Information processing apparatus and information processing method

• US 9,026,234 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US13/775,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20130238128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 702/94, 700245-264
• US Class Current: 700/56
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1653 parameters identification, estimation, stiffness, accuracy, error analysis
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1669 characterised by special application, e.g. multi-arm co-operation, assembly, grasping
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/16 for measuring distance of clearance between spaced objects
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37131 Moire pattern, diffraction grating, fringe
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40053 Pick 3-D object from pile of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40607 Fixed camera to observe workspace, object, workpiece, global
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40613 Camera, laser scanner on end effector, hand eye manipulator, local
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/42318 Using two, more, redundant measurements or scales to detect bad function
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45063 Pick and place manipulator

Abstract

The position and orientation of a target object is obtained based on first measurement data obtained by a first sensor (first calculation). The position and orientation of the target object is obtained based on second measurement data obtained by a movable second sensor set in a position and orientation different from that of the first sensor (second calculation). When the position and orientation obtained by the first calculation and that obtained by the second calculation match each other, the position and orientation obtained by the first or second calculation or a position and orientation calculated from the position and orientation obtained by the first calculation and that obtained by the second calculation is output as the position and orientation of the target object.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a first calculation unit that calculates a first calculated position and orientation of a target object based on first measurement data obtained from a first sensor in a first position and orientation;

a second calculation unit that calculates a second calculated position and orientation of the target object based on second measurement data obtained from a second sensor, different from the first sensor, in a second position and orientation different from the first position and orientation;

a determination unit that determines whether the first calculated position and orientation calculated by said first calculation unit and the second calculated position and orientation calculated by said second calculation unit match;

an output unit that outputs, if said determination unit determines that the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation match, a position and orientation of the target object based on at least one of the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation; and

a controlling unit that controls the second sensor to move, if said determination unit determines that the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation do not match, to a third position and orientation different from the first position and orientation and the second position and orientation.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first calculation unit is arranged to calculate the first calculated position and orientation based on the first measurement data obtained by the first sensor located at the first position and orientation and said second calculation unit is arranged to calculate the second calculated position and orientation based on the second measurement data obtained by the second sensor moved to the second position and orientation different from the first position and orientation.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit further controls to execute, when said determination unit determines that the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation do not match each other, the calculation by said second calculation unit and the determination by said determination unit again.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said first calculation unit is arranged to acquire, as the first measurement data, a sensed image of the target object and/or distance data representing a distance to the target object, and

said second calculation unit is arranged to acquire, as the second measurement data, a sensed image of the target object and/or distance data representing a distance to the target object.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a holding unit that holds model information of the target object,

wherein said first calculation unit calculates the first calculated position and orientation of the target object using the model information and the first measurement data, and

said second calculation unit calculates the second calculated position and orientation of the target object using the second measurement data and the model information.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said holding unit is arranged to hold, as the model information, one of a virtual object simulating the target object, and an image group obtained when one of the target object and the virtual object is viewed from a plurality of viewpoints.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a difference between the first calculated position and orientation calculated by said first calculation unit and the second calculated position and orientation calculated by said second calculation unit is smaller than a predetermined amount, said determination unit determines that the first calculated position and orientation calculated by said first calculation unit and the second calculated position and orientation calculated by said second calculation unit match.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a difference between a geometric feature group based on the first calculated position and orientation calculated by said first calculation unit and a geometric feature group based on the second calculated position and orientation calculated by said second calculation unit is smaller than a predetermined amount, said determination unit determines that the first calculated position and orientation calculated by said first calculation unit and the second calculated position and orientation calculated by said second calculation unit match.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a robot control unit that controls work of a robot related to the target object based on the position and orientation of the target object output from said output unit.

20. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a position and orientation of the first sensor are fixed, and a position and orientation of the second sensor are not fixed.

10. An information processing method to be performed by an information processing apparatus, comprising:

a first calculation step of calculating, with a processor of the information processing apparatus, a first calculated position and orientation of a target object based on first measurement data obtained by a first sensor in a first position and orientation;

a second calculation step of calculating, with the processor of the information processing apparatus, a second calculated position and orientation of the target object based on second measurement data obtained by a second sensor, different from the first sensor, in a second position and orientation different from the first position and orientation;

a determination step of determining, with the processor of the information processing apparatus, whether the first calculated position and orientation calculated in the first calculation step and the second calculated position and orientation calculated in the second calculation step match; and

an output step of outputting, when the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation are determined to match, as the position and orientation of the target object, a position and orientation based on at least one of the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation; and

a controlling step of controlling the second sensor to move, if it is determined that the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation do not match, to a third position and orientation different from the first position and orientation and the second position and orientation.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program which upon execution causes a computer to perform the information processing method of a first calculation step of calculating, with a processor of the information processing apparatus, a first calculated position and orientation of a target object based on first measurement data obtained by a first sensor in a first position and orientation;

a second calculation step of calculating, with the processor of the information processing apparatus, a second calculated position and orientation of the target object based on second measurement data obtained by a second sensor, different from the first sensor, in a second position and orientation different from the first position and orientation;

a determination step of determining, with the processor of the information processing apparatus, whether the first calculated position and orientation calculated in the first calculation step and the second calculated position and orientation calculated in the second calculation step match; and

an output step of outputting, when the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation are determined to match, outputting, as the position and orientation of the target object, a position and orientation based on at least one of the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation; and

a controlling step of controlling the second sensor to move, if it is determined that the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation do not match, to a third position and orientation different from the first position and orientation and the second position and orientation.

12. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a first calculation unit that calculates a first calculated position and orientation of a target object based on first measurement data obtained from a sensor in a first position and orientation;

a second calculation unit that calculates a second calculated position and orientation of the target object based on second measurement data obtained from a sensor in a second position and orientation different from the first position and orientation;

a determination unit that determines whether the first calculated position and orientation calculated by said first calculation unit and the second calculated position and orientation calculated by said second calculation unit match; and

an output unit that outputs, if said determination unit determines that the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation match, a position and orientation of the target object based on at least one of the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation,

wherein the first calculation unit is arranged to calculate the first calculated position and orientation based on the first measurement data obtained from a moveable sensor moved to the first position and orientation and the second calculation unit is arranged to calculate the second calculated position and orientation based on the second measurement data obtained from the moveable sensor moved to the second position and orientation different from the first position and orientation.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an execution control unit that, when said determination unit determines that the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation do not match each other, controls a unit that moves the moveable sensor to change the position and orientation of the moveable sensor and upon moving the moveable sensor executing again the calculation by said second calculation unit and the determination by said determination unit.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said execution control unit is further arranged to control a unit to move the moveable sensor to a position on a straight line forming at least a predetermined angle with a straight line passing through a position obtained by said first calculation unit and a position of the movable sensor in the first position and orientation.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said execution control unit is further arranged to, if the first calculated position and orientation calculated by said first calculation unit and the second calculated position and orientation calculated by said second calculation unit do not match each other, obtain a position and orientation different from a current position and orientation of the moveable sensor, and move the moveable sensor to the obtained position and orientation.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

said second calculation unit is arranged to calculate, each time the moveable sensor is moved, the second calculated position and orientation of the target object based on the second measurement data obtained from the moveable sensor, and

said output unit is further arranged to output, a position and orientation of the target object, from positions and orientations calculated by said second calculation unit, a position and orientation in which a difference from the first calculated position and orientation calculated by said first calculation unit is smaller than a predetermined amount, or an average of the positions and orientations calculated by said second calculation unit.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

said second calculation unit is arranged to calculate, every time the moveable sensor is moved, the second calculated position and orientation of the target object based on the second measurement data obtained from the moveable sensor, and

said output unit is further arranged to obtain a plurality of pairs of positions and orientations having a difference smaller than a predetermined amount, from a plurality of positions and orientations calculated by said second calculation unit, and a plurality of positions and orientations calculated by said first calculation unit, and output one or an average of the plurality of pairs of positions and orientations as the position and orientation of the target object.

18. An information processing method comprising:

a first calculation step of calculating a first calculated position and orientation of a target object based on first measurement data obtained from a sensor in a first position and orientation;

a second calculation step of calculating a second calculated position and orientation of the target object based on second measurement data obtained from a sensor in a second position and orientation different from the first position and orientation;

a determination step of determining whether the first calculated position and orientation calculated by the first calculation step and the second calculated position and orientation calculated by the second calculation step match; and

an output step of outputting, if is determined that the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation match in the determination step, a position and orientation of the target object based on at least one of the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation,

wherein the first calculation step calculates the first calculated position and orientation based on the first measurement data obtained from a moveable sensor moved to the first position and orientation and the second calculation step calculates the second calculated position and orientation based on the second measurement data obtained from the moveable sensor moved to the second position and orientation different from the first position and orientation.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program which upon execution causes a computer to perform the information processing method of a first calculation step of calculating a first calculated position and orientation of a target object based on first measurement data obtained from a sensor in a first position and orientation;

a second calculation step of calculating a second calculated position and orientation of the target object based on second measurement data obtained from a sensor in a second position and orientation different from the first position and orientation;

a determination step of determining whether the first calculated position and orientation calculated by the first calculation step and the second calculated position and orientation calculated by the second calculation step match; and

an output step of outputting, if is determined that the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation match in the determination step, a position and orientation of the target object based on at least one of the first calculated position and orientation and the second calculated position and orientation, wherein the first calculation step calculates the first calculated position and orientation based on the first measurement data obtained from a moveable sensor moved to the first position and orientation and the second calculation step calculates the second calculated position and orientation based on the second measurement data obtained from the moveable sensor moved to the second position and orientation different from the first position and orientation.