Autonomous Mobile Robot
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Abstract
A mobile robot is equipped with a range finder and a stereo vision system. The mobile robot is capable of autonomously navigating through urban terrain, generating a map based on data from the range finder and transmitting the map to the operator, as part of several reconnaissance operations selectable by the operator. The mobile robot employs a Hough transform technique to identify linear features in its environment, and then aligns itself with the identified linear features in order to navigate through the urban terrain; while at the same time, a scaled vector field histogram technique is applied to the combination of range finder and stereo vision data to detect and avoid obstacles the mobile robot encounters when navigating autonomously. Also, the missions performed by the mobile robot may include limitation parameters based on distance or time elapsed, to ensure completion of the autonomous operations.
43 Citations
39 Claims
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1-20. -20. (canceled)
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21. A mobile robot, comprising:
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a drive system configured to propel the mobile robot across terrain; a range sensor configured to detect a distance between the mobile robot and a physical object in an environment of the mobile robot; and a processor communicatively connected to the range sensor and to the drive system, and configured to execute;
a mapping routine configured to maintain an occupancy grid map corresponding to linear features of one or more physical objects in the environment of the mobile robot of the environment of the mobile robot, a linear feature routine configured to track votes for line hypotheses to detect one or more linear patterns in the occupancy grid map and to determine a strongest line among the one or more linear patterns, and a navigational routine configured to control the drive system to move the mobile robot in a direction aligned in parallel with the linear feature of a first physical object corresponding to the strongest line among the one or more linear patterns;wherein the strongest line includes the line hypothesis corresponding to a linear feature of the first physical object in the environment of the mobile robot and having a greatest number of votes among the line hypotheses that have at least a threshold number of votes. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method for controlling a mobile robot, comprising:
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detecting a distance between the mobile robot and a physical object in an environment of the mobile robot; maintaining an occupancy grid map of the environment of the mobile robot, detecting one or more linear patterns in the occupancy grid map corresponding to linear features of one or more physical objects in the environment of the mobile robot; determining a strongest line among the one or more linear patterns; and navigating the mobile robot in a direction aligned in parallel with the linear feature of a first physical object corresponding to the strongest line; wherein determining the strongest line comprises executing a linear feature routine comprising tracking votes for line hypotheses to detect the one or more linear patterns in the occupancy grid map; and wherein the strongest line includes the line hypothesis corresponding to a linear feature of the first physical object in the environment of the mobile robot and having a greatest number of votes among the line hypotheses that have at least a threshold number of votes. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification