Systems and methods for representing information associated with objects in an area

• US 8,525,836 B1
• Filed: 10/04/2012
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Poursohi, Arshan, Hickman, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Phi
• Application Number:
  US13/644,271
• Time in Patent Office: 334 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 382/232, 375/240.25, 707/797, 348/149, 700/245
• US Class Current: 345/428
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/36 Level of detail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods and systems for representing information associated with an object in an area are provided. An example method includes determining a high-resolution representation of information associated with an area in which a robotic device is configured to operate. The high-resolution representation of information may include data associated with an object in the area and an indication of an occurrence of an update to the data. The method may further include determining a proximity of the robotic device to the object in the area. According to the method, when the proximity is less than a proximity threshold or the occurrence of the update is greater than an age threshold, a low-resolution representation of information associated with the area may be determined and provided to the robotic device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing device having a memory, a high-resolution representation of information associated with an area in which a robotic device is configured to operate, wherein the high-resolution representation of information comprises data associated with an object in the area and an indication of an occurrence of an update to the data associated with the object in the area;

determining an age of the data associated with the object in the area, wherein the age is associated with an elapsed time from the occurrence of the update to a current time;

determining that the age is greater than an age threshold; and

in response to determining that the age is greater than the age threshold;

determining, by the computing device, a low-resolution representation of information associated with the area; and

providing the low-resolution representation of information to the robotic device, wherein a size of the low-resolution representation of information is inversely proportional to the age, such that as the age increases, the size of the low-resolution representation of information decreases.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the low-resolution representation of information comprises a parent dataset associated with the object and the high-resolution representation of the information comprises a child dataset associated with the object, wherein the parent dataset is a substitute for the child dataset based on a tree structure.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the child dataset comprises one or more of a two-dimensional image, a three-dimensional image, a three-dimensional model, surface features of the object, information identifying the object, instructions for use of the object, and rules for access.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the child dataset comprises a first image of the object of a first resolution and the parent dataset comprises a second image of the object of a second resolution, wherein the first resolution is greater than the second resolution.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a proximity of the robotic device to the object in the area and

wherein the size of the low-resolution representation of information is proportional to the proximity, such that as the proximity decreases, the size of the low-resolution representation of information decreases.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information associated with a change in position of the robotic device; and

as the proximity increases above a proximity threshold, providing the high-resolution representation of information to the robotic device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining information associated with a speed of the robotic device; and

wherein the proximity threshold varies based on the speed of the robotic device.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining which data associated with the object the robotic device utilizes; and

sending information indicating a level of importance of the data associated with the object the robotic device utilizes to a server.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining another proximity of a second robotic device to the object; and

optimizing the low-resolution representation of information based on the information indicating the level of importance of the data associated with the object.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the proximity of the robotic device to the object in the area comprises:

determining information associated with a location of the robotic device;

determining information associated with a location of the object from information stored in a database; and

determining the proximity based on the information associated with the location of the robotic device and the information associated with the location of the object.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the age is associated with an elapsed time from a time when the information associated with the location of the object was stored to a current time.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining information associated with a field of view of the robotic device; and

providing the low-resolution representation of information when the object is not in the field of view of the robotic device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the occurrence of the update to the data is associated with a time when the information was stored in a database.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data associated with the object comprises information gathered by a second robotic device and stored in the database.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein executable instructions, that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

determining a high-resolution representation of information associated with an area in which a robotic device is configured to operate, wherein the high-resolution representation of information comprises data associated with an object in the area and an indication of an occurrence of an update to the data associated with the object in the area;

determining an age of the data associated with the object in the area, wherein the age is associated with an elapsed time from the occurrence of the update to a current time

determining that the age is greater than an age threshold; and

in response to determining that the age is greater than the age threshold;

determining a low-resolution representation of information associated with the area; and

providing the low-resolution representation of information to the robotic device, wherein a size of the low-resolution representation of information is inversely proportional to the age, such that as the age increases, the size of the low-resolution representation of information decreases.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions executable by the computing device to perform functions comprising:

determining a proximity of the robotic device to the object in the area

receiving information associated with a change in position of the robotic device; and

as the proximity increases above a proximity threshold, providing the high-resolution representation of information to the robotic device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the size of the low-resolution representation of information is proportional to the proximity, such that as the proximity decreases, the size of the low-resolution representation of information decreases.

18. A system comprising:

a processor; and

memory including instructions stored therein executable by the processor to perform functions comprising;

determining a high-resolution representation of information associated with an area in which a robotic device is configured to operate, wherein the high-resolution representation of information comprises data associated with an object in the area and an indication of an occurrence of an update to the data associated with the object in the area;

determining an age of the data associated with the object in the area, wherein the age is associated with an elapsed time from the occurrence of the update to a current time

determining that the age is greater than an age threshold; and

in response to determining that the age is greater than the age threshold;

determining a low-resolution representation of information associated with the area; and

providing the low-resolution representation of information to the robotic device, wherein a size of the low-resolution representation of information is inversely proportional to the age, such that as the age increases, the size of the low-resolution representation of information decreases.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising instructions executable by the processor to perform functions comprising:

determining a proximity of the robotic device to the object in the area;

receiving information associated with a change in position of the robotic device; and

as the proximity increases above a proximity threshold, providing the high-resolution representation of information to the robotic device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the size of the low-resolution representation of information is proportional to the proximity, such that as the proximity decreases, the size of the low-resolution representation of information decreases.