Positioning navigation method and electronic apparatus thereof

• US 9,588,520 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cal-Comp Electronics & Communications Company Limited (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), Kinpo Electronics Incorporated (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Cal-Comp Electronics & Communications Company Limited (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), Kinpo Electronics Incorporated (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited)
• Inventors: Wang, Huan-Sheng, Peng, Hsin-Hua, Wu, Fang-Ru
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US14/848,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20160370803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface

Abstract

A positioning navigation method and an electronic apparatus thereof are provided. The positioning navigation method is adapted to the electronic apparatus for positioning an indoor environment and includes the following. A movement process is executed from a start position. In the movement process, distance detection is continuously performed by first sensors, orientation detection is continuously performed by a second sensor, and a position coordinate is recorded every first time period. When sensing that a distance between the electronic apparatus and an obstacle falls in a predetermined distance range, a direction changing process is executed. In the direction changing process, the electronic apparatus rotates by a rotation angle, and an intermediate position coordinate is recorded every second time period. After the direction changing process, a position coordinate corresponding to the direction changing process is determined, and the movement process is re-executed.

Claims

1. A positioning navigation method for an electronic apparatus, which comprises a plurality of first sensors and a second sensor, for positioning an indoor environment, the positioning navigation method comprising:

executing a movement process from a start position, wherein in the movement process, distance detection is continuously performed by the first sensors, orientation detection is continuously performed by the second sensor, and a position coordinate corresponding to the electronic apparatus is recorded every first time period;

executing a direction changing process when detecting that a distance between the electronic apparatus and an obstacle falls in a predetermined distance range, wherein in the direction changing process, the electronic apparatus rotates by a rotation angle according to the second sensor and an intermediate position coordinate corresponding to the electronic apparatus is recorded every second time period; and

determining the position coordinate corresponding to the direction changing process among the recorded intermediate position coordinates according to a distance between each of the intermediate position coordinates and the obstacle, the rotation angle corresponding to each of the intermediate position coordinates, a distance trust weight, and an angle trust weight after the direction changing process, and re-executing the movement process.

2. The positioning navigation method according to claim 1, further comprising:

controlling the electronic apparatus to stop executing the movement process when the position coordinate recorded by the electronic apparatus matches the start position.

3. The positioning navigation method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic apparatus executes the movement process along a first border of the indoor environment and the obstacle is a second border of the indoor environment.

4. The positioning navigation method according to claim 1, wherein the movement process further comprises:

executing an evasion process when detecting that the electronic apparatus enters a structural dead end of the indoor environment.

5. The positioning navigation method according to claim 4, wherein the direction changing process further comprises:

executing the evasion process when detecting that the electronic apparatus is in the structural dead end of the indoor environment.

6. The positioning navigation method according to claim 5, wherein the evasion process comprises:

setting the distance trust weight to a weight upper limit and setting the angle trust weight to a weight lower limit to stop recording the position coordinate of the electronic apparatus;

rotating and moving the electronic apparatus back and forth to leave the structural dead end; and

re-executing the movement process when detecting that the electronic apparatus leaves the structural dead end of the indoor environment.

7. The positioning navigation method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining the position coordinate corresponding to the direction changing process further comprises:

setting the distance trust weight and the angle trust weight respectively, wherein the distance trust weight and the angle trust weight respectively fall between a weight upper limit and a weight lower limit, and a sum of the distance trust weight and the angle trust weight is the weight upper limit;

selecting the intermediate position coordinates according to the distance trust weight and the angle trust weight; and

selecting one of the selected intermediate position coordinates, which has the greatest distance with respect to the obstacle, as the position coordinate representing the direction changing process.

8. An electronic apparatus for positioning an indoor environment, the electronic apparatus comprising:

a movement component;

a plurality of first sensors;

a second sensor;

a storage unit; and

a control unit coupled to the movement component, the first sensors, the second sensor, and the storage unit and controlling the electronic apparatus to execute a movement process from a start position, wherein in the movement process, the first sensors continuously perform distance detection, the second sensor continuously performs orientation detection, and the storage unit records a position coordinate corresponding to the electronic apparatus every first time period,

the control unit controls the electronic apparatus to execute a direction changing process when detecting that a distance between the electronic apparatus and an obstacle falls in a predetermined distance range, wherein in the direction changing process, the electronic apparatus rotates by a rotation angle according to the second sensor and the storage unit records an intermediate position coordinate corresponding to the electronic apparatus every second time period, and

the control unit determines the position coordinate corresponding to the direction changing process among the intermediate position coordinates recorded by the storage unit according to a distance between each of the intermediate position coordinates and the obstacle, the rotation angle corresponding to each of the intermediate position coordinates, a distance trust weight, and an angle trust weight after the direction changing process, and re-executes the movement process.

9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the electronic apparatus to stop executing the movement process when the position coordinate recorded by the storage unit matches the start position.

10. The electronic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the electronic apparatus to execute the movement process along a first border of the indoor environment and the obstacle is a second border of the indoor environment.

11. The electronic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit further comprises a chip unit, and

in the movement process, the chip unit controls the electronic apparatus to execute an evasion process when detecting that the electronic apparatus enters a structural dead end of the indoor environment.

12. The electronic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein in the direction changing process, the chip unit controls the electronic apparatus to execute the evasion process when detecting that the electronic apparatus is in the structural dead end of the indoor environment.

13. The electronic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein in the evasion process, the control unit sets the distance trust weight to a weight upper limit and sets the angle trust weight to a weight lower limit to stop recording the position coordinate of the electronic apparatus, and the chip unit rotates and moves the electronic apparatus back and forth to leave the structural dead end, and

the control unit controls the electronic apparatus again to execute the movement process when detecting that the electronic apparatus leaves the structural dead end of the indoor environment.

14. The electronic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit sets the distance trust weight and the angle trust weight respectively, wherein the distance trust weight and the angle trust weight respectively fall between a weight upper limit and a weight lower limit, and a sum of the distance trust weight and the angle trust weight is the weight upper limit, and

the control unit selects the intermediate position coordinates according to the distance trust weight and the angle trust weight and selects one of the selected intermediate position coordinates, which has the greatest distance with respect to the obstacle, as the position coordinate representing the direction changing process.