Control method for a robot vehicle, and robot vehicle

• US 8,447,454 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2008
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Biber, Peter, Albert, Amos
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAND, NAVDEEP S
• Application Number:
  US12/992,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20110125358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 56/102.A, 153/19, 701/25
• US Class Current: 701/25
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling driving means which are designed to steer and move a robot vehicle (3) that is designed as a lawn mowing vehicle. The driving means are controlled so that the robot vehicle (3) travels through several sections (2) of a working area (8) in a specific movement pattern according to a section travel strategy with the help of dead reckoning such that two adjoining course sections (5) overlap with a predefined probability transversely to the direction of travel of the robot vehicle (3).

Claims

1. Control method for controlling driving means which are designed to steer and move a robot vehicle that is designed as a lawn mowing vehicle, the method comprising:

controlling the driving means to cause the robot vehicle to travel through several sections of a working area in each case in a specific movement pattern according to a section travel strategy with the help of dead reckoning such that in each case two adjoining course sections overlap with a predefined probability transversely to the direction of travel of the robot vehicle, wherein the position of the sections on the working area is set with the help of a higher-ranking travel strategy, wherein the higher-ranking travel strategy comprises at least one of;

a random navigation system, a satellite system, and a visual navigation system, wherein the driving means are controlled according to the section travel strategy, wherein a change in direction takes place when a standard deviation reaches a limit value, and wherein the limit value is calculated on the basis of a predefined probability, a predefined overlap of the adjoining course sections, and the sum of position estimation errors of the adjoining course sections.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the driving means are further controlled according to the section travel strategy in such a way that a change in direction of the robot vehicle takes place as soon as a first course section of the two adjoining course sections presently being traversed by the robot vehicle and a second course section of the two adjoining course sections completed prior to the aforementioned course section no longer overlap with the predefined probability.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the drive means are further controlled according to the section travel strategy in such a way that a change in direction of the robot vehicle takes place if a position estimation error, which occurs transversely to the direction of travel of the robot vehicle, no longer lies below a limit value with a predefined probability.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein a movement pattern is sinuous according to the section travel strategy and in that a change in direction is carried out as a 180 degree turn.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the travel on a section is concluded if a predefined path length was traversed or if a predefined travel time has elapsed or if a border of the working area is reached or if a section already traversed is reached.

6. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the higher-ranking travel strategy is a random navigation strategy.

7. The control strategy method according to claim 1, wherein the higher-ranking travel strategy is a satellite-navigation based travel strategy.

8. The control method according to claim 1, wherein a higher-ranking travel strategy is a visual navigation strategy employing at least one panoramic camera.

9. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the sections are plotted in a digital map with a surface extent that has been estimated.

10. The control method according to claim 1, wherein a digital probabilistic coverage map of the working area is created, which indicates with what likelihood regions of the working area have already been traversed.

11. Robot vehicle having control means, which are designed for carrying out the method according to claim 1, for controlling the driving means which are designed to steer and move the robot vehicle, the control means being designed in such a way that they control the driving means such that the robot vehicle travels through several sections of the working area in each case in the specific movement pattern according to the section travel strategy with the help of dead reckoning such that in each case two adjoining course sections overlap with a minimum probability transversely to the direction of travel of said robot vehicle.