Apparatus and method for navigation based on illumination intensity

• US 7,996,126 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hong, Young-jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): PECHE, JORGE O
• Application Number:
  US11/237,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20060074532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,140 Days
• Field of Search: 701/28, 701/201, 701/301, 701/302, 901/1, 901/46, 318/568.17, 700/250, 153/19
• US Class Current: 701/28
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0231 using optical position detecting means position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16

Abstract

An apparatus and method for navigation based on the intensity of illumination. The apparatus includes: a photosensitive sensor sensing light; a photosensitive sensor processor calculating an illumination intensity of the light sensed by the photosensitive sensor; a drive unit moving the apparatus; an actuator actuating the drive unit; and a task manager generating data usable to move the apparatus along a trajectory of a preset target illumination intensity where the illumination intensity measured by the photosensitive sensor processor is the same as the target illumination intensity using the difference between the measured illumination intensity and the target illumination intensity. The actuator uses the data generated by the task manager to actuate the drive unit.

Claims

1. An apparatus for navigation based on illumination intensity, which includes an actuator and a drive unit actuated by the actuator, the apparatus comprising:

a photosensitive sensor to sense light;

a photosensitive sensor processor to calculate an illumination intensity of the light sensed by the photosensitive sensor;

a drive unit to move the apparatus;

an actuator to actuate the drive unit; and

a task manager to generate data usable to move the apparatus along a trajectory of a target illumination intensity, where a measured illumination intensity calculated by the photosensitive sensor processor is the same as a preset target illumination intensity, using the difference between the measured illumination intensity and the preset target illumination intensity,

wherein the actuator uses the data generated by the task manager to actuate the drive unit, and

wherein the task manager generates data usable to move the apparatus to a location where the illumination intensity is the highest when the number of collisions with an obstacle on the movement path exceeds a predetermined threshold.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data is used to move the apparatus along the target illumination intensity trajectory in such a way as to minimize a difference between the measured illumination intensity and the target illumination intensity.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an obstacle detector to detect whether there is an obstacle in a movement path and providing information about the existence of obstacle to the task manager.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a power supply to provide information about the amount of power remaining in a battery of the task manager.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the task manager generates data usable to move the apparatus to a location for charging when the amount of power remaining in the battery is less than a predetermined threshold.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the task manager generates data usable to move the apparatus to a location where the illumination intensity is the highest when the power is turned on.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light is interior illumination.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data generated by the task manager contains the linear velocity of the drive unit.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data generated by the task manager contains the rotary angle of the drive unit with respect to the movement path.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the photosensitive sensor comprises a photodiode.

11. A method of navigating a navigation apparatus including an actuator and a drive unit and actuated by the actuator based on an illumination intensity, the method comprising:

designating an initial measured illumination intensity as a target illumination intensity by using a photosensitive sensor;

generating data usable to move the navigation apparatus along a target illumination intensity trajectory, where the measured illumination intensity is the same as a preset target illumination intensity, using the difference between the measured illumination intensity and the preset target illumination intensity, wherein the usable data is usable to move the apparatus to a location where the illumination intensity is highest when the number of collisions with an obstacle movement path exceeds a predetermined threshold;

actuating the drive unit using the data to move the navigation apparatus along the target illumination intensity trajectory; and

storing a start position before designating the initial measured illumination intensity as the target illumination intensity.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the data is used to move the apparatus along the target illumination intensity trajectory in such a way as to minimize a difference between the measured illumination intensity and the target illumination intensity.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the start position is represented by an orientation of a position.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

moving to a position where the illumination intensity is the highest after moving along the target illumination intensity trajectory.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the moving to the position where the illumination intensity is the highest comprises:

calculating a cumulative movement distance on the target illumination intensity trajectory;

rotating 90 degrees inward from the target illumination intensity trajectory when the cumulative movement distance is greater than a predetermined threshold;

measuring illumination intensity while moving forward after the rotation; and

ceasing to operate when the measured illumination intensity is less than the previously measured illumination intensity.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

moving backward a predetermined distance when there is an obstacle in the movement path after the measuring of the illumination intensity while moving; and

changing the target illumination intensity after the moving backward.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the moving backward the predetermined distance and the changing of the target illumination intensity are performed when a number of collisions with the obstacle is less than a predetermined threshold.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the data usable to move the navigation apparatus along the target illumination intensity trajectory is generated using a difference between illumination intensity measured on a current movement path and the target illumination intensity.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the data contains the linear velocity of the drive unit.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the data contains the rotary angle of the drive unit.

21. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

calculating a cumulative distance traveled on the target illumination intensity trajectory;

rotating the navigation apparatus inward 90 degrees relative to a tangent of the target illumination intensity trajectory when the cumulative distance traveled is greater than a predetermined threshold;

measuring the illumination intensity while moving the navigation apparatus forward after the rotation; and

ceasing operation of the navigation apparatus when the measured illumination intensity is less than the previously measured illumination intensity.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

moving the navigation apparatus backward a predetermined distance when there is an obstacle in the movement path after the measuring of the illumination intensity while moving; and

changing the target illumination intensity after the moving backward.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the moving backward a predetermined distance and the changing of the target illumination intensity are performed when a number of collisions with the obstacle is less than a predetermined threshold.

24. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the photosensitive sensor comprises a photodiode.

25. A method of navigating a navigation apparatus including an actuator and a drive unit and actuated by the actuator based on an illumination intensity, the method comprising:

designating an initial measured illumination intensity as a target illumination intensity by using a photosensitive sensor;

generating data usable to move the navigation apparatus along a target illumination intensity trajectory where the measured illumination intensity is the same as the target illumination intensity;

actuating the drive unit using the data to move the navigation apparatus along the target illumination intensity trajectory; and

storing a start position before designating the initial measured illumination intensity as the target illumination intensity,

wherein the start position is obtained after the navigation apparatus moves forward by a predetermined distance and then rotates 90 degrees in a pre-specified direction.

26. A method of navigating a navigation apparatus including an actuator and a drive unit and actuated by the actuator based on an illumination intensity, the method comprising:

designating an initial measured illumination intensity as a target illumination intensity by using a photosensitive sensor;

generating data usable to move the navigation apparatus along a target illumination intensity trajectory where the measured illumination intensity is the same as the target illumination intensity;

actuating the drive unit using the data to move the navigation apparatus along the target illumination intensity trajectory;

storing a start position before designating the initial measured illumination intensity as the target illumination intensity; and

moving to another start position and repeating the process of designating the target illumination intensity when the navigation apparatus returns to the start position on the target illumination intensity trajectory after moving along the trajectory.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the another start position is obtained after the navigation apparatus rotates 90 degrees outward from the target illumination intensity trajectory, moves forward by a predetermined distance, and rotates 90 degrees in a pre-specified direction.

28. A method of navigating a navigation apparatus including an actuator and a drive unit and actuated by the actuator based on an illumination intensity, the method comprising:

designating an initial measured illumination intensity as a target illumination intensity by using a photosensitive sensor;

generating data usable to move the navigation apparatus along a target illumination intensity trajectory where the measured illumination intensity is the same as the target illumination intensity;

actuating the drive unit using the data to move the navigation apparatus along the target illumination intensity trajectory;

storing a start position before designating the initial measured illumination intensity as the target illumination intensity; and

moving backward a predetermined distance and changing the target illumination intensity when the navigation apparatus encounters an obstacle in its movement path after moving along the target illumination intensity trajectory.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the moving backward the predetermined distance and the changing of the target illumination intensity are performed when a number of collisions with the obstacle is less than a predetermined threshold.

30. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with processing instructions for causing a processor to execute a method for navigating a navigation apparatus including an actuator and a drive unit and actuated by the actuator based on an illumination intensity, the method comprising:

designating an initial measured illumination intensity as a target illumination intensity by using a photosensitive sensor;

generating data usable to move the navigation apparatus along a target illumination intensity trajectory, where the measured illumination intensity is the same as a preset target illumination intensity, using the difference between the measured illumination intensity and the preset target illumination intensity, wherein the usable data is usable to move the apparatus to a location where the illumination intensity is highest when the number of collisions with an obstacle movement path exceeds a predetermined threshold;

actuating the drive unit using the data to move the navigation apparatus along the target illumination intensity trajectory; and

storing a start position before designating the initial measured illumination intensity as the target illumination intensity.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, the method further comprising:

calculating a cumulative distance traveled on the target illumination intensity trajectory;

rotating the navigation apparatus inward 90 degrees relative to tangent of the target illumination intensity trajectory when the cumulative distance traveled is greater than a predetermined threshold;

measuring the illumination intensity while moving the navigation apparatus forward after the rotation; and

ceasing operation of the navigation apparatus when the measured illumination intensity is less than the previously measured illumination intensity.