System for autonomously dispensing media on large scale surfaces

• US 8,838,273 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2008
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
• Inventors: Hvass, Paul, Evans, Paul Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATTON, SPENCER D
• Application Number:
  US12/332,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20100143089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,106 Days
• Field of Search: 700 56- 66, 700/184, 700186-193, 700/245, 700/250, 700/253, 700/254, 901/1, 901/2, 901/9, 901/14, 901/30, 901/41, 901/43, 318/568.11, 318/568.12, 318/568.16, 318/568.21
• US Class Current: 700/253
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/005 mounted on vehicles or designed to apply a liquid on a very large surface, e.g. on the road, on the surface of large containers
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/0431 with spray heads moved by robots or articulated arms, e.g. for applying liquid or other fluent material to 3D-surfaces B05B13/0436, B05B13/0442, B05B13/0447, B05B13/0463 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/00 Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages B25J1/00 takes precedence; programme-controlled manipulators B25J9/00 ; vehicle aspects B60, B62, e.g. remote-controlled steering for motor vehicles B62D1/24; control of position of vehicles G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• 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 1/028 using a RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 Arm motion controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/30 End effector
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/43 Spray painting or coating

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system, method and article which may be configured to autonomously dispense a medium onto a relatively large surface relatively accurately.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a mobile platform configured for motion comprising at least three degrees of freedom;

said mobile platform comprising a base and an end-effector coupled through a manipulator, said base and end-effector configured to dispense a medium onto a surface having a width or a length of at least two meters;

a laser scanning metrology system configured to measure a position and orientation corresponding to an actual position and orientation of said end-effector relative to said surface;

a base wheel odometry sensor configured to measure distance travelled by a wheel of said base;

an end-effector angle sensor configured to measure an orientation angle of said end-effector;

a manipulator joint angle sensor configured to measure an orientation angle of a joint of said manipulator;

an inertial measurement sensor configured to provide base, manipulator and end-effector inertial measurements;

an autonomous controller comprising a recursive state estimator configured to generate an estimate of a position and an orientation of said end-effector based at least in part on said position and orientation of said end-effector measured by the laser scanning metrology system and on a physical characteristic model of said system, and further based on measurements provided by;

said base wheel odometry sensor, said end-effector angle sensor, said manipulator joint angle sensor and said inertial measurement sensor;

said autonomous controller further configured to command said base and said end-effector to adjust said actual position and orientation of said end-effector based upon said estimated position and orientation and to command said end-effector to dispense said medium onto said surface; and

a path planner configured to generate a trajectory for said end-effector with respect to said surface, wherein said trajectory avoids end-effector positions associated with a loss of one of said degrees of freedom.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said surface has a width or a length of less than or equal to three hundred meters.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said surface has a depth of at least one millimeter at at least one location.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a sensor configured to sense a position or orientation corresponding to said actual position or orientation of said end-effector relative to said surface.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said autonomous controller is configured to generate an estimate of a position and an orientation of said end-effector based at least in part on said measured position and orientation and said sensed position or orientation.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a manipulator coupled between said base and said end-effector wherein said manipulator is configured to adjust a position or an orientation of said end-effector relative to said base.

7. The system of claim 1 including a user interface coupled to said autonomous controller wherein said controller is further configured to receive data corresponding to a dimension and orientation of said surface and data corresponding to an image to be generated on said surface.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said surface is defined by a plurality of points and further comprising generating a surface data file based upon said plurality of points.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said surface is defined by a finite number of parameters and further comprising generating a surface data file based upon said parameters.

10. A method for dispensing a medium onto a surface having a width or a length of at least two meters comprising:

providing a mobile platform configured for motion comprising at least three degrees of freedom;

said mobile platform comprising a base and an end-effector coupled through a manipulator, said base and end-effector configured to dispense a medium onto said surface;

measuring a position and orientation corresponding to a position and orientation of said end-effector relative to said surface, said measuring performed by a laser scanning metrology system coupled to said mobile platform;

measuring distance travelled by a wheel of said base;

measuring an orientation angle of a joint of said manipulator;

performing inertial measurements associated with said base, manipulator and end-effector;

estimating a position and an orientation of said end-effector based at least in part on said measured position and orientation of said end-effector and on a physical characteristic model of said base and end-effector, and further based on said measured distance travelled by said wheel, said measured orientation angle of said joint and said inertial measurements;

wherein said estimating is performed using recursive state estimation;

autonomously adjusting said position and said orientation of said end-effector based upon said estimated position and orientation;

commanding said end-effector to dispense said medium onto said surface; and

generating a trajectory for said end-effector with respect to said surface, wherein said trajectory avoids end-effector positions associated with a loss of one of said degrees of freedom.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising sensing a position or orientation corresponding to said actual position or orientation of said end-effector.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising generating an estimate of said position and said orientation of said end-effector based at least in part on said measured position and orientation and said sensed position or orientation.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising adjusting a position or an orientation of said end-effector relative to said base.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising receiving data corresponding to a dimension and orientation of said surface and data corresponding to an image to be generated on said surface.

15. An article comprising a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a machine result in the following operations:

commanding motion of a mobile platform, said mobile platform configured for motion comprising at least three degrees of freedom;

measuring a position and orientation corresponding to a position and orientation of an end-effector, coupled to a base of said mobile platform through a manipulator, relative to a surface having a width or a length of at least two meters, said measuring performed by a laser scanning metrology system coupled to said mobile platform;

measuring distance travelled by a wheel of said base;

measuring an orientation angle of a joint of said manipulator;

performing inertial measurements associated with said base, manipulator and end-effector;

estimating a position and an orientation of said end-effector based at least in part on said measured position and orientation of said end-effector and on a physical characteristic model of said end-effector, and further based on said measured distance travelled by said wheel, said measured orientation angle of said joint and said inertial measurements, wherein said estimating is performed using recursive state estimation;

autonomously adjusting said position and said orientation of said end-effector based upon said estimated position and orientation;

commanding said end-effector to dispense said medium onto said surface; and

generating a trajectory for said end-effector with respect to said surface, wherein said trajectory avoids end-effector positions associated with a loss of one of said degrees of freedom.

16. The article of claim 15 wherein said storage medium having stored instructions thereon that when executed by a machine result in the following additional operations:

sensing a position or orientation corresponding to said actual position or orientation of said end-effector.

17. The article of claim 16 wherein said storage medium having stored instructions thereon that when executed by a machine result in the following additional operations:

generating an estimate of said position and said orientation of said end-effector based at least in part on said measured position and orientation and said sensed position or orientation.