Localisation System

• US 20100305752A1
• Filed: 05/27/2010
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mtd Products Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: F Robotics Acquisitions Ltd. (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Abramson, Shai
• Granted Patent: US 8,594,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7034 Mounting or deployment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7038 Signal details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2201/01 adapted for specific applications or environments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• 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

A robotic system comprises a transmitter emitting a plurality of angularly-spaced beams of radiation in an area; and a robot moving within said area and able to detect when it is in the path of one of said beams. On moving through a measured distance across the paths of two or more of the beams, the robot can determine the relative position of the transmitter and the robot by using the distance and the angular spacing of the beams.

Claims

1. A robotic system comprising:

a beam transmitter operable to emit a plurality of angularly-spaced beams of radiation in an area; and

a robot operable to move within said area and to detect when it is in the path of one of said beams;

wherein said robot is further operable, upon moving through a distance across the paths of two or more of said beams, to determine the relative position of said transmitter and said robot by using information relating to said distance and information relating to the spacing of said beams.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said beams are equi-angularly spaced.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said robot, in order to identify said position, moves in a substantially straight line crossing the paths of two or more beams.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said robot utilises the distance traveled between crossing the paths of two different beams to determine said position.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said robot continues to travel along said straight line until the position of the beam transmitter is known within a pre-determined level of accuracy.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said robot comprises an odometer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said robot utilises the distance traveled between successive crossings of the paths of said beams to determine whether it is moving towards or away from said transmitter.

8. The system of claim 1, additionally comprising:

a reference transmitter operable to transmit a reference signal;

timer, mounted on said robot, configured to commence timing upon transmission of said reference signal;

a pressure wave transmitter provided adjacent said beam transmitter, configured to transmit a pressure wave to said robot upon transmission of said reference signal,

receiver, mounted on said robot, operable to receive said pressure wave; and

wherein said timer is operable to determine a time interval between the transmission of the reference signal and the receipt of the pressure wave and using the determined time interval to determine information regarding the position of the robot relative to the beam transmitter.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the reference signal includes an electromagnetic wave, and/or the pressure wave includes an ultrasonic wave.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising a data transmitter operable to transmit data relating to each of the beams of the array and preferably wherein the system is adapted to emit said data between the transmitting of the beams of radiation.

11. A robotic system operable to indicate, to a robot operable to move within an area, a location adjacent the boundary of said area, the system comprising:

a transmitter, operable firstly to transmit a plurality of angularly-spaced beams of radiation into the area and operable secondly to transmit data including information regarding each beam transmitted into the area; and

a robot operable to identify the intersection of a beam with the boundary of the area and further operable to use said data to identify said location.

12. The robotic system of claim 11, wherein said beams are equi-angularly spaced.

13. The robotic system of claim 11, wherein the robot is provided with a first receiver for detecting when it is adjacent to said boundary and a second receiver for detecting when it is in the path of one of said beams.

14. The robotic system of claim 11, further comprising a wire demarcating said boundary, preferably arranged such that it produces a radio-frequency signal.