Automated fault diagnosis and recovery of machines

• US 10,802,497 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2016
• Issued: 10/13/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grey Orange Pte. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Grey Orange Pte. Ltd.
• Inventors: Gupta, Akash, Kohli, Samay, Hoeltgen, Wolfgang Kurt, Kejriwal, Gaurav
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancho, Ronnie M
• Application Number:
  US15/769,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20190265720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 700250
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0236 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0248 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30208 Marker matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30256 Lane; Road marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/77 using statistical methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/80 Analysis of captured images to determine intrinsic or extrinsic camera parameters, i.e. camera calibration

Abstract

A system and method for diagnosing and recovering from faults in a robot includes providing markers affixed to a floor surface, where each marker has a positional indicia thereon, navigating an area by the robot using the markers, acquiring the positional indicia on at least one marker, processing the acquired positional indicia to determine a position and angle of the at least one marker, computing a position offset and angle offset of markers with respect to a reference position and angle, adjusting the reference position and angle when the computed position offset and angle offset meets a first predetermined criteria, and alerting an external entity when the computed position offset and angle offset does not meet the first predetermined criteria.

Claims

1. A method for diagnosing and recovering from faults in a robot, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of markers affixed to a floor surface, each marker having a positional indicia thereon and each marker having a position and angle;

navigating, by the robot, from a first marker of the plurality of markers to a second marker of the plurality of markers using a stored position offset and/or angle offset of the second marker and a position and angle of the first marker relative to the robot;

acquiring, using a sensor, the positional indicia on the second marker;

processing, using circuitry, the acquired positional indicia to determine a position and angle of the second marker;

computing a position offset and angle offset of the second marker with respect to the position and angle of the first marker;

adjusting the stored position offset and angle offset of the second marker when the computed position offset and angle offset of the second marker meets a first predetermined criteria; and

alerting an external entity when the computed position offset and angle offset of the second marker does not meet the first predetermined criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

altering one or more operating parameters of the robot when the computed position offset and angle offset of the second marker meets a second predetermined criteria.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more operating parameters of the robot includes a ratio of wheel velocities between a first wheel and a second wheel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the positional indicia include one or more of a bar code, a QR code, a Data Matrix code, and an Aztec Code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes one or more of a camera and a laser scanner.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the stored position offset and angle offset of the second marker includes using a statistical method.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined criteria includes a first predetermined threshold of the computed position offset and angle offset of the second marker.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the first predetermined criteria includes a first predetermined threshold of the computed position offset and angle offset of the second marker and the second predetermined criteria includes a second predetermined threshold of the computed position offset and angle offset of the second marker, wherein the second predetermined threshold is greater than the first predetermined threshold.

9. A system for diagnosing and recovering from faults comprising:

a plurality of markers affixed to a floor surface, each marker having a positional indicia thereon and each marker having a reference position and angle;

one or more robots, wherein each robot includes circuitry configured to;

navigate from a first marker of the plurality of markers to a second marker of the plurality of markers using a stored position offset and/or angle offset of the second marker and a position and angle of the first marker relative to the robot;

acquire, using a sensor, the positional indicia on the second marker;

process the acquired positional indicia to determine a position and angle of the second marker;

compute a position offset and angle offset of the second marker with respect to the position and angle of the first marker;

adjust the stored position offset and angle offset of the second marker when the computed position offset and angle offset of the second marker meets a first predetermined criteria; and

alert an external entity when the computed position offset and angle offset of the second marker does not meet the first predetermined criteria.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

alter one or more operating parameters of the robot when the computed position offset and angle offset of the second marker meets a second predetermined criteria.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more operating parameters of the robot includes a ratio of wheel velocities between a first wheel and a second wheel.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the positional indicia include one or more of a bar code, a QR code, a Data Matrix code, and an Aztec Code.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the sensor includes one or more of a camera and a laser scanner.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the adjustment of the stored position offset and angle offset of the second marker includes using a statistical method.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the first predetermined criteria includes a first predetermined threshold of the computed position offset and angle offset of the second marker.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the first predetermined criteria includes a first predetermined threshold of the computed position offset and angle offset and the second predetermined criteria includes a second predetermined threshold of the computed position offset and angle offset, wherein the second predetermined threshold is greater than the first predetermined threshold.