Apparatus and method of building map for mobile robot

• US 8,508,527 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2009
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jeong, Woo-yeon, Lee, Su-Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOW, JEFFREY J
• Application Number:
  US12/320,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20100001991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,664 Days
• Field of Search: 345/418
• US Class Current: 345/418
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• 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 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/36 Indoor scenes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/003 Maps

Abstract

Localization and map building apparatus and method applicable to a mobile robot are provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a map building apparatus extracts a pattern of landmarks of the same kind and adjusts a landmark map using the extracted pattern when generating the landmark map for localization. Accordingly, since the landmark map is adjusted based on the pattern extracted on the basis of location information of each landmark, accuracy of localization and map building of the mobile robot can be improved.

Claims

1. A map building apparatus comprising:

a landmark map generating unit, comprising at least one processing device, to generate a landmark map which includes location information and respective local images of each of a plurality of landmarks;

a pattern extracting unit to extract a pattern formed by grouping landmarks, of the plurality of landmarks, identified as being of a same kind by use of the location information and the local images; and

a landmark map adjusting unit to adjust the landmark map in accordance with a comparison between obstacle information and the extracted pattern formed by grouping the landmarks of the identified same kind by repositioning at least one landmark based on the comparison.

2. The map building apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pattern extracting unit groups together landmarks of the identified same kind based on similarities of the local images of the landmarks and extracts the pattern formed by the landmarks of the identified same kind by use of the location information.

3. The map building apparatus of claim 1, wherein the extracted pattern formed by the landmarks of the identified same kind is at least one of a straight line, a circle, and a rectangle.

4. The map building apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an image capturing unit which is configured to capture an image of a ceiling and obtains the respective local images for respective landmarks from the ceiling image.

5. The map building apparatus of claim 1, wherein the map building apparatus is a mobile robot of which location is recognized and movement is controlled based on the adjusted landmark map.

6. A map building apparatus comprising:

a landmark map generating unit, comprising at least one processing device, to generate a landmark map which includes location information and respective local images of each of a plurality of landmarks;

a pattern extracting unit to extract a pattern formed by grouping landmarks, of the plurality of landmarks, identified as being of a same kind by use of the location information and the local images; and

a landmark map adjusting unit to adjust the landmark map in accordance with a comparison between obstacle information and the extracted pattern formed by grouping the landmarks of the identified same kind,

further comprising;

a grid map generating unit which generates a grid map,

wherein the pattern extracting unit extracts a pattern of obstacle information from the grid map and compares the extracted pattern of obstacle information with the extracted pattern formed by the landmarks of the identified same kind, and the landmark map adjusting unit adjusts the landmark map based on a result of the comparison.

7. The map building apparatus of claim 6, wherein the landmark map adjusting unit adjusts locations of the landmarks to be perpendicular or parallel to a straight line corresponding to the extracted pattern of obstacle information when the extracted pattern of obstacle information and the extracted pattern formed by the landmarks of the identified same kind are determined to be straight lines.

8. A map building apparatus comprising:

a landmark map generating unit, comprising at least one processing device, to generate a landmark map which includes location information and respective local images of each of a plurality of landmarks;

a pattern extracting unit to extract a pattern formed by grouping landmarks, of the plurality of landmarks, identified as being of a same kind by use of the location information and the local images; and

a landmark map adjusting unit to adjust the landmark map in accordance with a comparison between obstacle information and the extracted pattern formed by grouping the landmarks of the identified same kind,

wherein, when the extracted pattern formed by the landmarks of the identified same kind is determined to be a straight line, the landmark map adjusting unit repositions the landmarks to be placed on a corresponding straight line.

9. A map building method comprising:

generating, by a processor, a landmark map including location information and respective local images of each of a plurality of landmarks;

extracting a pattern formed by grouping landmarks, of the plurality of landmarks, identified as being of a same kind by use of the location information and the local images; and

adjusting the landmark map in accordance with a comparison between obstacle information and the extracted pattern formed by grouping the landmarks identified of the identified same kind by repositioning at least one landmark based on the comparison.

10. The map building method of claim 9, wherein the extracting of the pattern includes grouping together landmarks of the identified same kind based on similarities of the local images of the landmarks and extracting the pattern formed by the landmarks of the identified same kind by use of the location information.

11. The map building method of claim 9, wherein the extracted pattern formed by the landmarks of the identified same kind is one of a straight line, a circle, and a rectangle.

12. The map building method of claim 9, wherein the respective local images of each landmark are obtained from a ceiling image.

13. A map building method comprising:

generating, by a processor, a landmark map including location information and respective local images of each of a plurality of landmarks;

extracting a pattern formed by grouping landmarks, of the plurality of landmarks, identified as being of a same kind by use of the location information and the local images;

adjusting the landmark map by use of the extracted pattern formed by grouping the landmarks identified of the identified same kind;

generating a grid map;

extracting a pattern of obstacle information from the grid map; and

comparing the extracted pattern of obstacle information with the extracted pattern formed by the landmarks of the same kind,

wherein, in the adjusting of the landmark map by use of the extracted pattern formed by the landmarks of the identified same kind, the landmark map is adjusted based on a result of the comparing of the extracted pattern of obstacle information and the extracted pattern formed by the landmarks of the identified same kind.

14. The map building method of claim 13, wherein, in the adjusting of the landmark map, when the extracted pattern formed by the landmarks of the identified same kind and the extracted pattern of obstacle information are determined to be straight lines, the landmarks of the identified same kind are repositioned to be perpendicular or parallel to a straight line corresponding to the extracted pattern of obstacle information.

15. A map building method comprising:

generating, by a processor, a landmark map including location information and respective local images of each of a plurality of landmarks;

extracting a pattern formed by grouping landmarks, of the plurality of landmarks, identified as being of a same kind by use of the location information and the local images; and

adjusting the landmark map by use of the extracted pattern formed by grouping the landmarks identified of the identified same kind,

wherein, when the extracted pattern formed by the landmarks of the identified same kind is determined to be a straight line during the extracting of the pattern formed by the landmarks of the identified same kind, by use of the location information and the local images, the landmarks of the identified same kind are repositioned to be placed on the determined straight line.

16. A map building method comprising:

generating, by a processor, a landmark map including a plurality of landmarks and a grid map including obstacle information;

grouping landmarks, of the plurality of landmarks, by comparing whether or not the landmarks are of a same kind;

extracting a pattern, based on the grouped landmarks; and

adjusting the landmark map using a comparison between the extracted pattern and the obstacle information by repositioning at least one landmark based on the comparison.