Robot and control method thereof

• US 9,481,087 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2015
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Chiao Tung University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Original Assignee: National Chiao Tung University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Inventors: Song, Kai-Tai, Lin, Ming-Han
• Primary Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US14/700,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20160184990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 700/261
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1674 characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1679 characterised by the tasks executed
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A robot and a control method thereof are provided. The method includes the following steps: receiving a manual control command from a remote control device, and accumulating a duration of issuing the manual control commands; estimating an estimated moving velocity corresponding to the manual control command; detecting a surrounding environment of the robot and generating an autonomous navigation command based on the surrounding environment; determining a first weighting value associated with the manual control command based on the duration, the estimated moving velocity and the distance to obstacles; determining a second weighting value associated with the autonomous navigation command based on the first weighting value; linearly combining the manual control command and the autonomous navigation command based on the first weighting value and the second weighting value to generate a moving control command; and moving based on the moving control command.

Claims

1. A control method for a robot having a detection unit and a processing unit, comprising:

receiving a manual control command by the processing unit from a remote control device and accumulating a duration of issuing the manual control command by the processing unit, wherein the manual control command is adapted to move the robot;

estimating an estimated moving velocity corresponding to the manual control command by the processing unit;

controlling the detection unit to detect a surrounding environment of the robot by the processing unit and generating an autonomous navigation command based on the surrounding environment by the processing unit;

determining a first weighting value associated with the manual control command by the processing unit based on the duration, the estimated moving velocity, and a distance to obstacles;

determining a second weighting value associated with the autonomous navigation command by the processing unit based on the first weighting value;

linearly combining the manual control command and the autonomous navigation command by the processing unit based on the first weighting value and the second weighting value, so as to generate a moving control command; and

moving the robot by the processing unit based on the moving control command.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

spotting an object by the processing unit in response to a target selection command from the remote control device; and

receiving an execution command by the processing unit from the remote control device and controlling a robotic arm of the robot to perform a specific action to the object in response to the execution command.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the surrounding environment of the robot by the processing unit comprises:

scanning the surrounding environment with a laser scanner by the processing unit to generate a scanning result; and

establishing a map of the surrounding environment by the processing unit based on the scanning result and positioning a current location of the robot in the map by the processing unit.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the surrounding environment comprises a target object and a plurality of obstacles, and the step of generating the autonomous navigation command by the processing unit based on the surrounding environment comprises:

generating a first moving velocity vector by the processing unit based on a maximal moving velocity and a buffering distance of the robot and a distance vector between the current location of the robot and the target object;

generating a second moving velocity vector by the processing unit based on a position vector between each of the obstacles and the current location of the robot and a maximal safe distance of the robot; and

adding up the first moving velocity vector and the second moving velocity vector by the processing unit to generate the autonomous navigation command.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first moving velocity vector is represented as:

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second moving velocity vector is represented as:

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surrounding environment comprises a target object, and the method further comprises:

calculating an angular velocity that the robot rotates a facing direction of a head of the robot by the processing unit based on a maximal angular velocity that the robot rotates the facing direction of the robot'"'"'s head, a buffering angle and an included angle between a direction of the robot'"'"'s face and the target object; and

rotating the facing direction of the robot'"'"'s head by the processing unit based on the angular velocity,

wherein the angular velocity is represented as;

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of determining the first weighting value associated with the manual control command by the processing unit based on the duration, the estimated moving velocity, and the distance to the obstacles comprises:

when the duration exceeds a preset duration or the estimated moving velocity is lower than a preset velocity, increasing the first weighting value by the processing unit;

when the duration does not exceed the preset duration or the estimated moving velocity is not lower than the preset velocity, decreasing the first weighting value by the processing unit;

when the duration exceeds the preset duration or the distance to the obstacles is greater than a preset distance, increasing the first weighting value by the processing unit; and

when the duration does not exceed the preset duration or the distance to the obstacles is not greater than the preset distance, decreasing the first weighting value by the processing unit.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a sum of the first weighting value and the second weighting value is equal to 1.

10. A robot, comprising:

a detection unit, detecting a surrounding environment of the robot;

a storage unit, storing a plurality of modules; and

a processing unit, coupled to the detection unit and the storage unit, accessing and executing the modules stored in the storage unit, the modules comprising;

an accumulating module, receiving a manual control command from a remote control device and accumulating a duration of the manual control command, wherein the manual control command is adapted to move the robot;

an estimating module, estimating an estimated moving velocity corresponding to the manual control command;

a generating module, controlling the detection unit to detect the surrounding environment of the robot and generating an autonomous navigation command based on the surrounding environment;

a determining module, determining a first weighting value associated with the manual control command based on the duration, the estimated moving velocity, and a distance to obstacles, and determining a second weighting value associated with the autonomous navigation command based on the first weighting value;

a combining module, linearly combining the manual control command and the autonomous navigation command based on the first weighting value and the second weighting value, so as to generate a moving control command; and

a moving module, moving the robot based on the moving control command.

11. The robot as claimed in claim 10, wherein the modules further comprise a control module, configured to:

spot an object in response to a target selection command from the remote control device; and

receive an execution command from the remote control device and control a robotic arm of the robot to perform a specific action to the object in response to the execution command.

12. The robot as claimed in claim 10, wherein the detection unit is a laser scanner, and the generating module is configured to:

scan the surrounding environment with the laser scanner to generate a scanning result; and

establish a map of the surrounding environment based on the scanning result and position a current location of the robot in the map.

13. The robot as claimed in claim 12, wherein the surrounding environment comprises a target object and a plurality of obstacles, and the generating module is configured to:

generate a first moving velocity vector based on a maximal moving velocity and a buffering distance of the robot and a distance vector between the current location of the robot and the target object;

generate a second moving velocity vector based on a position vector between each of the obstacles and the current location of the robot and a maximal safe distance of the robot; and

add up the first moving velocity vector and the second moving velocity vector to generate the autonomous navigation command.

14. The robot as claimed in claim 13, wherein the first moving velocity vector is represented as:

15. The robot as claimed in claim 13, wherein the second moving velocity vector is represented as:

16. The robot as claimed in claim 10, wherein the surrounding environment comprises a target object, and the modules further comprise a rotating module configured to:

calculate an angular velocity that the robot rotates a facing direction of a head of the robot based on a maximal angular velocity that the robot rotates the facing direction of the robot'"'"'s head, a buffering angle and an included angle between a direction of the robot'"'"'s face and the target object; and

rotate the facing direction of the head of the robot based on the angular velocity,

wherein the angular velocity is represented as;

17. The robot as claimed in claim 10, wherein the determining module is configured to:

increase the first weighting value when the duration exceeds a preset duration or the estimated moving velocity is lower than a preset velocity;

decrease the first weighting value when the duration does not exceed the preset duration or the estimated moving velocity is not lower than the preset velocity;

increase the first weighting value when the duration exceeds the preset duration or the distance to the obstacles is greater than a preset distance; and

decrease the first weighting value when the duration does not exceed the preset duration or the distance to the obstacles is not greater than the preset distance.

18. The robot as claimed in claim 10, wherein a sum of the first weighting value and the second weighting value is equal to 1.