Method and apparatus for navigating robot

• US 8,948,913 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Sunglok, Lee, Jae-Yeong, Yu, Wonpil
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US12/911,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20110098874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 701/26, 901/1, 700/245, 700/253, 700/255, 700/258, 318/568.12, 318/568.16, 318/568.19, 340/435
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40506 Self motion topology knowledge, configuration mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0238 using obstacle or wall sensors G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A method of navigating a robot includes creating a robot navigation map using a map database required for navigation of the robot; and creating a path on which no obstacle is located in the map database using the created robot navigation map. Further, the method of navigating the robot includes primarily controlling the robot so that the robot travels along the created path; and secondarily controlling the robot so that the robot avoids an obstacle on the path.

Claims

1. A method of navigating a robot, comprising:

creating a robot navigation map using a map database required for navigation of the robot;

determining a path on which no obstacle is located in the map database using the created robot navigation map; and

controlling the robot so that the robot travels along the path avoiding an obstacle which is not stored in the map database,

wherein said controlling includes;

stopping, when the robot arrives at a location point where the obstacle is present during said traveling, the robot for a predetermined period of time;

moving, if the obstacle moves out from the location point within the predetermined period of time, the robot along the path; and

moving, if the obstacle remains on the location point after the predetermined period of time elapses, the robot to deviate from the path to avoid the obstacle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the robot navigation map includes a grid map and a topology map.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating the robot navigation map is performed by using information about a location of the robot and information about a sensed obstacle as inputs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating the path includes outputting a set of continuous points representing the path by using a start point and a destination point as inputs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling the robot includes outputting a target control velocity for the robot by using a set of continuous points representing the path, and a location, a direction angle and a velocity of the robot as inputs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the avoidinq the obstacle includes outputting a target control velocity for the robot by using a location, a direction angle, velocity and a traveling direction of the robot as inputs.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said controlling further includes stopping, when the robot fails to avoid the obstacle, avoiding the obstacle and notifying a remote control center of the failure of the avoidance of the obstacle.

7. An apparatus for navigating a robot, comprising:

a sensor unit for generating a sensor signal based on operation of the robot;

a navigation control unit for calculating a target control velocity for the robot using the sensor signal of the sensor unit, status information of the robot, and/or a command signal of a user terminal; and

a robot drive unit for driving the robot in accordance with the target control velocity calculated by the navigation control unit,

wherein the navigation control unit includes;

a map creation unit for creating the map information for the navigation of the robot using the sensor signal received from the sensor unit;

a path planning unit for determining a path along which the robot travels from a start point to a destination point without causing a collision using the map information created by the map creation unit; and

a path tracking unit for controlling the robot so that the robot travels along the path determined by the path planning unit,

wherein the path tracking unit includes an obstacle avoidance unit configured to control the robot to avoid an obstacle which is not stored in the map information, and

wherein the obstacle avoidance unit is configured;

to stop, when the robot arrives at a location point where the obstacle is present during said traveling, the robot for a predetermined period of time;

to move, if the obstacle moves out from the location point within the predetermined period of time, the robot along the path; and

to move, if the obstacle remains on the location point after the predetermined period of time elapses, the robot to deviate from the path to avoid the obstacle.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the target control velocity is information which is used to reconfigure functionality required for navigation of the robot.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sensor unit includes:

a location sensor for measuring information about a location of the robot and providing the sensed information about the location of the robot to the navigation control unit; and

a distance sensor for measuring information about a distance the robot is away from an obstacle and providing the sensed information about the distance to the navigation control unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the information about the location comprises information about a location of the robot, information about a direction angle of the robot, and/or odometer data.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the navigation control unit provides a callback signal based on a result of monitoring the status information of the robot to the user terminal.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the callback signal is a signal indicating termination of execution of a command by the robot or indicating an error in execution of a command by the robot.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the map information comprises grid map information and topology map information.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the path created using the path planning unit is represented by a set of continuous points in space by using the start point and the destination point as inputs.

15. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the path tracking unit outputs a target control velocity for the robot by using a set of continuous points representing the path, and a location, direction angle and velocity of the robot as inputs.

16. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the obstacle avoidance unit is configured to output a target control velocity for the robot by using a location, direction angle, velocity and traveling direction of the robot as inputs.

17. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus for navigating the robot is configured to modify, replace and newly create the functionalities of the map creation unit, the path planning unit, the path tracking unit and the obstacle avoidance unit.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the modification includes recreating part of the functionalities of the map creation unit, the path planning unit, the path tracking unit, and the obstacle avoidance unit which require modification.

20. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the obstacle avoidance unit is configured to stop, when the robot fails to avoid the obstacle, avoiding the obstacle, and to notify a remote control center of the failure of the avoidance of the obstacle.