IP Library Granted Patent US 12669831
Granted Patent B2
US 12669831 · App. 18/676,903 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Obstacle avoidance method and related apparatuses for moving device

Inventors: Hanlun Li (San Diego, CA); Xiaofeng Lei (Irvine, CA)
Assignee: Telesair, Inc.
G05D1/622G05D1/65G05D1/686
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12669831
App. No.
18/676,903
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An obstacle avoidance method and related apparatuses. The obstacle avoidance method includes: determining, based on a measurement from each of sensing devices in a first sensing set, an initial turning angle for the moving device to follow a target, where each of the sensing devices is operatively coupled to the moving device, and the measurement is indicative of information of at least one object within a measuring range of each of the sensing devices; determining whether there is an obstacle in a direction of the initial turning angle; and obtaining an adjusted turning angle of which direction has no obstacle based on a determination of the obstacle in the direction of the initial turning angle.

Claims (68)

1 . An obstacle avoidance method for a moving device, comprising:

determining, based on a measurement from each of sensing devices in a first sensing set, an initial turning angle for the moving device to follow a target, wherein each of the sensing devices is operatively coupled to the moving device, and the measurement is indicative of information of at least one object within a measuring range of each of the sensing devices;

determining whether there is an obstacle in a direction of the initial turning angle;

obtaining an adjusted turning angle of which direction has no obstacle based on a determination of the obstacle in the direction of the initial turning angle; and

when there is an obstacle in the direction of the initial turning angle, following the target based on the adjusted turning angle, wherein a duration of the following of the target is based on a predefined scan interval and a time taken for the moving device to react to the measurement from each of the at least one sensing device in the first sensing set.

2 . The obstacle avoidance method according to claim 1 , wherein determining whether there is an obstacle in the direction of the initial turning angle comprises:

determining a first reference angle and a second reference angle based on the initial turning angle and a reference angle list, wherein the reference angle list is indicative of a reference angle corresponding to each of the sensing devices in the first sensing set, wherein the initial turning angle belongs to an interval formed by the first reference angle and the second reference angle, and no reference angle in the reference angle list falls inside the interval;

determining whether there is an obstacle in at least one of a direction of the first reference angle or a direction of the second reference angle;

wherein obtaining the adjusted turning angle of which direction has no obstacle based on the determination of the obstacle in the direction of the initial turning angle comprises:

upon determining that there is an obstacle in at least one of the direction of the first reference angle or the direction of the second reference angle, updating the first sensing set with a second sensing set, and repeating the determination of the initial turning angle, the determination of an obstacle in the direction of the initial turning angle and the obtaining of the adjusted turning angle, wherein sensing devices in the second sensing set are selected from the sensing devices in the first sensing set, and reference angles corresponding to the sensing devices in the second sensing set are associated with at least one of the first reference angle or the second reference angle of which direction has an obstacle;

upon determining that there is no obstacle in the direction of the first reference angle and the direction of the second reference angle, obtaining the adjusted turning angle based on the first reference angle and the second reference angle.

3 . The obstacle avoidance method according to claim 2 , further comprising:

obtaining a current location of the target;

determining a candidate turning angle based on a current location of the moving device and the current location of the target;

wherein obtaining the adjusted turning angle based on the first reference angle and the second reference angle comprises:

selecting, from the first reference angle and the second reference angle, a reference angle closer to the candidate turning angle as the adjusted turning angle.

4 . The obstacle avoidance method according to claim 2 , wherein the first reference angle is smaller than the second reference angle; and

when there is an obstacle in the direction of the first reference angle, reference angles corresponding to the sensing devices in the second sensing set are not greater than the first reference angle.

5 . The obstacle avoidance method according to claim 2 , wherein the first reference angle is smaller than the second reference angle; and

when there is an obstacle in the direction of the second reference angle, reference angles corresponding to the sensing devices in the second sensing set are greater than the second reference angle.

6 . The obstacle avoidance method according to claim 1 , before determining, based on the measurement from each of the sensing devices in the first sensing set, the initial turning angle for the moving device to follow the target, the method further comprising:

obtaining first moving data of the target, wherein the first moving data of the target comprises a current location of the target;

determining a moving speed for the moving device to follow the target based on a current location of the moving device and the current location of the target; and

for each of the sensing devices in the first sensing set, determining whether there is an obstacle in the measuring range of the sensing device based on the measurement from the sensing device and the moving speed;

wherein determining, based on the measurement from each of the sensing devices in the first sensing set, the initial turning angle for the moving device to follow the target comprises:

determining the initial turning angle based on a result of the determination of the obstacle in the measuring range of the sensing device.

7 . The obstacle avoidance method according to claim 6 , wherein determining the initial turning angle based on the result of the determination of the obstacle in the measuring range of the sensing device comprises:

when there is an obstacle in the measuring range of at least one of the sensing devices in the first sensing set, determining the initial turning angle based on the measurement from each of the sensing devices in the first sensing set and a reference angle list, wherein the reference angle list is indicative of a reference angle corresponding to each of the sensing devices in the first sensing set.

