Remote controller

• US 9,592,610 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2008
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Matsunaga, Shinichi, Ogawa, Naohide, Takahashi, Kimio
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Bao Long T
• Application Number:
  US12/521,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20100036527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,080 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/06 Control stands, e.g. consoles, switchboards
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1676 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A remote controller enables a user to manipulate behavior of a robot so that the robot does not stray away from a given area and also avoids contact with an object. If a route designated by the user satisfies a stable movement requirement, a first command signal is transmitted from the remote controller to the robot. By doing so, it is possible to move the robot according to the designated route. On the other hand, if the route designated by the user does not satisfy the stable movement requirement, the first command signal is not transmitted from the remote controller to the robot. Therefore, it is possible to stop the robot from moving according to the designated route, and further to avoid the situation where the robot strays away from the designated region, or comes into contact with the object.

Claims

1. A remote controller for making a user remotely manipulate a robot moving autonomously, comprising:

a first manipulation processing element configured to recognize a designated route input by the user via an input device, and to recognize a boundary of a designated region and a position and an external shape of an object existing in the designated region; and

a second manipulation processing element configured to determine whether the designated route satisfies a stable movement requirement, wherein the stable movement requirement is satisfied when it is determined that the robot is capable of moving according to the designated route without straying away from the designated region and with a low possibility of coming into contact with the object, on the basis of the recognition result of the first manipulation processing element, and the second manipulation processing element is also configured to transmit a first command signal to the robot only after determining that the stable movement condition is satisfied by the designated route, the first command signal making the robot move according to the designated route.

2. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the second manipulation processing element is configured to transmit a second command signal to the robot when it is determined that the stable movement condition is not satisfied, the second command signal makes the robot search for a route which has common terminal point or common starting and terminal points with the designated route and which satisfies the stable movement requirement as a target route, and makes the robot move according to the target route when the target route is retrieved, and makes the robot stop or maintain the stopped state thereof when the target route is not retrieved.

3. The remote controller according to claim 2, wherein the second command signal makes the robot, when moving, decelerate or stop prior to searching for the target route.

4. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the second manipulation processing element outputs whether the designated route satisfies the stable movement requirement, or a behavior mode of the robot defined by the second command signal via an output device.

5. A remote controller for making a user remotely manipulate a robot moving autonomously, comprising:

a first manipulation processing element configured to recognize a designated route input by the user via an input device, and to recognize a boundary of a designated region and a position and an external shape of an object existing in the designated region; and

a second manipulation processing element configured to determine whether the designated route satisfies a stable movement requirement, wherein the stable movement requirement is satisfied when it is determined that the robot is capable of moving according to the designated route without straying away from the designated region and with a low possibility of coming into contact with the object, on the basis of the recognition result of the first manipulation processing element, and the second manipulation processing element is also configured to transmit one of a first command signal and a second command signal to the robot,

wherein the first command signal is transmitted when it is determined that the stable movement requirement is satisfied by the designated route, and the first command signal makes the robot move according to the designated route, and

wherein the second command signal is transmitted when it is determined that the stable movement requirement is not satisfied, and the second command signal makes the robot search for a route which has common terminal point or common starting and terminal points with the designated route and which satisfies the stable movement requirement as a target route, and makes the robot move according to the target route when the target route is retrieved.

6. The remote controller according to claim 5, wherein the second manipulation processing element is configured make the robot stop or maintain the stopped state thereof when the target route is not retrieved.

7. The remote controller according to claim 6, wherein the second command signal makes the robot, when moving, decelerate or stop prior to searching for the route.

8. The remote controller according to claim 5, wherein the second manipulation processing element outputs whether the designated route satisfies the stable movement requirement, or a behavior mode of the robot defined by the second command signal via an output device.

9. The remote controller according to claim 5, wherein the second manipulation processing element is configured to only transmit one of the first command signal or the second command signal after determining whether the stable movement requirement is satisfied by the designated route input by the user.

10. A robot remote control system, comprising:

a robot including a plurality of legs, a control device, and communication equipment, the robot configured to move autonomously by a movement of the plurality of legs, and the control device configured to control movement of the plurality of legs based at least in part on communication with the communication equipment; and

a remote controller in remote communication with the robot communication equipment for making a user remotely manipulate the robot moving autonomously, the remote controller comprising;

a first manipulation processing element configured to recognize a designated route input by the user via an input device, and to recognize a boundary of a designated region and a position and an external shape of an object existing in the designated region;

a second manipulation processing element configured to determine whether the designated route satisfies a stable movement requirement, wherein the stable movement requirement is satisfied when it is determined that the robot is capable of moving according to the designated route without straying away from the designated region and with a low possibility of coming into contact with the object, on the basis of the recognition result of the first manipulation processing element, and the second manipulation processing element is also configured to transmit a first command signal to the robot communication equipment when it is determined that the stable movement requirement is satisfied by the designated route, the first command signal making the robot control device control the robot legs to move the robot according to the designated route; and

wherein the second manipulation processing element is configured to transmit the first command signal to the robot communication equipment only after determining that the stable movement condition is satisfied.

11. A robot remote control system, comprising:

a robot including a plurality of legs, a control device, and communication equipment, the robot configured to move autonomously by a movement of the plurality of legs, and the control device configured to control movement of the plurality of legs based at least in part on communication with the communication equipment; and

a remote controller in remote communication with the robot communication equipment for making a user remotely manipulate the robot moving autonomously, the remote controller comprising;

a first manipulation processing element configured to recognize a designated route input by the user via an input device, and to recognize a boundary of a designated region and a position and an external shape of an object existing in the designated region;

a second manipulation processing element configured to determine whether the designated route satisfies a stable movement requirement, wherein the stable movement requirement is satisfied when it is determined that the robot is capable of moving according to the designated route without straying away from the designated region and with a low possibility of coming into contact with the object, on the basis of the recognition result of the first manipulation processing element, and the second manipulation processing element is also configured to transmit a first command signal to the robot communication equipment when it is determined that the stable movement requirement is satisfied by the designated route, the first command signal making the robot control device control the robot legs to move the robot according to the designated route; and

wherein the second manipulation processing element is configured to transmit one of the first command signal and a second command signal to the robot communication equipment, wherein the second manipulation processing element transmits the second command signal to the robot communication equipment after it is determined that the stable movement condition is not satisfied, the second command signal makes the robot control device search for a route which has common terminal point or common starting and terminal points with the designated route and which satisfies the stable movement requirement as a target route, and makes the robot control device control the robot legs to move the robot according to the target route when the target route is retrieved, and makes robot control device control the robot legs to make the robot stop or maintain the stopped state thereof when the target route is not retrieved.

12. The robot remote control system according to claim 11, wherein the second command signal makes the robot control device, when the robot is moving, control the robot legs to decelerate or stop prior to searching for the target route.

13. The robot remote control system according to claim 11, wherein the second manipulation processing element is configured to only transmit one of the first command signal or the second command signal after determining whether the stable movement requirement is satisfied by the designated route input by the user.