Method for recognition determination and localization of at least one arbitrary object or space

• US 6,917,854 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2000
• Issued: 07/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wittenstein GmbH & Co. KG.
• Original Assignee: Wittenstein GmbH & Co. KG.
• Inventors: Bayer, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel, Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US10/204,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20030156493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,676 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/253, 700/255, 700/258, 700/262, 318/568.12, 318/580, 318/581, 180167-169, 219/124.34, 701/23, 901/1, 297/11, 297/325
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0282 generated in a local control room
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53048 Multiple station assembly or disassembly apparatus

Abstract

A method for recognition, determination and localization of at least one arbitrary object or space and the picking up of said object, by at least on robot, in particular, a service robot, which operates independently on the base surface. The method is achieved, whereby the robot is oriented within at least one room by room co-ordinates and/or co-ordinates of arbitrary objects in the room, transmitted to the robot by at least one sensor element, in particular, a transponder or transmitter.

Claims

1. A method for identifying, determining, localizing at least one arbitrary object and/or room and for picking up the at least one object using a robot which is conveyed independently on a foundation, comprising orienting in a room a robot by means of a sensor element comprising a transponder or transmitter for transmitting to the robot room coordinates and object-specific coordinates of an arbitrary objects in the room.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a bearing for the at least one arbitrary object is identified and localized and/or identified by equipping said object with at least one sensor element comprising a transponder.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the object'"'"'s bearing is identified and/or localized and/or identified by providing said object with at least one sensor element comprising a transponder, the transponder being used to transmit specific parameters for the arbitrary object, including location, bearing, transport bearing, weight, size, type and name of the object.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, including a plurality of objects wherein every object is equipped with at least one sensor element comprising a transponder, with form-specific and/or object-specific data including coordinates, size, bearing, weight, type and name of the object or room being entered, in encrypted form, in the respective sensor element.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor element is used to transmit the room-specific or object-specific data to the service robot, which evaluates these data for the purpose of independently moving in a room in order to pick up or drop off or remove arbitrary objects, the robot using the room-specific data to calculate the bearing thereof itself.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein an arbitrary object'"'"'s particular bearing is identified by allocating at least two sensor elements to said object at different positions.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein a plurality of sensor elements on the arbitrary objects, are used to transmit various vectors in the form of signals to the robot in order to identify a particular bearing for the object, to pick up said bearing, put it into a transport bearing, and then to drop it off at any desired location.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the room-specific and/or object-specific data, including coordinates of the room, size of the room, size, weight, transport bearing and dropoff location for the object, are stored in the robot, and an association code appropriately matched thereto is stored in the sensor element, wherein fixed objects and/or rooms being entered as fixed variables in the robot and/or in a PC in order to determine a possible conveyance path.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the object has at least two sensor elements comprising transponders at different positions.

10. A system for identifying, determining, localizing at least one arbitrary object and/or room for picking up the object using a robot comprising a service robot, which can be conveyed independently on an arbitrary foundation, wherein a robot is oriented in a room by allocating a sensor element comprising a transmitter for identifying room coordinates and object-specific coordinates of arbitrary objects with an associated sensor element in the room.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein location coordinates are identified and a size for an arbitrary object is identified by allocating the sensor element thereto.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor element, stores coded room coordinates for the robot and coordinates relating to the arbitrary object including size, weight, transport bearing, dropoff location.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein by allocating each arbitrary object at least one sensor element the object is localized in an arbitrary room independently by the robot or service robot.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein by allocating at least two sensor elements, to different positions on an arbitrary object it becomes possible to identify a transport bearing, for the object and also a bearing for dropping off the object, using at least two different location vectors.