Autonomous mobile device and method of forming guiding path

• US 10,274,966 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2016
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shenzhen Airdrawing Technology Service Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Shenzhen Airdrawing Technology Service Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Horng-Juing, Liu, Tien-Ping, Chen, Shu-Fen, Hsiao, Yu-Chien, Hung, Yu-Tai, Yang, Fu-Hsiung
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US15/395,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20180039281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23- 28
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

An autonomous mobile device includes a map interpretation module, an image collection module, an image collection module, an artificial marker identification module, a personal guidance module, a voice input module and a control module. The image collection module collects an image in front of the autonomous mobile device and form an image signal. The artificial marker identification module receives the image signal and identifies the artificial marker in the image to achieve a positioning of the autonomous mobile device. The personal guidance module activates a personal guidance mode of the autonomous mobile device, and stores a location of a guidance point and an actual movement information of the autonomous mobile device to form a guidance path. The voice input module inputs a name of the guidance path. The control module controls the autonomous mobile device to move according to the guidance path stored by the map interpretation module.

Claims

1. An autonomous mobile device comprising:

a map interpretation module configured to store a map of a desire moving area, a map description file corresponding to the map, and a location information of an ID corresponding to an artificial marker, wherein the artificial marker is located in a desired moving area;

an image collection device configured to collect an image in front of the autonomous mobile device during the autonomous mobile device moving in the desired moving area and form an image signal;

an artificial marker identification module configured to receive the image signal outputted by the image collection device, and identify the artificial marker in the image to achieve a positioning of the autonomous mobile device;

a personal guidance module configured to activate a personal guidance mode of the autonomous mobile device, continuously define a specific point of a guidance person location as a guidance point followed by the autonomous mobile device to dodge an obstacle, and store a location of the guidance point relative to the artificial marker and an actual movement information of the autonomous mobile device in the map interpretation module to form a guidance path;

a voice input module configured to input a name of the guidance path, and the guidance path is automatically added in the autonomous mobile device; and

a control module configured to control the autonomous mobile device to move according to the guidance path stored by the map interpretation module.

2. The autonomous mobile device of claim 1, wherein the artificial marker is selected from the group consisting of Tag36h11 marker series, Tag36h10 marker series, Tag25h9 marker series, and Tag16h5 marker series.

3. The autonomous mobile device of claim 1, wherein the map interpretation module further stores the guidance point, a guidance point location relative to the artificial marker, and the actual movement information of the autonomous mobile device.

4. The autonomous mobile device of claim 1, wherein the artificial marker identification module calculates a distance and an angle between the autonomous mobile device and the artificial marker according to a collected artificial marker, and the control module fine tunes the autonomous mobile device to move to the artificial marker.

5. The autonomous mobile device of claim 1, wherein the ID is a number or a character.

6. The autonomous mobile device of claim 1, wherein the image collection device comprises a camera, and the camera is located on a side of the autonomous mobile device facing a moving direction of the autonomous mobile device to capture the image in a field of view.

7. The autonomous mobile device of claim 6, wherein the camera is a web camera based on Charge-coupled Device or Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor.

8. A method of forming a guiding path comprising:

S1;

providing an autonomous mobile device comprising a map interpretation module, an image collection device, an artificial marker identification module, a personal guidance module, a voice input module, and a control module;

S2;

locating an artificial marker on a desired location, storing a location information of an ID corresponding to the artificial marker in the map interpretation module;

S3;

activating a personal guidance mode to make the autonomous mobile device follow a guidance person and move from a starting point to a destination, continuously defining a specific point of a guidance person location as a guidance point followed by the autonomous mobile device during a movement of the autonomous mobile device to dodge an obstacle, and storing a location of the guidance point relative to the artificial marker and an actual movement information of the autonomous mobile device in the map interpretation module to form a guidance path; and

S4;

inputting a name of the guidance path by the voice input module, and automatically adding the guidance path in the autonomous mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the actual movement information of the autonomous mobile device comprises a rotational direction of a wheel, a rotational speed of the wheel and a number of rotations of the wheel.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the image collection device continuously captures an image of the artificial marker in a desired moving area to form a image signal, and transmits the image signal to the artificial marker identification module in the S2.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the artificial marker identification module identifies the artificial marker, and transmits an ID of the artificial marker to the map interpretation module in the S2.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the map interpretation module determines a position of the autonomous mobile device according to the ID of the artificial marker, so as to achieve a positioning of the autonomous mobile device in the S2.