Method and system of optical guidance of mobile body

• US 6,629,028 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Igor Evguenyevitch Paromtchik
• Original Assignee: Riken
• Inventors: Paromtchik, Igor E., Asama, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/893,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20020027652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/27, 701/68, 701/28, 180/169, 372/12, 359/143, 359/152, 359/159
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0236 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room

Abstract

In order to set target positions in the case where mobile bodies such as mobile robots transfer in accordance with a manner different from that of the prior art, a method for instructing such target positions of at least one or more of the mobile bodies contained movably in a predetermined environment comprises light beacons being produced by a light beam projecting device in a surface on which the mobile bodies are to be transferred, whereby the target positions towards which the mobile bodies are to be transferred being instructed.

Claims

1. An optical guidance method of one or more mobile bodies contained movably in a predetermined environment, comprising projecting a light beam by a light projection device to produce a light beacon on a surface on which the mobile bodies move, said light beacon is moved to an arbitrary position by moving a direction of said light beam by said light projection device whereby the light beacon indicates an arbitrary target position toward which a mobile body is to move, wherein the light beacons produced on said surface on which the mobile bodies are to move are detected by the use of a visual device of a mobile body mounted thereon, and a relative positional relationship between the target positions represented by the light beacons and a present position of the mobile body in question is obtained by means of image data processing or signal processing, whereby the mobile body in question is controlled so as to move towards the light beacons produced on said surface on which the mobile bodies are to move.

2. The optical guidance method as claimed in claim 1 wherein target positions are indicated with respect to a specified mobile body while using said light beam projecting device, whereby the mobile body is guided to the target positions.

3. An optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies contained movably in a predetermined environment comprising:

a target position optically instructing means composed of;

a light beam projecting means for projecting a light beam having a predetermined color or other features in a desired region on a predetermined surface on which the mobile bodies are to be transferred to produce the predetermined light beacons in the desired region on said predetermined surface, whereby the target positions towards which the mobile bodies are to be transferred are indicated, and

a light beam projection control means for controlling operations of lighting up/lighting out in said light beam projecting means, whereby starting/stopping projection of light beam on said predetermined surface is controlled, besides an optical axis of the light beam projected from said light beam projecting means is directed to a desired position on said predetermined surface;

a detection specifying means composed of;

a detection means for detecting the predetermined colored light beacons produced on said predetermined surface by means of a visual device, and

a relative position specifying means for producing relative positional information, which indicates a relative position by specifying the relative position in question defined between the predetermined light beacons that is an object to be detected by said detection means and each of the mobile bodies in accordance with the results detected by said detection means, and

transfer control means for controlling the mobile body, target positions of which have been indicated by means of the light beacons derived from said target position instructing means, so as to transfer towards the target positions on the basis of the relative positional information produced by said relative position specifying means.

4. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 3, further comprising communication means for communicating with a mobile body which is to be instructed the target positions towards which the mobile body is to be transferred on a predetermined surface.

5. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 3, wherein said detection specifying means are mounted on the at least one or more of mobile bodies contained movably in a predetermined environment, respectively.

6. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 3, wherein said light beam projecting means is fixed at a predetermined position.

7. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 4, wherein said light beam projecting means is fixed at a predetermined position.

8. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 5, wherein said light beam projecting means is fixed at a predetermined position.

9. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 3, wherein said light beam projecting means is mounted on a mobile body.

10. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 4, wherein said light beam projecting means is mounted on a mobile body.

11. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 5, wherein said light beam projecting means is mounted on a mobile body.

12. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

said light beam projecting means is equipped with a robot manipulator; and

said light beam projection control means controls said robot manipulator thereby directing an optical axis of the light beam projected from said light beam projecting means to a desired position in said predetermined surface on which the mobile bodies are to be transferred.

13. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 4, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said robot manipulator thereby directing an optical axis of the light beam projected from said light beam projecting means to a desired position in said predetermined surface on which the mobile bodies are to be transferred.

14. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

said light beam projecting means is equipped with a robot manipulator; and

said light beam projection control means controls said robot manipulator thereby directing an optical axis of the light beam projected from said light beam projecting means to a desired position in said predetermined surface on which the mobile bodies are to be transferred.

15. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of a mobile bodies as claimed in claim 3, wherein said light beam projecting means is hand-held by a human operator.

16. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 4, wherein said light beam projecting means is hand-held by a human operator.

17. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of a mobile bodies as claimed in claim 5, wherein said light beam projecting means is hand-held by a human operator.

18. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 3, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

19. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 4, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

20. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 5, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

21. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 6, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

22. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 7, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

23. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 8, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

24. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 9, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

25. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 10, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

26. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 11, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

27. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 12, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

28. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 13, wherein said light beam projection control means controls saud light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

29. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 14, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

30. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 15, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

31. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 16, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

32. The optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies as claimed in claim 17, wherein said light beam projection control means controls said light beam projecting means on the basis of information obtained through a network.

33. An optical guidance system for at least one or more of mobile bodies contained movably in a predetermined environment comprising:

light beam projecting means for projecting a light beam having a predetermined color or other features in a desired region on a predetermined surface on which the mobile bodies are to be transferred to produce the predetermined light beacons in the desired region on said predetermined surface, whereby the target positions towards which the mobile bodies are to be transferred are indicated, said light beam projecting means being held by a human being and an optical axis of the light beam being directed to a desired position in said predetermined surface by means of operations of the human being;

communication means for communicating with a mobile body which is to be instructed the target positions towards which the mobile body is to be transferred on a predetermined surface;

detection specifying means composed of;

detection means for detecting the predetermined light beacons produced on said predetermined surface by means of a visual device, and

relative position specifying means for producing relative positional information, which indicates a relative position by specifying the relative position in question defined between the predetermined light beacons that is an object to be detected by said detection means and each of the mobile bodies in accordance with the results detected by said detection means, and

transfer control means for controlling the mobile body, target positions of which have been indicated by means of the light beacons derived from a target position instructing means, so as to transfer towards the target positions on the basis of the relative positional information produced by said relative position specifying means.

34. A method for indicating target positions for one or more mobile bodies contained movably in a predetermined environment, comprising:

projecting a light beam to produce a light beacon on a surface on which the mobile bodies move, said light beacon is moved to an arbitrary position by moving a direction of said light beam whereby the light beacon indicates an arbitrary target position towards which a mobile body is to move.