Autonomous mobile apparatus and method of mobility

• US 8,234,009 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kitahama, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US12/312,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20100063627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: 700/253
• US Class Current: 700/253
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5007 computer controlled
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5058 Sensors or detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5064 Position sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/061 with electronic detecting or guiding means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/028 using a RF signal

Abstract

When an autonomous mobile apparatus moves autonomously along near a master and there is an object in the surrounding environment recognized by a camera and a communication device and the like, a danger level detecting portion detects a danger level of the object to the master, and an actuator controlling portion and an electric motor move the autonomous mobile apparatus based on the danger level. As a result, the autonomous mobile apparatus moves autonomously along near the master, as well as detects the danger level to the master and moves based on the danger level. Accordingly, the autonomous mobile apparatus can move in a manner so as to ensure the safety of the master taking this danger level into account.

Claims

1. An autonomous mobile apparatus that moves autonomously along near a specified person, comprising:

surrounding environment recognizing portion that recognizes the specified person and a surrounding environment of the specified person;

danger level detecting portion that, when there is an object in the surrounding environment recognized by the surrounding environment recognizing portion, predicts a danger level of the object with respect to the specified person; and

moving portion that moves the autonomous mobile apparatus based on the danger level detected by the danger level detecting portion,

wherein the moving portion moves the autonomous mobile apparatus between the specified person and an object for which the danger level detected by the detecting portion is higher than a predetermined danger level.

2. The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

danger location predicting portion that, when there is an object in the surrounding environment recognized by the surrounding environment recognizing portion, predicts a danger location where there is a possibility of the object and the specified person coming into contact with one another,

wherein the moving portion moves the autonomous mobile apparatus based on the danger level and the danger location predicted by the danger location predicting portion.

3. The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

averaging portion that calculates an average of the danger location and an average of the danger level of the object,

wherein the moving portion moves the autonomous mobile apparatus based on the average of the danger location and the average of the danger level.

4. The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the average of the danger location is a weighted average of the danger location, in which the danger level is the weight.

5. The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when there are a plurality of objects in the surrounding environment recognized by the surrounding environment recognizing portion, the averaging portion calculates the average of the danger location based on the danger level of each of the plurality of objects and the danger location of each of the plurality of objects.

6. The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving portion moves the autonomous mobile apparatus based on a relative position of the autonomous mobile apparatus with respect to the specified person, the relative position being set in advance as a home position.

7. The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the moving portion moves the autonomous mobile apparatus closer to the home position the lower the danger level of the object detected by the danger level detecting portion is.

8. The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding environment recognizing portion recognizes by estimation the area of visibility of the specified person;

and the moving portion moves the autonomous mobile apparatus based on the area of visibility of the specified person recognized by the surrounding environment recognizing portion and the danger level of the object with respect to the specified person, which is detected by the danger level detecting portion.

9. The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding environment recognizing portion recognizes by estimation the time to contact between the object and the specified person;

and the danger level detecting portion detects the danger level based on the time to contact recognized by the surrounding environment recognizing portion.

10. The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the moving portion moves the autonomous mobile apparatus along a virtual line that connects the specified person with the average of the danger location when the average of the danger level is equal to or greater than a preset first numerical value.

11. The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the moving portion i) moves the autonomous mobile apparatus closer to a relative position of the autonomous mobile apparatus with respect to the specified person, the relative position being set in advance as a home position the lower the average of the danger level is when the average of the danger level is less than the preset first numerical value, ii) moves the autonomous mobile apparatus within the area of visibility of the specified person, along the virtual line that connects the specified person with the average of the danger location when the average of the danger level is equal to or greater than the preset first numerical value but less than a second numerical value that is set larger than the first numerical value in advance, and iii) moves the autonomous mobile apparatus closer to the specified person than the area of visibility of the specified person when the average of the danger level is equal to or greater than the second numerical value.

12. The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding environment recognizing portion includes a camera that captures an image of the specified person and the surrounding environment of the specified person, and recognizes the specified person and the surrounding environment of the specified person based on the captured image;

and the danger level detecting portion detects the danger level of the object based on the captured image.

13. The autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the danger location predicting portion predicts the danger location where there is a possibility of the object and the specified person coming into contact with one another, based on the captured image.

14. A method of mobility of an autonomous mobile apparatus that moves autonomously along near a specified person, comprising:

recognizing the specified person and a surrounding environment of the specified person;

detecting, when there are a plurality of objects in the recognized surrounding environment, a danger level of each of the plurality of objects with respect to the specified person;

predicting a danger location where there is a possibility of each of the plurality of objects and the specified person coming into contact with one another;

moving based on the danger levels and the danger locations; and

moving between the specified person and an object having its danger level higher than a predetermined danger level.

15. The method of mobility of the autonomous mobile apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

moving based on a weighted average of the danger location, in which the danger level is the weight.