Apparatus, method, and medium for localizing moving robot and transmitter

• US 20080009974A1
• Filed: 07/05/2007
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Myeong, Hyeon, Bang, Seok-won, Kong, Dong-geon
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/258
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/16 using difference in transit time between electrical and acoustic signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/30 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus allowing a moving robot to localize a user, or localizing the moving robot from a fixed location, and a method and medium thereof. The apparatus includes a motion controller to control the moving robot such that the sensor passes a plurality of measurement points by rotating the moving robot, a distance measuring unit, which includes the sensor that senses predetermined waves generated from the transmitter, to measure distances between the sensor and the transmitter at the plurality of measurement points, a rotational angle measuring unit to measure rotational angles of the moving robot at the measurement points, and a location calculator to calculate relative locations using input values of the measured distances, the measured rotational angles, and the radius of a circle determined by the sensor resulting from the rotation of the moving robot.

Claims

1. An apparatus for localizing a moving robot and a transmitter using a sensor provided in the moving robot, the apparatus comprising:

a motion controller to control the moving robot such that the sensor passes a plurality of measurement points by rotating the moving robot;

a distance measuring unit, which includes the sensor that senses predetermined waves generated from the transmitter, to measure distances between the sensor and the transmitter at the plurality of measurement points;

a rotational angle measuring unit to measure rotational angles of the moving robot at the measurement points; and

a location calculator to calculate location of the transmitter relative to the moving robot or location of the moving robot relative to the transmitter using input values including the measured distances, the measured rotational angles, and a radius of a circle determined by the sensor resulting from the rotation of the moving robot.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wave is a supersonic wave.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distance measuring unit comprises a receiver to receive synchronous signals out of the transmitter, and a distance calculating unit to calculate distances from delayed time between the synchronous signals and the waves.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the synchronous signal is an infra-red (IR) signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the synchronous signal is a radio frequency (RF) signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a remote control.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measurement points are at least three or more points on the circumference of the circle determined by the sensor.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotational measuring unit comprises an encoder.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the encoder measures the rotational angle by dividing the difference of the linear velocities of both driving wheels of the moving robot by the distance between the driving wheels.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location calculator calculates distances between the center of the moving robot and the transmitter, and the initial rotational angle of the moving robot by finding solutions of simultaneous equations of formulas expressing the coordinates of the measurement points with the distances between the center of the moving robot and the transmitter, the initial directional angle of the moving robot, and the rotational angles at the measurement points, and formulas expressing the distances between the measurement points and the transmitter into the coordinates.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion controller controls the moving robot such that the moving robot approaches the transmitter according to the calculated relative locations.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the sensor is a directional sensor, the motion controller determines a measurable rotational angle range by checking whether the wave is sensed by the sensor while controlling the rotation of the moving robot.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the measurement points are set within the measurable rotational angle range.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotational measuring unit comprises a gyroscope.

14. A method of localizing a moving robot and a transmitter using a sensor provided to the moving robot, the method comprising:

controlling the moving robot such that the sensor passes measurement points by rotating the moving robot;

measuring distances between the sensor and the transmitter at the measurement points using the sensor that senses predetermined waves generated from the transmitter;

measuring rotational angles of the moving robot at the measurement points; and

calculating location of the transmitter relative to the moving robot or location of the moving robot relative to the transmitter using input values including the measured distances, the measured rotational angles, and a radius of a circle determined by the sensor resulting from the rotation of the moving robot.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the wave is a supersonic wave.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the measuring of the distances comprises receiving synchronous signals out of the transmitter, and calculating the distances from delayed time between the synchronous signals and the waves.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the synchronous signal is an infra-red (IR) signal.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the synchronous signal is a radio frequency (RF) signal.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the transmitter is a remote control.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the measurement points are at least three or more points on the circumference of the circle determined by the sensor.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the measuring of the rotational angle uses an encoder.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the encoder measures the rotational angle by dividing the difference of the linear velocities of both driving wheels of the moving robot by the distance between the driving wheels.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the calculating of the relative locations comprises:

finding formulas expressing the coordinates of the measurement points into distances between the center of the moving robot and the transmitter, the initial directional angle of the moving robot, and the rotational angles at the measurement points;

finding formulas expressing the distances between the measurement points and the transmitter into the coordinates; and

calculating the distances between the center of the moving robot and the transmitter and the rotational angles of the moving robot by finding solutions of simultaneous equations of the formulas.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising controlling the moving robot such that the moving robot approaches the transmitter according to the calculated relative locations.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining a measurable rotational angle range by checking whether the wave is sensed by the sensor while controlling the rotation of the moving robot, when the sensor is a directional sensor.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the measurement points are set within the measurable rotational angle range.

28. The method of claim 14, wherein the measuring of the rotational angle uses a gyroscope.

29. At least one computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that control at least one processor to implement the method of claim 14.