Information processing apparatus and information processing method

• US 9,156,162 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Masahiro, Kobayashi, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US13/781,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20130238124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 382/190, 382/198, 382/291, 348/511, 700/62, 700/250, 700/245, 700/258, 700/259, 700/262, 700/254, 744/900.5, 901/16, 901/26, 901/28, 901/31, 901/14, 901/30, 901/46, 901/47, 294/88, 294/907, 294/106, 294/111
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/16 Programme controls programme controls in general G05B19/00, e.g. numerical pogramme controls G05B19/18; recording or playback systems G05B19/42
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39484 Locate, reach and grasp, visual guided grasping
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40053 Pick 3-D object from pile of objects
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/31 Gripping jaw

Abstract

The positions and orientations of one or more target objects are obtained from the result of measuring a set of target objects by using a first sensor. A robot including a grip unit is controlled to grip one target object as a gripping target object among the target objects by the grip unit. Whether the grip unit has succeeded in gripping the gripping target object is determined from the result of measurement performed by a second sensor for measuring the target object gripped by the grip unit. When the grip unit has been determined to fail in gripping the gripping target object, one target object interacting with the gripping target object is selected among the target objects. The robot is controlled to grip the selected target object by the grip unit.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a calculation unit configured to calculate a position and orientation of at least one target object from a result of measuring a set of target objects by using a first sensor;

a control unit configured to control a robot including a holding unit to hold, as a first holding target object, one target object among the at least one target object by the holding unit;

a determination unit configured to determine whether the holding unit has succeeded in holding the first holding target object, from a result of measurement performed by a second sensor for measuring the first holding target object held by the holding unit; and

a selection unit configured to select, when the holding unit has been determined to fail in holding the first holding target object, a second holding target object having a positional relationship with the first holding target object, wherein a holding operation by the holding unit of the second holding target object having the positional relationship with the first holding target object causes changing the position and orientation of the first holding target object,

wherein said control unit controls the robot to hold, by the holding unit, the second holding target object selected by said selection unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said calculation unit calculates a position and orientation of the at least one target object by using the set that has been sensed by the first sensor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination unit performs calculation for calculating a position and orientation of the first holding target object by using a sensed image sensed by the second sensor, and when the calculation fails, determines that the holding unit has failed in holding the first holding target object.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said selection unit selects the second holding target object which has not been selected yet from the at least one target object, and is at a position near the first holding target object.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said selection unit selects the second holding target object which has not been selected yet from the at least one target object, and is overlapping with the first holding target object.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said selection unit selects the second holding target object which has not been selected yet from the at least one target object, and has a distance from the first sensor larger than a distance from the first sensor to the first holding target object.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said selection unit selects the second holding target object which has not been selected yet from the at least one target object, and is close to the first holding target object.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

the robot;

the first sensor; and

the second sensor.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to function as each unit of an information processing apparatus defined in claim 1.

9. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a calculation unit configured to calculate a position and orientation of at least one target object from a result of measuring a set of target objects by using a sensor;

a prediction unit configured to predict, based on a result calculated by said calculation unit for a first holding target object among the at least one target object, whether a holding unit of a robot will succeed in holding the first holding target object;

a selection unit configured to select, when said prediction unit predicts that the holding unit will fail in holding the first holding target object, a second holding target object having a positional relationship with the first holding target object, wherein a holding operation by the holding unit of the second holding target object having the positional relationship with the first holding target object causes changing the position and orientation of the first holding target object; and

a control unit configured to control the robot to hold, by the holding unit, the second holding target object selected by said selection unit.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said prediction unit predicts whether the holding unit of the robot will succeed in holding the first holding target object by comparing a position and orientation of the first holding target object with a predetermined range of positions and orientations.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

the robot; and

the sensor.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to function as each unit of an information processing apparatus defined in claim 9.

12. An information processing method comprising:

a calculation step of calculating a position and orientation of at least one target object from a result of measuring a set of target objects by using a first sensor;

a control step of controlling a robot including a holding unit to hold, as a first holding target object, one target object among the at least one target object by the holding unit;

a determination step of determining whether the holding unit has succeeded in holding the first holding target object, from a result of measurement performed by a second sensor for measuring the first holding target object held by the holding unit; and

a selection step of, when the holding unit has been determined to fail in holding the first holding target object, selecting a second holding target object having a positional relationship with the first holding target object, wherein a holding operation by the holding unit of the second holding target object having the positional relationship with the first holding target object causes changing the position and orientation of the first holding target object,

wherein in the control step, the robot is controlled to hold, by the holding unit, the second holding target object selected in the selection step.

13. An information processing method comprising:

a calculation step of calculating a position and orientation of at least one target object from a result of measuring a set of target objects by using a sensor;

a prediction step of predicting, based on a result calculated in the calculation step for a first holding target object among the at least one target object, whether a holding unit of a robot will succeed in holding the first holding target object;

a selection step of, when the holding unit is predicted in the prediction step to fail in holding the first holding target object, selecting a second holding target object having a positional relationship with the first holding target object, wherein a holding operation by the holding unit of the second holding target object having the positional relationship with the first holding target object causes changing the position and orientation of the first holding target object; and

a control step of controlling the robot to hold, by the holding unit, the second holding target object selected in the selection step.