LANDMARK FOR POSITION DETERMINATION OF MOBILE ROBOT AND APPARATUS AND METHOD USING IT

• US 20100188510A1
• Filed: 03/13/2007
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology
• Inventors: Jeong, Hee-Don, Choi, Chin-Tae, Yoo, Ki-Sung
• Granted Patent: US 8,368,759 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/164
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37555 Camera detects orientation, position workpiece, points of workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40564 Recognize shape, contour of object, extract position and orientation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10048 Infrared image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30208 Marker matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80

Abstract

There are provided a landmark for recognizing a position of a mobile robot moving in an indoor space and an apparatus and method for recognizing the position of the mobile robot by using the landmark. The landmark includes a position recognition part formed of a mark in any position and at least two marks on an X axis and Y axis centered on the mark and further includes an area recognition part formed of a combination of a plurality of marks to distinguish an individual landmark from others. The apparatus may obtain an image of the landmark by an infrared camera, detect the marks forming the landmark, and detect precise position and area information of the mobile robot from the marks.

Claims

1. A landmark for recognizing coordinates and azimuth in formation of a mobile robot, the landmark comprising a position recognition part formed of a mark in any position and at least two marks on an X axis and Y axis centered on the mark.

2. The landmark of claim 1, further comprising an area recognition part formed of a combination of a plurality of marks to distinguish an individual landmark from others.

3. The landmark of claim 2, wherein the area recognition part receives an identifier corresponding to a number and position of each of the marks forming the area recognition part to distinguish the individual landmark from the others.

4. The landmark of claim 3, wherein the identifier of the area recognition part is determined based on the position recognition part.

5. The landmark of claim 4, wherein the area recognition pall is formed inside the three marks forming the position recognition part.

6. The landmark of claim 1, wherein the marks reflect light in a certain wavelength band.

7. The landmark of claim 6, wherein the light is an infrared ray.

8. The landmark of claim 1, wherein the mark is formed in the shape of a circle of a predetermined size.

9. The landmark of claim 1, wherein the mark is formed on a plane or protruded from a plane.

10. The landmark of claim 2, wherein the mark forming the position recognition part has different size and/or color from the mark forming the area recognition part.

11. An apparatus for recognizing a position of a mobile robot, the apparatus comprising:

an infrared lighting unit irradiating an infrared ray to a landmark formed of a plurality of marks reflecting the infrared;

an infrared camera photographing the landmark and obtaining a binary image;

a mark detector labeling a partial image included in the binary image and detecting the mark by using a number and/or dispersion of labeled pixels for each the partial image; and

a position detector detecting coordinates and an azimuth of the mobile robot by using centric coordinates of the detected mark.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the infrared camera is formed together with the infrared lighting unit as in one body.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the landmark is installed on a top of the mobile robot, and

the infrared camera is installed in a predetermined space capable of photographing the mobile robot.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the landmark comprises a position recognition part formed of a mark in any position and at least two marks located on an X axis and Y axis centered on the mark.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the landmark further comprises an area recognition part formed of a combination of a plurality of marks to distinguish an individual landmark from others, and

the position detection unit further detects area information of the mobile robot by using the detected mark.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the area recognition part receives an identifier corresponding to a number and position of each of the marks forming the area recognition part to distinguish the individual landmark from the others.

17. A method of recognizing a position of a mobile robot, the method comprising:

(a) obtaining a binary image by irradiating an infrared ray to a landmark including a position recognition part formed of a mark in any position and at least two marks located on an X axis and Y axis centered on the mark to reflect the infrared ray and photographing the landmark;

(b) labeling a partial image included in the binary image and detecting the mark by using a number and/or dispersion of labeled pixels for each the partial image; and

(c) detecting coordinates and an azimuth of the mobile robot by using centric coordinates of the detected mark.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a mark candidate is selected by using the number and/or dispersion of labeled pixels for each the partial image and three marks corresponding to the position recognition part are detected by using an inner product of a vector connecting the selected labels in operation (b).

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the binary image further including an area recognition part formed of a combination of a plurality of marks to distinguish an individual landmark from others is obtained in operation (a), and

area information of the mobile robot is further detected by using the mark of the position recognition part.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the area information is an identifier given corresponding to a number and position of each of the marks forming the area recognition part distinguish the individual landmark from others.

21. An apparatus for recognizing a position of a mobile robot, the apparatus comprising:

an infrared lighting unit irradiating an infrared ray to a landmark form of a plurality of marks reflecting the infrared ray and attached to a predetermined space;

an infrared camera installed in the mobile robot and photographing the landmark and obtaining a binary image;

a 2-axis inclinometer installed in the mobile robot and detecting inclination information of the mobile robot;

a mark detector labeling a partial image included in the binary image and detecting the mark by using a number and/or dispersion of labeled pixels for each the partial image; and

a position detector detecting coordinates and an azimuth of the mobile robot by using centric coordinates of the detected mark and the inclination in formation of the mobile robot, wherein the apparatus has an inclination correction function.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the landmark comprises a position recognition part formed of a mark in any position and at least two marks located on an X axis and Y axis centered on the mark.

23. A method of recognizing a position of a mobile robot having an inclination correction function, the method comprising:

(a) obtaining a binary image by irradiating an infrared ray to a landmark including a position recognition part formed of a mark in any position and at least two marks located on an X axis and Y axis centered on the mark to reflect the infrared ray and photographing the landmark;

(b) detecting 2-axis inclination information of the mobile robot to the ground and obtaining a binary image again when the detected 2-axis inclination information is more than a predetermined threshold;

(c) labeling a partial image included in the binary image and detecting the mark by using a number and/or dispersion of labeled pixels for each the partial image; and

(d) detecting coordinates and an azimuth of the mobile robot by using centric coordinates of the detected mark.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein coordinates and an azimuth of the mobile robot are detected by correcting the centric coordinates of the detected mark by using a coordinate transformation matrix according to the 2-axis inclination information.