Mobile apparatus, and control method thereof, control program and supervisory system therefor

• US 7,529,622 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Makoto, Kuroda, Mitsuhide, Sawada, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Olsen; Lin B
• Application Number:
  US11/958,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20080154430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• Field of Search: 700/301, 700/89, 700/247, 700/255, 701/301, 701/28, 318/568.12, 318/568.19, 901/1, 901/49, 901/50
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 57/032 with alternately or sequentially lifted supporting base and legs; with alternately or sequentially lifted feet or skid B62D57/024 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593
• 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 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A mobile apparatus for moving or acting while avoiding contact with an object, and reducing a change in the behavior of the object. It is determined whether there is a first spatial element that satisfies a contact condition that there is a possibility of contact with a reference spatial element on a discriminant plane including at least part of a representative point trajectory of a robot. If there is a first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition, a second action plan element involving changing the representative point trajectory is assumed, and it is determined whether there is a first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on a new discriminant plane including at least part of the changed representative point trajectory. If there is no first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on the new discriminant plane, the assumed new “second action plan element” is set.

Claims

1. A mobile apparatus that has a control system, and adjusts independently a position and a posture thereof according to a first action plan element defining a position-variation mode and a second action plan element defining a posture-variation mode, respectively, with a movement thereof controlled by the control system,

wherein said control system comprises:

a first processing section which recognizes a current image of said mobile apparatus, a current image of an object, and an intermittent or continuous future image of the object, which is determined according to the behavior of the object and has a larger size than the current image thereof, as a reference spatial element, a first spatial element and a second spatial element having a larger size than the first spatial element, respectively, on a discriminant plane including at least a part of an end point trajectory of said mobile apparatus determined based on said second action plan element;

a second processing section which determines, based on the result of the recognition by the first processing section, whether or not there is the first spatial element that satisfies a contact condition which refers to a second contact condition that there exists an intersection point or contact point between the reference spatial element and the first spatial element on the discriminant plane when the reference spatial element moves along a route which serves as the first action plan element, or a first contact condition that a movement cost defined in a way that the movement cost becomes higher when a distance from the reference spatial element to the first spatial element is longer is within a prescribed range and the second contact condition; and

a third processing section which assumes the second action plan element involving changing the end point trajectory and makes the first processing section recognize the reference spatial element, the first spatial element and the second spatial element on a new discriminant plane including at least a part of the changed end point trajectory and determine whether or not the first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on the new discriminant plane under the assumption exists, when the second processing section determines that there is a first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on the discriminant plane, and

modifies the route which serves as the first action plan element so as to avoid the reference spatial element from contacting the second spatial element on the discriminant plane including at least a part of the end point trajectory not changed based on the result of the recognition by the first processing section when the second processing section determines that there is still a first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on the new discriminant plane, and sets the assumed second action plan element as a new second action plan element when the second processing section determines that there is no first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on the new discriminant plane.

2. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first processing section recognizes said reference spatial element, said first spatial element and said second spatial element on a first discriminant plane, which is said discriminant plane including at least a part of an upper end trajectory of a first part of said mobile apparatus, which serves as the end point trajectory,

said second processing section determines whether or not there is said first spatial element that satisfies said contact condition on the first discriminant plane based on the result of the recognition by the first processing section, and

said third processing section assumes lowering of the upper end trajectory of the first part as said second action plan element when the second processing section determines that there is the first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on the first discriminant plane.

3. The mobile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mobile apparatus has, as said first part, a head on top of a base body capable of being inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and

said third processing section sets, as the second action plan element, lowering of the upper end trajectory of the head by increasing the angle of inclination of the base body with respect to the vertical direction when said second processing section determines that there is said first spatial element that satisfies said contact condition on said first discriminant plane.

4. The mobile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mobile apparatus has an arm extending from a base body as said first part, and

said third processing section sets, as said second action plan element, lowering of the upper end trajectory of the arm by changing the posture of the arm when said second processing section determines that there is said first spatial element that satisfies said contact condition on said first discriminant plane.

5. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first processing section recognizes said reference spatial element, said first spatial element and said second spatial element on a second discriminant plane, which is said discriminant plane including at least a part of a lower end trajectory of a second part of said mobile apparatus, which serves as the end point trajectory,

said second processing section determines whether or not there is said first spatial element that satisfies said contact condition on the second discriminant plane based on the result of the recognition by the first processing section, and

said third processing section assumes raising of the lower end trajectory of the second part as the second action plan element when the second processing section determines that there is a first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on the second discriminant plane.

6. The mobile apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the mobile apparatus has, as said second part, a plurality of legs that extend from a base body and are repeatedly lifted up from and put down on a floor in operation, and

said third processing section sets, as said second action plan element, raising of the lower end trajectory of a leg of the plurality of legs that is lifted up from the floor when the second processing section determines that there is a first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on the second discriminant plane.