8 . The obstacle avoidance method according to claim 7 , wherein determining the initial turning angle based on the measurement from each of the sensing devices in the first sensing set and the reference angle list comprises:

calculating a weighted sum of measurements from the sensing devices based on the reference angle list and the measurements; and

determining the initial turning angle of the moving device based on the weighted sum of the measurements.

9 . The obstacle avoidance method according to claim 6 , wherein the first moving data of the target further comprises a current speed of the target;

wherein determining the moving speed for the moving device to follow the target based on the current location of the moving device and the current location of the target comprises:

when a distance between the current location of the moving device and the current location of the target does not meet a predefined requirement, determining the moving speed to be logarithmically proportional to a distance derived from the current location of the moving device and the current location of the target; and

when a distance between the current location of the moving device and the current location of the target meets a predefined requirement, determining the moving speed as the current speed of the target.

10 . A moving device, comprising:

a processor and a memory stored with instructions, wherein the processor is configured to call and run the instructions stored in the memory to execute operations of:

determining, based on a measurement from each of sensing devices in a first sensing set, an initial turning angle for the moving device to follow a target, wherein each of the sensing devices is operatively coupled to the moving device, and the measurement is indicative of information of at least one object within a measuring range of each of the sensing devices;

determining whether there is an obstacle in a direction of the initial turning angle; and

obtaining an adjusted turning angle of which direction has no obstacle based on a determination of the obstacle in the direction of the initial turning angle;

wherein the processor is further configured to call and run the instructions stored in the memory to execute operations of:

when there is an obstacle in the direction of the initial turning angle, following the target based on the adjusted turning angle; and wherein a duration of the following of the target is based on a predefined scan interval and a time taken for the moving device to react to the measurement from each of the at least one sensing device in the first sensing set.

11 . The moving device according to claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to call and run the instructions stored in the memory to execute operations of:

determining a first reference angle and a second reference angle based on the initial turning angle and a reference angle list, wherein the reference angle list is indicative of a reference angle corresponding to each of the sensing devices in the first sensing set, wherein the initial turning angle belongs to an interval formed by the first reference angle and the second reference angle, and no reference angle in the reference angle list falls inside the interval;

determining whether there is an obstacle in at least one of a direction of the first reference angle or a direction of the second reference angle;

upon determining that there is an obstacle in at least one of the direction of the first reference angle or the direction of the second reference angle, updating the first sensing set with a second sensing set, and repeating the determination of the initial turning angle, the determination of an obstacle in the direction of the initial turning angle and the obtaining of the adjusted turning angle, wherein sensing devices in the second sensing set are selected from the sensing devices in the first sensing set, and reference angles corresponding to the sensing devices in the second sensing set are associated with at least one of the first reference angle or the second reference angle of which direction has an obstacle; and

upon determining that there is no obstacle in the direction of the first reference angle and the direction of the second reference angle, obtaining the adjusted turning angle based on the first reference angle and the second reference angle.

12 . The moving device according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to call and run the instructions stored in the memory to execute operations of:

obtaining a current location of the target;

determining a candidate turning angle based on a current location of the moving device and the current location of the target; and

upon determining that there is no obstacle in the direction of the first reference angle and the direction of the second reference angle, selecting, from the first reference angle and the second reference angle, a reference angle closer to the candidate turning angle as the adjusted turning angle.

13 . The moving device according to claim 11 , wherein the first reference angle is smaller than the second reference angle; and

when there is an obstacle in the direction of the first reference angle, reference angles corresponding to the sensing devices in the second sensing set are not greater than the first reference angle.

14 . The moving device according to claim 11 , wherein the first reference angle is smaller than the second reference angle; and

when there is an obstacle in the direction of the second reference angle, reference angles corresponding to the sensing devices in the second sensing set are greater than the second reference angle.

15 . The moving device according to claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to call and run the instructions stored in the memory to execute operations of:

obtaining first moving data of the target, wherein the first moving data of the target comprises a current location of the target;

determining a moving speed for the moving device to follow the target based on a current location of the moving device and the current location of the target;

for each of the sensing devices in the first sensing set, determining whether there is an obstacle in the measuring range of the sensing device based on the measurement from the sensing device and the moving speed; and

determining the initial turning angle based on a result of the determination of the obstacle in the measuring range of the sensing device.

16 . The moving device according to claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to call and run the instructions stored in the memory to execute operations of:

when there is an obstacle in the measuring range of at least one of the sensing devices in the first sensing set, determining the initial turning angle based on the measurement from each of the sensing devices in the first sensing set and a reference angle list, wherein the reference angle list is indicative of a reference angle corresponding to each of the sensing devices in the first sensing set.

17 . The moving device according to claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to call and run the instructions stored in the memory to execute operations of:

calculating a weighted sum of measurements from the sensing devices based on the reference angle list and the measurements; and

determining the initial turning angle of the moving device based on the weighted sum of the measurements.

18 . The moving device according to claim 15 , wherein the first moving data of the target further comprises a current speed of the target, and the processor is further configured to call and run the instructions stored in the memory to execute operations of:

when a distance between the current location of the moving device and the current location of the target does not meet a predefined requirement, determining the moving speed to be logarithmically proportional to a distance derived from the current location of the moving device and the current location of the target; and

when a distance between the current location of the moving device and the current location of the target meets a predefined requirement, determining the moving speed as the current speed of the target.