METHOD FOR SPECIFYING POSITION, TERMINAL DEVICE, AUTONOMOUS DEVICE, AND PROGRAM

• US 20170277196A1
• Filed: 03/17/2017
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: NAKAMURA, TOMONORI, ASAI, KOJI, AMANO, KATSUSHIGE
• Granted Patent: US 10,437,251 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2815 using optical detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/402 characterised by control arrangements for positioning, e.g. centring a tool relative to a hole in the workpiece, additional detection means to correct position G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/406 characterised by monitoring or safety G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40572 Camera combined with position sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0014 Image feed-back for automatic industrial control, e.g. robot with camera robots B25J19/023
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/36 Indoor scenes

Abstract

A method for controlling an autonomous device that moves in two dimensions using a controller includes obtaining a first image at a first position, which is a destination of the autonomous device, calculating, from the first image, first feature values indicating certain characteristics of the first image, referring to map information indicating correspondences between coordinate information indicating coordinates of defined positions included in a movement area of the autonomous device and second feature values, which are calculated from second images and indicate certain characteristics of the second images and identifying, by referring to the map information, a second position corresponding to second feature values having at least a predetermined degree of correspondence to the feature values generating a command for moving the autonomous device to the second position on the basis of coordinate information corresponding to the second position, and transmitting the command to the autonomous device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an autonomous device that moves in two dimensions using a controller, the method comprising:

obtaining, at a first position, which is a destination of the autonomous device, a first image including a target above the first position;

calculating, from the first image, first feature values indicating certain characteristics of the first image;

referring to map information indicating correspondences between coordinate information indicating coordinates of defined positions included in a movement area of the autonomous device and second feature values, which are calculated from second images and indicate certain characteristics of the second images, the second images being obtained by capturing, at the defined positions, images of scenes above the defined positions, and identifying, by referring to the map information, a second position corresponding to second feature values having at least a predetermined degree of correspondence to the first feature values;

generating a command for moving the autonomous device to the second position on the basis of coordinate information corresponding to the second position; and

transmitting the command to the autonomous device.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the second feature values, calculated from the second images, include one second feature value corresponding to a plurality of feature points included in each of the second images.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the movement area includes a floor of a defined area,

wherein the target includes a ceiling of the defined area, and

wherein the second images are captured by the autonomous device moving on the floor such that the second images include the ceiling.

4. The method according to claim 3,

wherein the map information is created by the autonomous device using simultaneous localization and mapping.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

capturing the first image by an image capture device connected to the autonomous device through a network.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising

capturing, by a first camera of the image capture device, a scene in a first direction, and

capturing, by a second camera of the image capture device, a scene in a second direction, which is opposite the first direction,

wherein the first image is an image captured by the second camera at the first position with the first camera directed to the first position.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising

providing a display to the image capture device, and

displaying, on the display information indicating the second position.

8. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the first feature values and the second feature values are calculated using one of following algorithms:

oriented features from accelerated segment test and rotated binary robust independent elementary features, scale-invariant feature transform, and speeded up robust features.

9. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the movement area includes a floor of a room, and

wherein the autonomous devices is an autonomous vacuum cleaner that cleans the floor while autonomously moving on the floor.

14. The method according to claim 1, the defined area comprising a room.

10. A terminal device that controls an autonomous device that moves in two dimensions, the terminal device comprising:

a camera;

a display; and

a processor,

wherein the processor

causes, at a first position, which is a destination of the autonomous device, the camera to capture a first image including a target above the first position,

receives information indicating a second position identified on the basis of map information indicating correspondences between first feature values, which are calculated from the first image and indicate certain characteristics of the first image, and second feature values, which are calculated from second images and indicate certain characteristics of the second images, the second images being obtained at defined positions by capturing images of scenes above the defined positions, the second position corresponding to second feature values having at least a predetermined degree of correspondence to the first feature values, and

displays the information on the display.

11. The terminal device according to claim 10,

wherein the processor transmits the first image to a server connected to the terminal device through a network,

wherein the server identifies the second position, and

wherein the processor receives the information from the server.

12. A controller that controls an autonomous device that moves in two-dimensions, the controller comprising:

a processor; and

a memory,

wherein the processor

obtains, at a first position, which is a destination of the autonomous device, a first image including a target above the first position,

calculates, from the first image, first feature values indicating certain characteristics of the first image,

refers to map information indicating correspondences between coordinate information indicating coordinates of defined positions included in a movement area of the autonomous device and second feature values, which are stored in the memory, and which are calculated from second images, and indicate certain characteristics of the second images, the second images being obtained by capturing, at the defined positions, images of scenes above the defined positions, and identifies, by referring to the map information, a second position corresponding to second feature values having at least a predetermined degree of correspondence to the first feature values,

generates a command for moving the autonomous device to the second position on the basis of coordinate information corresponding to the second position, and

transmits the command to the autonomous device.

13. An autonomous device that is connected to a controller through a network and that moves on the basis of the command according to claim 13.