Surrounding environment recognition device, autonomous mobile system using same, and surrounding environment recognition method

• US 9,411,338 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2013
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Matsuo, Toshihisa, Matsuo, Kohhei, Hanaoka, Tohru
• Primary Examiner(s): CAMBY, RICHARD M
• Application Number:
  US14/655,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20150362921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B11/26 takes precedence; rangefinders G01C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/24 for measuring contours or curvatures
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0248 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• 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 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A cleaning robot (1) which is an autonomous mobile system performs coordinate conversion of three-dimensional coordinate data acquired by measurement in a distance image sensor (20) which is arranged in a frontward and obliquely downward direction to generate three-dimensional coordinate data of a floor surface reference. Labels are applied to this data by judging a level difference or an obstacle according to height from a floor surface (F) to create overhead view image data seen from directly above a cleaning robot main body. The overhead view image data is scanned, and only when the labels are arranged in a specific order, processing for substituting an unspecified area with a level difference is performed. Thereby, positional deviation of an edge of the level difference, which is caused by a blind spot, is corrected and a position of the level difference is able to be grasped accurately.

Claims

1. A surrounding environment recognition device, comprising:

a distance sensor;

a concave part judgment portion that judges at least a concave area lower than a floor surface based on distance data acquired from the distance sensor;

an overhead view data creation portion that performs coordinate conversion of the distance data with the floor surface as a reference to create overhead view data, and

a correction processing portion that, in the overhead view data, corrects deviation of a position of a border between a concave area which is caused by a blind spot of the distance sensor and an area other than the concave area.

2. The surrounding environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the correction processing portion determines possibility/impossibility of correction of the deviation of the position of the border based on whether or not data judged by the concave part judgment portion is arranged in a specific order in the overhead view data.

3. The surrounding environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the correction processing portion calculates a size of the blind spot of the distance sensor based on an attachment angle of the distance sensor, depth information of the concave area and distance data of the concave area, and determines a correction amount to the concave area.

4. An autonomous mobile system which comprises the surrounding environment recognition device according to claim 1 and which moves while recognizing a movable area in a front side of an advancing direction.

5. A surrounding environment recognition method, comprising:

measuring a floor surface by a distance sensor which is arranged in a frontward and obliquely downward direction to generate three-dimensional coordinate data of a floor surface reference,

judging a floor surface area and a concave area lower than the floor surface based on the three-dimensional coordinate data and labeling the three-dimensional coordinate data to create overhead view data, and

scanning the overhead view data, and when the labels are arranged in a specific order, performing correction of deviation of a position of a border between a concave area which is caused by a blind spot of the distance sensor and an area other than the concave area.