METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAPPING OF MULTIPLE-FLOOR STRUCTURES

• US 20100223031A1
• Filed: 01/29/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SRI International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SRI International, Inc.
• Inventors: Vincent, Regis, Limketkai, Benson, Eriksen, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,075,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads

Abstract

A method for mapping a multiple-floor structure includes building a plurality of maps that includes one map for each of at least two of the floors, detecting a set of anchor points, where the set of anchor points includes at least one anchor point on each of the maps, linking the anchor points to produce a set of linked anchor points, and aligning the maps around the set of linked anchor points to produce a set of aligned maps. A method for mapping a structure using a single robot includes generating, by the robot, a first map at a first point in time, storing the first map, generating, by the same robot, a second map at a second point in time subsequent to the first point in time, and aggregating the first map and the second map to produce an aggregated map.

Claims

1. A method for mapping a structure comprising a plurality of floors, the method comprising:

building a plurality of maps, where the plurality of maps includes one map for each of at least two of the plurality of floors;

detecting at least one set of anchor points, where the at least one set of anchor points comprises at least one anchor point on each of the plurality of maps;

linking the at least one set of anchor points to produce at least one set of linked anchor points; and

aligning the plurality of maps around the at least one set of linked anchor points to produce a set of aligned maps.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of maps comprises, for a corresponding one of the at least two of the plurality of floors, a plurality of nodes, each of the plurality of nodes being associated with a position on the corresponding one of the at least two of the plurality of floors and a timestamp indicating a time at which the position was recorded.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein all anchor points in the at least one set of anchor points have the same (x, y) coordinates.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each anchor point in the at least one set of anchor points has a unique (z) coordinate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one set of anchor points comprises at least three sets of anchor points.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

optimizing the set of aligned maps.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of maps is produced by two or more robots.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of maps is produced by a single robot performing a plurality of mapping operations.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the building comprises, for each of the plurality of maps:

retrieving a stored map, the stored map mapping a portion of the structure that was previously explored by the single robot;

obtaining a current position of the single robot relative to the stored map;

commencing mapping from a first position indicated in the stored map, in order to generate a new map; and

aggregating the stored map and the new map to produce an aggregated map.

10. A computer readable storage medium containing an executable program for mapping a structure comprising a plurality of floors, where the program performs steps of:

building a plurality of maps, where the plurality of maps includes one map for each of at least two of the plurality of floors;

detecting at least one set of anchor points, where the at least one set of anchor points comprises at least one anchor point on each of the plurality of maps;

linking the at least one set of anchor points to produce at least one set of linked anchor points; and

aligning the plurality of maps around the at least one set of linked anchor points to produce a set of aligned maps.

11. A system for mapping a structure comprising a plurality of floors, comprising:

means for building a plurality of maps, where the plurality of maps includes one map for each of at least two of the plurality of floors;

means for detecting at least one set of anchor points, where the at least one set of anchor points comprises at least one anchor point on each of the plurality of maps;

means for linking the at least one set of anchor points to produce at least one set of linked anchor points; and

means for aligning the plurality of maps around the at least one set of linked anchor points to produce a set of aligned maps.

12. A method for mapping a structure using a single robot, the method comprising:

generating, by the single robot, a first map at a first point in time, the first map at least partially mapping the structure;

storing the first map;

generating, by the single robot, a second map at a second point in time subsequent to the first point in time, the second map at least partially mapping the structure; and

aggregating the first map and the second map to produce an aggregated map.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein generating the second map comprises:

retrieving the first map;

obtaining a current position of the single robot relative to the first map; and

commencing mapping from a first position indicated in the first map, in order to generate the second map.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the structure comprises a plurality of floors.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first map and the second map are included in a plurality of map, the plurality of maps including one map for each of at least two of the plurality of floors.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

detecting at least one set of anchor points, where the at least one set of anchor points comprises at least one anchor point on each of the plurality of maps;

linking the at least one set of anchor points to produce at least one set of linked anchor points; and

aligning the plurality of maps around the at least one set of linked anchor points to produce a set of aligned maps.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein all anchor points in the at least one set of anchor points have the same (x, y) coordinates.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each anchor point in the at least one set of anchor points has a unique (z) coordinate.

19. A computer readable storage medium containing an executable program for mapping a structure using a single robot, where the program performs steps of:

generating, by the single robot, a first map at a first point in time, the first map at least partially mapping the structure;

storing the first map;

generating, by the single robot, a second map at a second point in time subsequent to the first point in time, the second map at least partially mapping the structure; and

aggregating the first map and the second map to produce an aggregated map.

20. A system for mapping a structure using a single robot, comprising:

means for generating, by the single robot, a first map at a first point in time, the first map at least partially mapping the structure;

means for storing the first map;

means for generating, by the single robot, a second map at a second point in time subsequent to the first point in time, the second map at least partially mapping the structure; and

means for aggregating the first map and the second map to produce an aggregated map.