7. The mobile apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the mobile apparatus has an arm extending from a base body as said second part, and

said third processing section sets, as the second action plan element, raising of the lower end trajectory of the arm by changing the posture of the arm when said second processing section determines that there is said first spatial element that satisfies said contact condition on said second discriminant plane.

8. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first processing section recognizes said reference spatial element, said first spatial element and said second spatial element on a third discriminant plane, which is a discriminant plane including at least a part of a left or right end trajectory of a third part of said mobile apparatus, which serves as the end point trajectory,

said second processing section determines whether or not there is said first spatial element that satisfies said contact condition on the third discriminant plane based on the result of the recognition by the first processing section, and

said third processing section assumes rightward or leftward shift of the left or right end trajectory of the third part as said second action plan element when the second processing section determines that there is the first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on the third discriminant plane.

9. The mobile apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the mobile apparatus has an arm extending from a base body as said third part, and

said third processing section sets, as said second action plan element, rightward or leftward shift of the left or right end trajectory of the arm by changing the posture of the arm when said second processing section determines that there is said first spatial element that satisfies said contact condition on said third discriminant plane.

10. The mobile apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the mobile apparatus has, as said third part, a plurality of legs that extend from a base body and are repeatedly lifted up from and put down on a floor, and

said third processing section sets, as said second action plan element, rightward or leftward shift of the left or right end trajectory of the plurality of legs when said second processing section determines that there is said first spatial element that satisfies said contact condition on said third discriminant plane.

11. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first processing section recognizes the behavior of said object by some or all of the position, the velocity and the acceleration of said first spatial element on said discriminant plane and recognizes the first spatial element intermittently or continuously extended according to the result of the recognition so that the first spatial element does not include said reference spatial element as said second spatial element.

12. The mobile apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said first processing section recognizes the behavior of said object by the velocity of said first spatial element and the relative position and the relative velocity of said first spatial element with respect to said reference spatial element on said discriminant plane and recognizes the first spatial element intermittently or continuously extended according to the result of the recognition as said second spatial element.

13. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first processing section recognizes a region determined according to the contour characteristics of said object extended according to the contour characteristics of said mobile apparatus as said first spatial element on said discriminant plane.

14. The mobile apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said first processing section recognizes a Minkowski sum of two regions determined according to the contour characteristics of said mobile apparatus and said object as said first spatial element on the discriminant plane.

15. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second processing section determines whether or not there is the first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition including the first contact condition that said movement cost falls within the prescribed range having a positive lower limit.

16. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, further includes a camera which photographs a part of the surroundings of the mobile apparatus as a photographing range,

wherein the first processing section recognizes the first spatial element and the second spatial element based on an image obtained by the camera.

17. A control system for controlling the operation of a mobile apparatus by adjusting independently a position and a posture thereof according to a first action plan element defining a position-variation mode and a second action plan element defining a posture-variation mode, respectively, comprising:

a first processing section which recognizes a current image of said mobile apparatus, a current image of an object, and an intermittent or continuous future image of the object, which is determined according to the behavior of the object and has a larger size than the current image thereof, as a reference spatial element, a first spatial element and a second spatial element having a larger size than the first spatial element, respectively, on a discriminant plane including at least a part of an end point trajectory of said mobile apparatus determined based on said second action plan element;

a second processing section which determines, based on the result of the recognition by the first processing section, whether or not there is the first spatial element that satisfies a contact condition which refers to a second contact condition that there exists an intersection point or contact point between the reference spatial element and the first spatial element on the discriminant plane when the reference spatial element moves along a route serving as the first action plan element, or a first contact condition that a movement cost defined in a way that the movement cost becomes higher when a distance from the reference spatial element to the first spatial element is longer is within a prescribed range and the second contact condition; and

a third processing section which assumes the second action plan element involving changing the end point trajectory and makes the first processing section recognize the reference spatial element, the first spatial element and the second spatial element on a new discriminant plane including at least a part of the changed end point trajectory and determine whether or not the first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on the new discriminant plane under the assumption exists, when the second processing section determines that there is a first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on the discriminant plane, and

modifies the route which serves as the first action plan element so as to avoid the reference spatial element from contacting the second spatial element on the discriminant plane including at least a part of the end point trajectory not changed based on the result of the recognition by the first processing section when the second processing section determines that there is still a first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on the new discriminant plane, and sets the assumed second action plan element as a new second action plan element when the second processing section determines that there is no first spatial element that satisfies the contact condition on the new discriminant plane.

18. The control system according to claim 17, wherein instructions programmed on a computer make the computer function as said control system.

19. The control system according to claim 18, wherein a supervisory system distributes or broadcasts at least a part of the program to said computer.