APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING POSITION AND ORIENTATION OF MOBILE OBJECT

• US 20100161224A1
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Lee, Jae-Yeong, Yu, Wonpil
• Granted Patent: US 8,538,671 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning

Abstract

An apparatus for detecting a position and orientation of a mobile object includes: a relative position detection unit for acquiring a relative position with respect to movement of the mobile object; an absolute position detection unit for acquiring an absolute position of the mobile object; and a position updating unit for updating the position and orientation of the mobile object based on an initial or previous position of the mobile object and the relative position. The apparatus further includes: a position correction unit for updating a current position of the mobile object with the absolute position, and correcting the orientation of the mobile object by setting an orientation of the mobile object in the relative position equal to an orientation of the mobile object in the absolute position.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting a position and orientation of a mobile object, comprising:

a relative position detection unit for acquiring a relative position with respect to movement of the mobile object;

an absolute position detection unit for acquiring an absolute position of the mobile object;

a position updating unit for updating the position and orientation of the mobile object based on an initial or previous position of the mobile object and the relative position; and

a position correction unit for updating a current position of the mobile object with the absolute position, and correcting the orientation of the mobile object by setting the moving direction of the mobile object in the relative position equal to the moving direction of the mobile object in the absolute position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, whenever the absolute position of the mobile object is acquired, the position correction unit corrects the position of the mobile object.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the absolute position of the mobile object is acquired, the position correction unit calculates a distance between the acquired absolute position and the previously acquired absolute position, and corrects the orientation of the mobile object when the distance between the absolute positions is over a specific distance.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the absolute position detection unit provides a firstly acquired absolute position of the mobile object as the initial position of the mobile object.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the absolute position detection unit acquires the absolute position of the mobile object at predetermined periods of time.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the relative position detection unit calculates the relative position of the mobile object by using odometry or gyroscope.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the absolute position detection unit is a GPS or remote camera.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile object is a mobile robot or vehicle.

9. A method for detecting a position and orientation of a mobile object, comprising:

acquiring a relative position with respect to movement of the mobile object;

updating the position and orientation of the mobile object based on an initial position of the mobile object and the relative position;

acquiring an absolute position of the mobile object;

updating a current position of the mobile object with the absolute position; and

correcting the orientation of the mobile object by setting the moving direction of the mobile object in the relative position equal to the moving direction of the mobile object in the absolute position.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, whenever the absolute position of the mobile object is acquired, said updating a current position is performed.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said updating the orientation of the mobile object includes:

when the absolute position of the mobile object is acquired, calculating a distance between the acquired absolute position and the previously acquired absolute position; and

correcting the orientation of the mobile object when the distance between the absolute positions is over a specific distance.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the initial position of the mobile object is set to a firstly acquired absolute position when the mobile object starts to move.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the absolute position of the mobile object is acquired at predetermined periods of time while the mobile object moves.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the relative position of the mobile object is acquired by using odometry or gyroscope.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the absolute position of the mobile object is acquired through a GPS or remote camera.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobile object is a mobile robot or vehicle.