Robot having an imaging capability

• US 20040017937A1
• Filed: 07/29/2002
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Silverstein, D. Amnon
• Granted Patent: US 7,310,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/153
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39391 Visual servoing, track end effector with camera image feedback

Abstract

A robot having an imaging capability includes: an imaging device, and at least one actuator separate from the imaging device for moving at least a portion of the robot. The at least one actuator is controllable in response to a control command, the imaging device being responsive to the control command to modify characteristics of image data produced.

Claims

1. A robot having an imaging capability, comprising:

an imaging device; and

at least one actuator separate from the imaging device for moving at least a portion of the robot, the at least one actuator being controllable in response to a control command, the imaging device being responsive to the control command to modify characteristics of image data produced.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein the frame rate of the image data is modified in response to the control command.

3. The robot of claim 1, wherein the resolution of the image data is modified in response to the control command.

4. The robot of claim 1, wherein the image quality of the image data is modified in response to the control command.

5. The robot of claim 1, wherein the actuator moves the entire robot in response to the control command.

6. The robot of claim 5, wherein a frame rate of the imaging device is increased in response to the control command.

7. The robot of claim 5, wherein resolution of the imaging device is decreased in response to the control command.

8. The robot of claim 1, wherein luminance gain of the imaging device is modified in response to the control command.

9. The robot of claim 1, wherein the image data associated with a region of interest is varied in response to the control command.

10. The robot of claim 9, wherein a resolution of the image data associated with a region outside the region of interest is reduced in response to the control command and a resolution of the image data associated with the region of interest is increased in response to the control command.

11. The robot of claim 9, wherein an image quality of the image data associated with region of interest is altered in response to the control command.

12. The robot of claim 1, wherein data compression processing is modified in response to the control command.

13. The robot of claim 1, wherein the image data is transmitted to an operator display.

14. The robot of claim 1, wherein a processor produces the control command in response to the image data.

15. The robot of claim 1, wherein the imaging device comprises a digital camera, with settings changed in response to the control command.

16. The robot of claim 1, wherein the imaging device comprises a digital camera and an image processing unit, wherein operation of the image processing unit is modified in response to the control command.

17. A robot having an imaging capability, comprising:

an imaging means for producing image data; and

actuator means for moving at least a portion of the robot, the actuator means being controllable in response to an actuator control command, the imaging means being responsive to the actuator control command to automatically modify the imaging means for altering characteristics of the image data.

18. The robot of claim 17, wherein a frame rate of the image data is modified in response to the control command.

19. The robot of claim 17, wherein resolution of the image data is modified in response to the control command.

20. The robot of claim 17, wherein image quality of the image data is modified in response to the control command.

21. Method for controlling a robot having an imaging capability, comprising:

receiving image data from an imaging device located on the robot; and

moving at least a portion of the robot in response to an actuator control command, the imaging device being responsive to the actuator control command to automatically modify characteristics of the image data.