Autonomous mobile robot

• US 7,933,684 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nakayama, Takashi, Sugino, Tsukasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): JEN, MINGJEN
• Application Number:
  US11/302,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20060217838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,959 Days
• Field of Search: 700/259, 700/245, 700/56, 700/248, 700/262, 381/92, 169/52
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93

Abstract

An autonomous mobile robot is provided which is autonomously movable, including an upper body, legs connected under the upper body, a first detector which detects an object in a front region of the upper body in a moving direction of the robot, and a second detector which detects an object in a region other than a sensing region sensed by the first detector including at least a rear region, a rear right region, and a rear left region of the upper body.

Claims

1. An autonomous mobile robot which is autonomously movable forward or backward, comprising:

an upper body;

legs connected under the upper body;

a first detector which detects an object in a front region of the upper body in a moving direction of the robot; and

a second detector which detects an object in a region other than the front region of the upper body sensed by the first detector, wherein the region other than the front region sensed by the first detector includes at least a rear region, a rear right region, and a rear left region of the upper body, and wherein the object detected in the other region by the second detector causes the robot to perform backward walking movement towards the object or away from the object;

wherein the first detector comprises a stereo camera and the second detector comprises an ultrasonic sensor;

a plurality of the ultrasonic sensors are arranged along periphery of the upper body from rear portions of right and left sides of the upper body to a backside of the upper body keeping a predetermined space between adjacent ones of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors;

the upper body comprises a body unit which is rotatable relative to the legs about a vertical axis, and a head which is rotatable relative to the body unit about a vertical axis, wherein the plurality of ultrasonic sensors are provided in the body unit, and wherein the stereo camera is provided in the head;

a second ultrasonic sensor which is provided in the body unit to detect an object in the front region of the body unit in the moving direction of the robot;

a controller which, when a sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped with at least one of the sensing regions of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor, recognizes that an object which is in the overlapped sensing region, and not detected by the stereo camera but detected by one of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor corresponding to the at least one of the sensing regions with which the sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped, is transparent.

2. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the upper body is rotatable relative to the legs about a vertical axis.

3. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1, comprising:

a pair of arms provided on right and left sides of the body unit;

a pair of hands respectively provided at ends of the pair of arms; and

an arm controller which drives the pair of arms and the pair of hands, wherein the arm controller controls the pair of arms and the pair of hands to swing within a region outside sensing regions of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor when the robot moves forward and backward with the legs.

4. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1, comprising:

a pair of arms provided on right and left sides of the body unit; and

a pair of hands respectively provided at ends of the pair of arms, wherein

when at least one of the pair of arms and the pair of hands is positioned in at least one of sensing regions of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor, at least one of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor corresponding to the at least one of the sensing regions in which the at least one of the pair of arms and the hands is positioned, stops detecting an object.

5. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein

the legs are movable right and left, wherein

the stereo camera, the plurality of ultrasonic sensors, and the second ultrasonic sensor detect an object when the robot moves forward and backward with the legs, and wherein

the head rotates relative to the body unit so as to cause the stereo camera to detect an object in the moving direction when the robot moves right and left with the legs.

6. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 3, wherein

when at least one of the pair of arms and the pair of hands is positioned in at least one of the sensing regions of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor, at least one of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor corresponding to the at least one of the sensing regions in which the at least one of the pair of arms and the hands is positioned, stops detecting an object.

7. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 6, wherein

the legs are movable right and left, wherein

the stereo camera, the plurality of ultrasonic sensors, and the second ultrasonic sensor detect an object when the robot moves forward and backward with the legs, and wherein

the head rotates relative to the body unit so as to cause the stereo camera to detect an object in the moving direction when the robot moves right and left with the legs.

8. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 7, comprising a controller which,

when a sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped with at least one of the sensing regions of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor,

recognizes that an object which is in the overlapped sensing region, and not detected by the stereo camera but detected by one of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor corresponding to the at least one of the sensing regions with which the sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped, is transparent.

9. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 3, wherein

the legs are movable right and left, wherein

the stereo camera, the plurality of ultrasonic sensors, and the second ultrasonic sensor detect an object when the robot moves forward and backward with the legs, and wherein

the head rotates relative to the body unit so as to cause the stereo camera to detect an object in the moving direction when the robot moves right and left with the legs.

10. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 9, comprising a controller which,

when a sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped with at least one of the sensing regions of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor,

recognizes that an object which is in the overlapped sensing region, and not detected by the stereo camera but detected by one of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor corresponding to the at least one of the sensing regions with which the sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped, is transparent.

11. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 3, comprising a controller which,

when a sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped with at least one of the sensing regions of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor,

recognizes that an object which is in the overlapped sensing region, and not detected by the stereo camera but detected by one of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor corresponding to the at least one of the sensing regions with which the sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped, is transparent.

12. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 4, wherein

the legs are movable right and left, wherein

the stereo camera, the plurality of ultrasonic sensors, and the second ultrasonic sensor detect an object when the robot moves forward and backward with the legs, and wherein

the head rotates relative to the body unit so as to cause the stereo camera to detect an object in the moving direction when the robot moves right and left with the legs.

13. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 12, comprising a controller which,

when a sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped with at least one of the sensing regions of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor,

recognizes that an object which is in the overlapped sensing region, and not detected by the stereo camera but detected by one of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor corresponding to the at least one of the sensing regions with which the sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped, is transparent.

14. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 4, comprising a controller which,

when a sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped with at least one of the sensing regions of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor,

recognizes that an object which is in the overlapped sensing region, and not detected by the stereo camera but detected by one of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor corresponding to the at least one of the sensing regions with which the sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped, is transparent.

15. An autonomous mobile robot according to claim 5, comprising a controller which,

when a sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped with at least one of the sensing regions of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor,

recognizes that an object which is in the overlapped sensing region, and not detected by the stereo camera but detected by one of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors and the second ultrasonic sensor corresponding to the at least one of the sensing regions with which the sensing region of the stereo camera is overlapped, is transparent.