MOTION GUIDING METHOD AND MOTION GUIDING APPARATUS

• US 20160221194A1
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MSI Computer Corp. (Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: MSI Computer Corp. (Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hung, Shih-Che
• Granted Patent: US 9,992,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement

Abstract

A motion guiding apparatus includes a guiding device and a mobile unit. The guiding device includes a main body, an arm piece, and a linear light source. The main body is in connection with the arm piece and arranged on a reference surface. The linear light source is arranged on the arm piece and forms a reference light beam on the reference surface and a direct light beam on the main body. The mobile unit is capable of capturing an image showing the reference light beam, the direct light beam, and a reflected light beam. The mobile unit can also compute an angle formed between the reference light beam and the reflected light beam to obtain a relative angle between the mobile unit and the linear light source, so as to move in accordance to the relative angle. A motion guiding method is also provided.

Claims

1. A motion guiding method, comprising:

disposing a linear light source at a distance above a reference surface;

producing a reference light beam on the reference surface and a direct light beam on an outer surface by the linear light source, with one edge of the outer surface being adjacent to the reference surface;

capturing an image by an image-capturing module, with the image showing the reference light beam, the direct light beam, and a reflected light beam generated by the direct light beam striking the reference surface;

computing a reference angle formed between the reference light beam and the reflected light beam shown in the image to obtain a relative angle between the image-capturing module and the linear light source; and

moving the image-capturing module based on the relative angle.

2. The motion guiding method of claim 1, further comprising:

computing a time or phase difference between the direct light beam and the reflected light beam to obtain a relative distance between the image-capturing module and the linear light source.

3. The motion guiding method of claim 2, further comprising:

computing the speed of the moving image-capturing module based on the relative distances obtained in order.

4. The motion guiding method of claim 1, further comprising:

computing the angular speed of the moving image-capturing module based on the relative angles obtained in order.

5. A motion guiding apparatus, comprising:

a guiding device comprising;

a main body having a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion being in contact with a reference surface;

an arm piece extending from the second end portion; and

a linear light source disposed on a reference surface-facing side face of the arm piece, the light emitted by the linear light source producing a reference light beam on the reference surface and a direct light beam on an outer surface of the main body with one edge of the outer surface being adjacent to the reference surface; and

a mobile unit comprising;

a moving module;

an image-capturing module for capturing an image of the reference light beam, the direct light beam, and a reflected light beam generated by the direct light beam striking the reference surface; and

a computing module connected to the moving module and the image-capturing module for obtaining a reference angle formed between the reference light beam and the reflected light beam shown in the image, so as to obtain a relative angle between the mobile unit and the linear light source such that the mobile unit being guided for motion by the computing module based on the relative angle.

6. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 5, wherein the computing module computes a time or phase difference between the direct light beam and the reflected light beam to obtain a relative distance between the mobile unit and the linear light source, so as to guide the mobile unit for motion by the computing module based on the relative angle and the relative distance.

7. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 5, wherein the main body has a reflective portion, which protrudes away from the first end portion of the main body such that some of the light emitted by the linear light source is reflected by the reflective portion for establishing at least one first light diffusing zone having non-uniform illumination intensity, and wherein based on the illumination intensity extracted from the image, the computing module is capable of calculating the location of the mobile unit within the first light diffusing zone.

8. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 7, wherein some of the light emitted by the linear light source is reflected by the reference surface to establish a second light diffusing zone having an average illumination intensity less than that of the first light diffusing zones, and wherein based on the illumination intensity extracted from the captured image, the computing module is capable of distinguishing if the extracted illumination intensity belongs to the first light diffusing zone or the second light diffusing zone, thereby determining if the mobile unit is located within the first light diffusing zone or the second light diffusing zone.

9. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 5, wherein when the computing module has determined the captured image is not showing the linear light source, the computing module initiates the mobile unit to conduct a rotary motion until the linear light source appears in the image.

10. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 5, wherein the mobile unit further includes a mobile linear light source, wherein the mobile linear light source is capable of projecting light to the main body and the arm piece so as to form a first light beam on the main body and a second light beam on the arm piece, and wherein according to the obtained image the computing module calculates the deviation between the first and second light beams to obtain the angle formed by the mobile unit relative to the guiding device.

11. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 5, wherein the main body has a reflective portion that protrudes away from the first end portion of the main body, wherein the mobile unit further includes a mobile linear light source, with the mobile linear light source capable of projecting light to at least two of the following:

the main body;

the arm piece; and

the reflective portion so as to form a first light beam and a second light beam, and wherein according to the obtained image the computing module calculates the deviation between the first and second light beams to obtain the angle formed by the mobile unit relative to the guiding device.

12. The motion guiding apparatus of claim 5, wherein the mobile unit further includes a mobile linear light source, with the mobile linear light source capable of projecting light to two different surfaces so as to form a first light beam and a second light beam, and wherein according to the obtained image the computing module calculates the deviation between the first and second light beams to obtain the angle formed by the mobile unit relative to the guiding device.