Automatic guiding system for analyzing pavement curvature and method for the same

• US 9,996,085 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Chung, I-Hao, Liu, Tien-Ping, Chen, Shu-Fen, Hsiao, Yu-Chien, Hung, Yu-Tai, Yang, Fu-Hsiung
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US15/191,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20170212522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3822 Road feature data, e.g. slope data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

An automatic guiding system for analyzing pavement curvature in or on an autonomous mobile device comprises an image acquisition module, a pavement curvature analysis module, a posture sensing module, and a pavement curvature database. The image acquisition module collects pavement curvature images as the autonomous mobile device moves. The pavement curvature analysis module processes the pavement curvature images, and extracts contour information of the pavement curvature images. The posture sensing module continuously senses the posture of the autonomous mobile device. The pavement curvature database is configured to stores the contour information and the posture.

Claims

1. An automatic guiding system for analyzing pavement curvature comprising:

an image acquisition module configured to collect pavement curvature images in a direction of movement of an autonomous mobile device;

a pavement curvature analysis module connected with the image acquisition module, wherein the pavement curvature analysis module is configured to extract pavement curvature contour images from the pavement curvature images;

divide a gait cycle, unify a size of the pavement curvature contour images, and extract a plurality of first characteristic factors from the pavement curvature contour images;

solve a gait energy image and a second characteristic factor of the gait energy image for each gait cycle based on the plurality of first characteristic factors; and

multiply a gray histogram and the second characteristic factor to obtain contour information of pavement curvatures;

a posture sensing module configured to sense a posture of the autonomous mobile device; and

a pavement curvature database configured to store the contour information and the posture.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the pavement curvature is selected from a group consisting of a straight pavement, a winding pavement, an upward-sloping pavement and downward-sloping pavement.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the pavement curvature database classifies the contour information.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the contour information is presented in a text form.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the image acquisition module comprises a camera located on a side of the autonomous mobile device that faces to the direction of movement.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a positioning module.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the positioning module comprises a global positioning system.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data validation module connected with the pavement curvature analysis module and the pavement curvature database.

9. A guiding method for an automatic guiding system comprising:

S1;

providing an autonomous mobile device having the automatic guiding system;

S2;

collecting pavement curvature images of the autonomous mobile device in a direction of movement by an image acquisition module, and transmitting the pavement curvature images to a pavement curvature analysis module;

S3;

processing the pavement curvature images by the pavement curvature analysis module by steps of;

S31;

extracting pavement curvature contour images of the pavement curvature images;

S32;

dividing a gait cycle, unifying a size of the pavement curvature contour images, and extracting a plurality of first characteristic factors of the pavement curvature contour images; and

S33;

obtaining a gait energy image and a second characteristic factor of the gait energy image for each gait cycle, and obtaining a first contour information of the pavement curvature images by multiplying a gray histogram and the characteristic factor of the gait energy image;

S4;

sensing a posture by a posture sensing module;

S5;

comparing the first contour information of the pavement curvature images and a second contour information stored in a pavement curvature database, when the first contour information of the pavement curvature images is substantially the same as the second contour information stored in the pavement curvature database, finding out the second contour information in the pavement curvature database, and suggesting the autonomous mobile device act accordingly based on a posture corresponding to the second contour information in the pavement curvature database;

when the first contour information of the pavement curvature images is not substantially the same as the second contour information stored in the pavement curvature database, adding the first contour information of the pavement curvature images and corresponding posture into the pavement curvature database; and

S6;

recording a walking condition of the autonomous mobile device.

10. The guiding method of claim 9, wherein the step of recording the walking condition of the autonomous mobile device comprises:

the autonomous mobile device walks according to the posture of the pavement curvature database;

reading an output data of a gyro of the posture sensing module at intervals during movement, and analyzing the output data;

when the output data of the gyro is less than a preset threshold value, the walking condition is “

stable”

, when the output data of the gyro is larger than the preset threshold value, the walking condition is “

unstable”

.

11. The guiding method of claim 10, wherein when the walking condition is “

unstable”

, feeding the walking condition and the output data of the gyro back to the autonomous mobile device, and suggesting a stable posture when the autonomous mobile device walks on a same pavement next time; and

storing the stable posture in the pavement curvature database.