Continuous updating of plan for robotic object manipulation based on received sensor data

• US 9,630,321 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2015
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intrinsic Innovation LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Industrial Perception, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bradski, Gary, Konolige, Kurt, Rublee, Ethan, Straszheim, Troy, Strasdat, Hauke, Hinterstoisser, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US14/964,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20160089791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 700253, 700236, 700237, 700214, 901 1, 901 14
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/00 Accessories fitted to manipulators, e.g. for monitoring, for viewing; Safety devices combined with or specially adapted for use in connection with manipulators safety-devices in general F16P; protection against radiation in general G21F
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/021 Optical sensing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/00 Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages B25J1/00 takes precedence; programme-controlled manipulators B25J9/00 ; vehicle aspects B60, B62, e.g. remote-controlled steering for motor vehicles B62D1/24; control of position of vehicles G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0093 co-operating with conveyor means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1612 characterised by the hand, wrist, grip control
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/162 Mobile manipulator, movable base with manipulator arm mounted on it
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/163 learning, adaptive, model based, rule based expert control
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1671 characterised by simulation, either to verify existing program or to create and verify new program, CAD/CAM oriented, graphic oriented programming systems
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1687 Assembly, peg and hole, palletising, straight line, weaving pattern movement
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1694 characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 41/008 frames mounted on wheels or caterpillar for movement on rail tracks B65G41/02
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/46 and distributing, e.g. automatically, to desired points in tube mail systems B65G51/36
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/50 according to destination signals stored in separate systems
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 61/00 Use of pick-up or transfer devices or of manipulators for stacking or de-stacking articles not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 67/065 Manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring the packages from one station to another, e.g. from a conveyor to a creel trolley
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/254 Projection of a pattern, viewing through a pattern, e.g. moiré
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31312 Identify pallet, bag, box code
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39391 Visual servoing, track end effector with camera image feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40053 : Pick 3-D object from pile of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40298 : Manipulator on vehicle, wheels, mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40442 : Voxel map, 3-D grid map
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40543 : Identification and location, position of components, objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 : Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 : Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/04 : involving 3D image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 : Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/529 : from texture
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/55 : from multiple images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 : from stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 : Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 : Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 : Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 : using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 : Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 : Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 : Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 : Arm motion controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/06 : Communication with another machine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 : Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 : Optical

Abstract

Example systems and methods allow for dynamic updating of a plan to move objects using a robotic device. One example method includes determining a virtual environment by one or more processors based on sensor data received from one or more sensors, the virtual environment representing a physical environment containing a plurality of physical objects, developing a plan, based on the virtual environment, to cause a robotic manipulator to move one or more of the physical objects in the physical environment, causing the robotic manipulator to perform a first action according to the plan, receiving updated sensor data from the one or more sensors after the robotic manipulator performs the first action, modifying the virtual environment based on the updated sensor data, determining one or more modifications to the plan based on the modified virtual environment, and causing the robotic manipulator to perform a second action according to the modified plan.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a control system, an object from a plurality of objects within an environment of a robotic manipulator;

causing, by the control system, the robotic manipulator to move the identified object to a different location within the environment;

after the robotic manipulator moves the identified object to the different location, causing, by the control system, the robotic manipulator to perform a scan of an area of the environment vacated by the identified object by causing the robotic manipulator to change position while receiving sensor data from one or more sensors on the robotic manipulator, wherein the sensor data is indicative of at least one other object previously obscured by the identified object;

identifying, by the control system, based on the sensor data, a second object from the plurality of objects within the environment; and

causing, by the control system, the robotic manipulator to move the second object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second object is one of the at least one other object previously obscured by the identified object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the robotic manipulator to perform a scan of the area of the environment vacated by the identified object comprises causing the robotic manipulator to move into the area vacated by the identified object to receive sensor data from a point of view of the area vacated by the identified object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing a movable cart on which the robotic manipulator is mounted to move into the area of the environment vacated by the identified object in order to position the robotic manipulator to move the second object.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing a movable cart on which the robotic manipulator is mounted to move into the area of the environment vacated by the identified object in order to perform an additional scan of another area of the environment.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a coarse representation of a specific area of the environment;

determining, based on the coarse representation of the specific area of the environment, a hypothesis indicating a possible shape of a particular object within the specific area of the environment; and

causing the robotic manipulator to perform one or more additional scans of the particular object in order to verify the determined hypothesis.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor data indicative of the at least one other object previously obscured by the identified object comprises information indicative of a shape of the at least one other object previously obscured by the identified object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the robotic manipulator comprises a multi-object gripper capable of simultaneously picking up at least two objects from the plurality of objects, the method further comprising causing the robotic manipulator to move one or more additional objects along with the identified object to the different location within the environment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the robotic manipulator to move the identified object to the different location within the environment comprises causing the robotic manipulator to move the identified object onto a conveyor belt.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a segmentation of at least one of the plurality of objects within the environment based on the sensor data received from the one or more sensors, and wherein identifying the second object is further based on the determined segmentation of the at least one of the plurality of objects within the environment.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising causing the robotic manipulator to perturb at least one of the plurality of objects within the environment to determine the segmentation of the at least one of the plurality of objects within the environment.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving sensor data from one or more additional sensors indicative of whether the identified object has been successfully picked up and moved by the robotic manipulator; and

when the sensor data from the one or more additional sensors indicates that the identified object has not been successfully picked up and moved by the robotic manipulator, causing the robotic manipulator to perform an additional scan of the environment to determine a location of the identified object.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after moving the identified object to the different location, determining, based on sensor data from one or more additional sensors, that another object is present in the area of the environment vacated by the identified object; and

causing the robotic manipulator to perform the scan of the area of the environment vacated by the identified object in response to determining that another object is present in the area of the environment vacated by the identified object.

14. A system comprising:

a robotic manipulator;

at least one sensor on the robotic manipulator; and

a control system configured to;

identify an object from a plurality of objects within an environment of the robotic manipulator;

cause the robotic manipulator to move the identified object to a different location within the environment;

after the robotic manipulator moves the identified object to the different location, cause the robotic manipulator to perform a scan of an area of the environment vacated by the identified object by causing the robotic manipulator to change position while receiving sensor data from the at least one sensor on the robotic manipulator, wherein the sensor data is indicative of at least one other object previously obscured by the identified object;

identify, based on the sensor data, a second object from the plurality of objects within the environment; and

cause the robotic manipulator to move the second object.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the control system is configured to cause the robotic manipulator to perform a scan of the area of the environment vacated by the identified object by causing the robotic manipulator to move into the area vacated by the identified object to receive sensor data from a point of view of the area vacated by the identified object.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the control system is further configured to cause a movable cart on which the robotic manipulator is mounted to move into the area of the environment vacated by the identified object in order to perform an additional scan of another area of the environment.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the control system is further configured to:

determine a coarse representation of a specific area of the environment;

determine, based on the coarse representation of the specific area of the environment, a hypothesis indicating a possible shape of a particular object within the specific area of the environment; and

cause the robotic manipulator to perform one or more additional scans of the particular object in order to verify the determined hypothesis.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor data indicative of the at least one other object previously obscured by the identified object comprises information indicative of a shape of the at least one other object previously obscured by the identified object.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform functions comprising:

identifying an object from a plurality of objects within an environment of a robotic manipulator;

causing the robotic manipulator to move the identified object to a different location within the environment;

after the robotic manipulator moves the identified object to the different location, causing the robotic manipulator to perform a scan of an area of the environment vacated by the identified object by causing the robotic manipulator to change position while receiving sensor data from one or more sensors on the robotic manipulator, wherein the sensor data is indicative of at least one other object previously obscured by the identified object;

identifying, based on the sensor data, a second object from the plurality of objects within the environment; and

causing the robotic manipulator to move the second object.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the control system is configured to cause the robotic manipulator to perform a scan of the area of the environment vacated by the identified object by causing the robotic manipulator to move into the area vacated by the identified object to receive sensor data from a point of view of the area vacated by the identified object.