System and method for confining robotic devices

• US 10,845,817 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2017
• Issued: 11/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ai Incorprated
• Original Assignee: Ai Incorprated
• Inventors: Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US15/674,310
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 700245, 31856812, 318567, 901 1, 901 46, 901 47, 701 23
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1684 Tracking a line or surface by means of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0236 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 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 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/521 from laser ranging, e.g. using interferometry; from the projection of structured light
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/74 Image or video pattern matching; Proximity measures in feature spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle

Abstract

A method for confining and/or modifying the movement of robotic devices by means of a boundary component. The boundary component is placed within an area co-located with the robotic device. The boundary component has a predetermined surface indentation pattern that may be discerned by a sensor component installed onto the robotic device. A robotic device configured with a line laser emitting diode, an image sensor, and an image processor detects predetermined indentation patterns of surfaces within a specific environment. The line laser diode emits the line laser upon surfaces within the filed of view of the image sensor. The image sensor captures images of the projected line laser and sends them to the image processor. The image processor iteratively compares received images against a predetermined surface indentation pattern of the boundary component. Once the predetermined indentation pattern is detected the robotic device may mark the location within the working map of the environment. This marked location, and hence boundary component, may be used in confining and/or modifying the movements of the robotic device within or adjacent to the area of the identified location. This may include using the marked location to avoid or stay within certain areas or execute pre-programmed actions in certain areas.

Claims

1. A method of confining a movement of a robotic device comprising:

emitting, with a laser diode, a line laser on surfaces of objects within an area,

capturing, with an image sensor, images of a projection of said line laser on said surfaces of objects as the robotic device moves within said area,

identifying, with a processor, one or more boundary components based on said captured images of said projection of said line laser,

generating, with said processor, one or more virtual boundaries based on a location of said one or more identified boundary components, and

instructing, with said processor, said robotic device to execute one or more actions based on a location of said one or more virtual boundaries.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more boundary components include at least one indentation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said laser diode is positioned at an angle with respect to a plane of a work surface of said robotic device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising dividing, with said processor, said area into two or more zones.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said image sensor is positioned such that the field of view includes the projection of said line laser within a predetermined range of distances.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing, with said processor, said captured images with one or more images in a memory of said robotic device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said one or more images in said memory include at least one image of an indentation pattern formed by a projection of said line laser on said one or more boundary components, said one or more boundary components including at least one indentation.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said indentation pattern includes a disjointed line.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said processor identifies said one or more boundary components upon finding a match between said captured images and said at least one image of said indentation pattern.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising locating and marking, with said processor, said one or more boundary components in a virtual map of said area.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, with said processor, a distance from said image sensor to a surface of an object based on a position of said line laser in a captured image of said line laser projected on the surface of the object.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more actions comprise altering movement of said robotic device to avoid crossing said one or more virtual boundaries.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein executing said one or more actions comprises executing a first set of actions on a first side of said one or more virtual boundaries and executing a second set of actions on a second side of said one or more virtual boundaries.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein executing said one or more actions comprises altering movement of said robotic device to stay on a first or a second side of said one or more virtual boundaries.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein executing said one or more actions comprises performing a deep cleaning of an area inside said one or more virtual boundaries.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a user places said one or more boundary components in the area.

17. A method for measuring distance, comprising:

emitting, with a laser diode, a line laser on surfaces of objects within an area,

capturing, with an image sensor, images of a projection of said line laser on said surfaces of objects within said area, and

determining, with a processor, a distance from said image sensor to said surfaces of objects based on a position of said line laser in said captured images of said line laser projected on said surfaces of objects.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said laser diode is positioned at an angle with respect to a plane of a work surface of said robotic device.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining, with said processor, a distance from said image sensor to said surfaces of objects based on a size of said line laser in said captured images of said line laser projected on said surfaces of objects.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said image sensor is positioned such that a field of view of said image sensor includes the projection of said line laser within a predetermined range of distances.