Apparatus and method detecting a robot slip

• US 20110054686A1
• Filed: 04/21/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hyoung-Ki, Choi, Ki-wan
• Granted Patent: US 8,634,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/253
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0253 extracting relative motion information from a plurality of images taken successively, e.g. visual odometry, optical flow determining position or orientation from images G06T7/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• 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

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for detecting slip of a robot. The robot periodically repeats a pattern movement in the order of a uniform motion, a decelerating motion, and an accelerating motion, or in the order of a uniform motion, an accelerating motion, and a deceleration motion. The occurrence of slip of the robot performing a pattern movement is determined by comparing a first acceleration of the robot measured by an acceleration sensor and a second acceleration of the robot measured by an encoder.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting a slip of a robot, the apparatus comprising:

a pattern-movement command unit to generate a pattern-movement command controlling the robot to perform consecutive motions including at least two of a uniform motion, a decelerating motion, and an accelerating motion; and

a slip detection unit to detect a slip of the robot operating according to the pattern-movement command by comparing a first acceleration measured by an acceleration sensor of the robot with a second acceleration measured by an encoder of the robot, the encoder measuring rotation of driving wheels of the robot.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the consecutive motions are performed in the order of a uniform motion, a decelerating motion, and an accelerating motion or in the order of a uniform motion, an accelerating motion, and a decelerating motion.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pattern-movement command unit outputs the pattern-movement command based on a calculated acceleration in a direction perpendicular to a travelling plane of the robot.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an image analysis unit to obtain surrounding images of the robot and calculate an amount of change between the obtained images,

wherein the pattern-movement command unit generates the pattern-movement command based on the calculated amount of change between the images.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, based upon a determination that a difference between the first acceleration and the second acceleration is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, the slip detection unit determines that a slip of the robot, operating according to the pattern-movement command, has occurred.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, based upon a determination that a difference between the first acceleration and the second acceleration is equal to or greater than a second threshold value and is less than the first threshold value, the pattern-movement command unit generates the pattern-movement command.

7. A method of detecting a slip of a robot, the method comprising:

generating a pattern-movement command controlling the robot to perform consecutive motions including at least two of a uniform motion, a decelerating motion, and an accelerating motion;

measuring a first acceleration of the robot operating according to the pattern-movement command by use of an acceleration sensor;

measuring a second acceleration of the robot operating according to the pattern-movement command by use of an encoder, the encoder measuring rotation driving wheels of the robot; and

detecting the slip of the robot by comparing the first acceleration with the second acceleration.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the consecutive motions are performed in the order of a uniform motion, a decelerating motion, and an accelerating motion or in the order of a uniform motion, an accelerating motion, and a decelerating motion.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising calculating an acceleration in a Z-axis, which is defined as an acceleration of a direction perpendicular to a travelling plane of the robot,

wherein, based upon a determination that the calculated acceleration in the Z-axis is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the pattern-movement command is generated.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising obtaining surrounding images of the robot and calculating an amount of change between the obtained images,

wherein, based upon a determination that the amount of change between the images is equal to or less than a threshold value, the pattern-movement command is generated.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein, based upon a determination that a difference between the first acceleration and the second acceleration is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the pattern-movement command is generated.