Robot hallway traveler
First Claim
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1. A method for guiding a vehicle along a hall having a given width, comprising the steps of:
- obtaining distances between the vehicle and the nearest objects in a plurality of directions from both sides of the vehicle;
identifying the nearest objects that are at distances not greater than the width of the hall;
fitting straight lines through the objects thus identified on each side of the vehicle so as to define the positions of the walls;
determining the distance between the vehicle and each of said straight lines;
finding the average of the distances between the vehicle and each of said straight lines to determine the location of the center of the hall;
deriving the deviation of the vehicle from the center of the hall from the difference between said average and one half the width of the hall;
determining the angle between the heading of the vehicle and each of said straight lines; and
using an average of said angles as the heading of the vehicle with respect to the center line of the hallway; and
controlling the movement of the vehicle in response to said deviation and the average of said angles.
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Abstract
A vehicle is guided along a hall by obtaining distances between it and the nearest objects along a plurality of directions, fitting straight lines through the distances to define the walls of the hall, determining its distance from the center of the hall and its angular orientation with respect thereto and directing it to a given point on the center or other line with an angular rotation so that it faces along the center line.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A method for guiding a vehicle along a hall having a given width, comprising the steps of:
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obtaining distances between the vehicle and the nearest objects in a plurality of directions from both sides of the vehicle; identifying the nearest objects that are at distances not greater than the width of the hall; fitting straight lines through the objects thus identified on each side of the vehicle so as to define the positions of the walls; determining the distance between the vehicle and each of said straight lines; finding the average of the distances between the vehicle and each of said straight lines to determine the location of the center of the hall; deriving the deviation of the vehicle from the center of the hall from the difference between said average and one half the width of the hall; determining the angle between the heading of the vehicle and each of said straight lines; and using an average of said angles as the heading of the vehicle with respect to the center line of the hallway; and controlling the movement of the vehicle in response to said deviation and the average of said angles. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification