Motion guiding method and motion guiding apparatus

• US 9,992,422 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MSI Computer Corp. (Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: MSI Computer Company Limited (Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hung, Shih-Che
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Vu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rivera-Martinez, Guillermo
• Application Number:
  US14/742,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20160221194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement

Abstract

A motion guiding apparatus includes a guiding device and a mobile unit. The guiding device includes a main body, an arm piece, and a linear light source. The main body is in connection with the arm piece and arranged on a reference surface. The linear light source is arranged on the arm piece and forms a reference light line on the reference surface and a direct light line on the main body. The mobile unit is capable of capturing an image showing the reference light beam, the direct light beam, and a reflected light line. The mobile unit can also compute an angle formed between the reference light line and the reflected light line to obtain a relative angle between the mobile unit and the linear light source, so as to move in accordance to the relative angle. A motion guiding method is also provided.

Claims

1. A motion guiding method, comprising:

disposing a linear light source on a reference surface-facing side face of an arm piece of a main body at a distance above a reference surface, the main body being in contact with the reference surface;

projecting, by the linear light source, a reference light line on the reference surface and a direct light line on an outer surface of the main body, wherein one edge of the outer surface of the main body is adjacent to the reference surface;

capturing an image by an image-capturing module, with the image showing the reference light line, the direct light line, and a reflected light line, wherein the reflected light line is a reflection of the direct light line on generated by the direct light line striking the reference surface;

computing a reference angle formed between the reference light line and the reflected light line shown in the image to obtain a relative angle between the image-capturing module and the linear light source; and

moving the image-capturing module based on the relative angle.

2. The motion guiding method of claim 1, further comprising:

computing a time or phase difference between the direct light line and the reflected light line to obtain a relative distance between the image-capturing module and the linear light source.

3. The motion guiding method of claim 2, further comprising:

computing the speed of the moving image-capturing module based on the relative distances obtained in order.

4. The motion guiding method of claim 1, further comprising:

computing the angular speed of the moving image-capturing module based on the relative angles obtained in order.

5. A motion guiding apparatus, comprising:

a guiding device comprising;

a main body having a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion being in contact with a reference surface;

an arm piece extending from the second end portion; and

a linear light source disposed on a reference surface-facing side face of the arm piece, the light emitted by the linear light source projecting a reference light line on the reference surface and a direct light line on an outer surface of the main body with one edge of the outer surface being adjacent to the reference surface; and

a mobile unit comprising;

a moving module including a roller and a motor;

an image-capturing module including a lens, a light-sensitive element and an image processor, for capturing an image of the reference light line, the direct light line, and a reflected light line, wherein the reflected light line is a reflection of the direct light line on the reference surface; and

a computing module connected to the moving module and the image-capturing module, including a processor for computing a reference angle formed between the reference light line and the reflected light line shown in the image, so as to obtain a relative angle between the mobile unit and the linear light source such that the computing module drives the moving module to move based on the relative angle.

6. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 5, wherein the computing module computes a time or phase difference between the direct light line and the reflected light line to obtain a relative distance between the mobile unit and the linear light source, so as to guide the mobile unit for motion by the computing module based on the relative angle and the relative distance.

7. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 5, wherein the main body has a reflective portion, which protrudes away from the first end portion of the main body such that some of the light emitted by the linear light source is reflected by the reflective portion for establishing at least one first light diffusing zone having non-uniform illumination intensity, and wherein based on the illumination intensity extracted from the image, the computing module is capable of calculating the location of the mobile unit within the first light diffusing zone.

8. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 7, wherein some of the light emitted by the linear light source is reflected by the reference surface to establish a second light diffusing zone having an average illumination intensity less than that of the first light diffusing zones, and wherein based on the illumination intensity extracted from the captured image, the computing module is capable of distinguishing if the extracted illumination intensity belongs to the first light diffusing zone or the second light diffusing zone, thereby determining if the mobile unit is located within the first light diffusing zone or the second light diffusing zone.

9. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 5, wherein when the computing module has determined the captured image is not showing the linear light source, the computing module initiates the mobile unit to conduct a rotary motion until the linear light source appears in the image.

10. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 5, wherein the mobile unit further includes a mobile linear light source, wherein the mobile linear light source is capable of projecting light to the main body and the arm piece so as to form a first light line on the main body and a second light line on the arm piece, and wherein according to the obtained image the computing module calculates the deviation between the first and second light lines to obtain the angle formed by the mobile unit relative to the guiding device.

11. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 5, wherein the main body has a reflective portion that protrudes away from the first end portion of the main body, wherein the mobile unit further includes a mobile linear light source, with the mobile linear light source capable of projecting light to at least two of the following:

the main body;

the arm piece; and

the reflective portion so as to form a first light line and a second light line, and wherein according to the obtained image the computing module calculates the deviation between the first and second light lines to obtain the angle formed by the mobile unit relative to the guiding device.

12. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 5, wherein the mobile unit further includes a mobile linear light source, with the mobile linear light source capable of projecting light to two different surfaces so as to form a first light line and a second light line, and wherein according to the obtained image the computing module calculates the deviation between the first and second light lines to obtain the angle formed by the mobile unit relative to the guiding device.