by controlling an inclination angle of a central axis of the camera to ground and a rotation angle of a projection axis, formed when the central axis is projected onto the ground, with a reference axis;

acquiring a first image by controlling a control motor for controlling a focus of the camera and a control motor for controlling a zoom function of the camera;

determining a width and a length of a defective region when a defect is detected in the first image acquired by the camera; and

storing a first defect image of the defective region, a current location of the robot device, and a current location of the camera when the first image is determined to show a defect as a result of the determining a width and length of a defective region;

determining, when the primary defect measurement step has been completed, whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed after storing the first defect image;

if the predetermined period of time has elapsed, extracting information about the location of the robot device and the location of the camera, at which the defect was detected in the primary defect measurement step, and outputting a control command for moving the robot device;

moving the robot device and the camera to a same location where the defect was measured in compliance with the control command;

acquiring a second image at the same location having a second defect image;

checking the second defect image from the acquired second image and comparing the first defect image with the second defect image; and

displaying a result of the comparison.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising, before controlling the posture of the camera:

setting a desired location as an origin and moving the robot device to the origin; and

a velocity conversion input step of receiving a velocity and an acceleration of the robot device and determining a movement velocity of the robot device depending on magnitudes of the received velocity and acceleration.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising, after the primary defect measurement step:

returning the robot device to a stored origin in compliance with an origin return command;

setting and storing a desired location while a movement track of the robot device is being stored during movement of the robot device, and moving the robot device to a set location in compliance with a set location movement command; and

continuously storing a track of an inclination angle of the central axis of the camera, required for image acquisition, with the ground, a track of a rotation angle of the projection axis, formed when the central axis is projected onto the ground, with the reference axis, a track of a rotation angle of the focus control motor of the camera, and a track of a rotation angle of the zoom control motor of the camera while acquiring continuous images through the camera, and, if an image to be reviewed is set, storing an inclination angle of the central axis of the camera with the ground, a rotation angle of the projection axis, formed when the central axis is projected onto the ground, with the reference axis, and a rotation angle of the zoom control motor of the camera, at a time at which the set image was acquired, and thereafter adjusting a location and status of the camera using the stored values in compliance with a set image acquisition command, thus acquiring the set image.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein:

said returning the robot device to a stored origin includes storing values of an encoder connected to wheels at a time of setting the origin and moving to the origin using the stored encoder values;

said controlling a posture of the camera includes using both a value of an encoder connected to a motor for adjusting an angle of the central axis of the camera with the ground and a value of an encoder connected to a motor for adjusting an angle of the projection axis, formed when the central axis is projected onto the ground, with the reference axis,

said acquiring a first image acquires the image by controlling the camera using a value of an encoder connected to the focus control motor of the camera and a value of an encoder connected to the zoom control motor of the camera, and

said setting and storing a desired location acquires a quick image using both the value of the encoder connected to the motor for adjusting the angle of the central axis of the camera with the ground, and the value of the encoder connected to the motor for adjusting the angle of the projection axis, formed when the central axis of the camera is projected onto the ground, with the reference axis.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein said determining a width and a length of a defective region further comprises determining whether a target abnormal region to be determined to be a defect is included in the first image, clicking a mouse depending on a width and a length of the abnormal region, measuring the length and width of the abnormal region, and determining that the abnormal region is a defect when the measured length and width are greater than predetermined sizes.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising, after the primary defect measurement step:

returning the robot device to a stored origin in compliance with an origin return command;

setting and storing a desired location while a movement track of the robot device is being stored during movement of the robot device, and moving the robot device to a set location in compliance with a set location movement command; and

continuously storing a track of an inclination angle of the central axis of the camera, required for image acquisition, with the ground, a track of a rotation angle of the projection axis, formed when the central axis is projected onto the ground, with the reference axis, a track of a rotation angle of the focus control motor of the camera, and a track of a rotation angle of the zoom control motor of the camera while acquiring continuous images through the camera, and, if an image to be reviewed is set, storing an inclination angle of the central axis of the camera with the ground, a rotation angle of the projection axis, formed when the central axis is projected onto the ground, with the reference axis, and a rotation angle of the zoom control motor of the camera, at a time at which the set image was acquired, and thereafter adjusting a location and status of the camera using the stored values in compliance with a set image acquisition command, thus acquiring the set image.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein:

said returning the robot device to a stored origin includes storing values of an encoder connected to wheels at a time of setting the origin and moving to the origin using the stored encoder values;

said controlling a posture of the camera includes using both a value of an encoder connected to a motor for adjusting an angle of the central axis of the camera with the ground and a value of an encoder connected to a motor for adjusting an angle of the projection axis, formed when the central axis is projected onto the ground, with the reference axis,

said acquiring a first image acquires the image by controlling the camera using a value of an encoder connected to the focus control motor of the camera and a value of an encoder connected to the zoom control motor of the camera, and

said setting and storing a desired location acquires a quick image using both the value of the encoder connected to the motor for adjusting the angle of the central axis of the camera with the ground, and the value of the encoder connected to the motor for adjusting the angle of the projection axis, formed when the central axis of the camera is projected onto the ground, with the reference axis.