System and method for calculating movement direction and position of an unmanned vehicle
First Claim
1. A system for calculating movement direction and position of a movable object, comprising:
- (a) first means for photographing a background of the movable object in a direction of which the movable object moves;
(b) second means for detecting a vanishing point from a photographed background two-dimensional image derived by the first means;
(c) third means for detecting a position of an end of a passage on which the movable object is to move from the photographed background image derived by the first means;
(d) fourth means for calculating a direction of the movable object from a position of the vanishing point detected by the second means; and
(e) fifth means for calculating a distance of the movable object from the position of the passage end detected by the third means on the basis of the detected position of the passage end and vanishing point.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for calculating a movement direction and position of a movable object such as an unmanned vehicle running within a factory and a method therefor are disclosed in which an image pick up camera such as a video camera photographs a background of the movable object to generate a background two-dimensional image. Positions of vanishing point and side ends of a passage on which the movable object is to move are derived from the background photographed two-dimensional image. The movement direction of the movable object is derived from the detected vanishing point. Distances of the movable object from both sides ends of the passage are derived on the basis of the detected vanishing point and positions of side ends of the passage. the movement direction and position of the movable object thus detected are used to control movement of the movable object. The vanishing point is detected on the basis of edge directions at all points constituting and edge on the background two-dimensional image.
-
Citations
29 Claims
-
1. A system for calculating movement direction and position of a movable object, comprising:
-
(a) first means for photographing a background of the movable object in a direction of which the movable object moves; (b) second means for detecting a vanishing point from a photographed background two-dimensional image derived by the first means; (c) third means for detecting a position of an end of a passage on which the movable object is to move from the photographed background image derived by the first means; (d) fourth means for calculating a direction of the movable object from a position of the vanishing point detected by the second means; and (e) fifth means for calculating a distance of the movable object from the position of the passage end detected by the third means on the basis of the detected position of the passage end and vanishing point. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. A system for calculating movement direction and position of an unmanned conveying vehicle automatically moving within a limited space, the system comprising:
-
(a) first means for photographing a background of the limited space viewed from the unmanned vehicle in a direction of which the unmanned vehicle moves; (b) second means for detecting a vanishing point from a photographed background two-dimensional image derived by the first means; (c) third means for detecting positions of side ends of a passage on which the unmanned vehicle is to move from the photographed image derived by the first means; (d) fourth means for calculating a moving direction of the unmanned vehicle from a position of the vanishing point detected by the second means; and (e) fifth means for calculating each distance of the unmanned vehicle from the side ends of the passage detected by the third means on the basis of the detected positions of the side ends and vanishing point.
-
-
29. A method for calculating movement direction and position of a movable object within a limited space, the method comprising the steps of:
-
(a) photographing a background of the limited space viewed from the movable object in a direction of which the movable object moves; (b) detecting a vanishing point from a photographed background image derived in the step (a); (c) detecting positions of side ends of a passage on which the movable object is to move from the photographed image derived in the step (a); and (d) calculating a moving direction of the movable object from a position of the vanishing point detected in the step (b) and each distance of the movable object from the side ends of the passage detected in the step (c) on the basis of the detected positions of the side ends and vanishing point.
-
Specification