Robot and task execution system

• US 8,483,930 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2008
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kawaguchi, Yuichiro, Yokoyama, Taro
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US12/674,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20110106310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,736 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/214, 901/17, 706/14, 701/100
• US Class Current: 701/100
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/00 Controls for manipulators programme controls B25J9/16; control in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/93 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/023 Interference mitigation, e.g. reducing or avoiding non-intentional interference with other HF-transmitters, base station transmitters for mobile communication or other radar systems, e.g. using electro-magnetic interference [EMI] reduction techniques auxiliary means for detecting or identifying radar signals or the like G01S7/021; means for anti-jamming G01S7/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/0232 Avoidance by frequency multiplex
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• 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 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0289 with means for avoiding collisions between vehicles vehicle fittings for automatically controlling speed including means for detecting potential obstacles B60K31/0008; avoiding obstacles by action on the steering system B62D; radar, sonar, lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93

Abstract

A robot and so forth capable of avoiding the mutual interference of a plurality of active sensors mounted on the other robots so that a task may be smoothly executed by each of a plurality of robots are provided. If an active sensor mounted on each of the plurality of robots (R) may mutually interfere with each other and if the degree of contribution of the active sensor to a task being executed by the self robot (R) is lower than that of the active sensor of the other robot (R) to the task being executed by the other robot (R), the sensitivity of the active sensor of the self robot (R) is decreased. As a result thereof, the mutual interference of the active sensors can be avoided, and the robot (R) can be prevented from causing trouble to the task.

Claims

1. A robot which executes a task by making autonomous actions on the basis of communication with a support server provided with a task database, comprising:

a plurality of active sensors with directivity configured to output;

at least one of electromagnetic waves and ultrasonic waves; and

output signals related to an external state of the robot according to received reflection waves of the at least one of the electromagnetic waves and ultrasonic waves; and

a controller configured to control actions of the robot on the basis of the output signals from the plurality of active sensors;

wherein the controller is provided with a first processing element and a second processing element,

the first processing element is configured to determine a position and an orientation of the robot,

store the position and the orientation in the task database on the basis of communication with the support server,

recognize a position and an orientation of an associated other robot in the task database on the basis of communication with the support server, the associated other robot comprising a plurality of other active sensors with directivity configured to output at least one of electromagnetic waves and ultrasonic waves, and output signals related to an external state of the associated other robot according to received reflection waves of at least one of the electromagnetic waves and ultrasonic waves, and

designate in the plurality of active sensors disposed in the robot an active sensor which has a possibility to interfere with any of the plurality of other active sensors disposed in the associated other robot on the basis of the determination result and the recognition result, and designate in the plurality of other active sensors disposed in the associated other robot an other active sensor of the associated other robot with which the designated active sensor of the robot has the possibility to interfere, and

the second processing element is configured to evaluate a degree of contribution of each of the plurality of active sensors to a task being executed by the robot, the degree of contribution evaluated based on a predetermined relationship between each of the plurality of active sensors and the task being executed by the robot,

store the degree of contribution in the task database on the basis of communication with the support server,

recognize at least a degree of contribution of the other active sensor of the associated other robot designated by the first processing element in the task database on the basis of communication with the support server, compare the degree of contribution of the designated active sensor of the robot with the degree of contribution of the designated other active sensor of the associated other robot on the basis of the determination result and the recognition result, and

decrease an output intensity of the designated active sensor of the robot on a condition that the degree of contribution of the designated active sensor of the robot is lower than the degree of contribution of the designated other active sensor of the associated other robot.

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the robot is provided with a plurality of first active sensors directed to a plurality of directions for determining a position or an orientation of an object or for identifying the object as the active sensors, and

the second processing element evaluates higher the degree of contribution to a task by a first active sensor which contributes to determining the position or the orientation of the object or identifying the object in the plurality of the first active sensors if the task is recognized being executed by the robot on the basis of a determination result of the position or the orientation of the object or an identification result of the object.

3. The robot according to claim 2, wherein the second processing element controls the actions of the robot to displace the position of the object or to guide the object so as to match the directivity of another first active sensor which is not corresponded to the designated active sensor to the orientation of the object when the output intensity of a first active sensor which is corresponded to the designated active sensor and is outputting signals for determining the position or the orientation of the object or for identifying the object is decreased.

4. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the robot is provided with a second active sensor directed to a detection region for determining a position of an object located in the detection region as the active sensor, and

the second processing element evaluates higher the degree of contribution to a task by the second active sensor if the task is recognized being executed by the robot on the basis of a determination result on the position of the object located in the detection region.

5. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the second processing element recognizes a priority level of the task being executed by the robot, and evaluates higher the degree of contribution of the active sensor to the task if the priority level is greater.

7. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the associated other robot is substantially identical to the robot.

8. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the degree of contribution of each of the plurality of active sensors to each of a plurality of tasks is stored in a data table, and the degree of contribution of each of the plurality evaluated with reference to the data table.

6. A task execution system comprising:

a support server provided with a task database; and

a plurality of robots, each of the plurality of robots comprising;

a plurality of active sensors with directivity configured to output;

at least one of electromagnetic waves and ultrasonic waves; and

output signals related to an external state of the robot according to received reflection waves of the at least one of the electromagnetic waves and ultrasonic waves; and

a controller configured to control actions of the robot on the basis of the output signals from the plurality of active sensors;

wherein the controller is provided with a first processing element and a second processing element,

the first processing element is configured to determine a position and an orientation of the robot,

store the position and the orientation in the task database on the basis of communication with the support server,

recognize a position and an orientation of another robot from among the plurality of robots in the task database on the basis of communication with the support server, and

designate in the plurality of active sensors disposed in the robot an active sensor which has a possibility to interfere with any of the plurality of active sensors disposed in the other robot on the basis of the determination result and the recognition result, and designate in the plurality of active sensors disposed in the other robot an active sensor with which the designated active sensor of the robot has the possibility to interfere, and

the second processing element is configured to evaluate a degree of contribution of each of the plurality of active sensors disposed in the robot to a task being executed by the robot, the degree of contribution evaluated based on a predetermined relationship between each of the plurality of active sensors and the task being executed by the robot,

store the degree of contribution in the task database on the basis of communication with the support server,

recognize at least a degree of contribution of the active sensor of the other robot designated by the first processing element in the task database on the basis of communication with the support server, compare the degree of contribution of the designated active sensor of the robot with the degree of contribution of the designated active sensor of the other robot on the basis of the determination result and the recognition result, and

decrease an output intensity of the designated active sensor of the robot on a condition that the degree of contribution of the designated active sensor of the robot is lower than the degree of contribution of the designated active sensor of the other robot.