IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,976,749
Granted Patent B2
US 10,976,749 · App. 15/878,968 · Granted Apr 13, 2021

Robot and method for controlling the same

Inventors: Takeshi Ando (Kyoto, JP); Duyhinh Nguyen (Osaka, JP); Hiroyuki Sasai (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC CORPORATION
G05D1/0274G05D1/0088G05D1/0214G05D1/0236G05D1/0238G05D1/0246G05D1/0255Y10S901/01Y10S901/49
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,976,749
App. No.
15/878,968
Granted
Apr 13, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A robot and a method for controlling the robot are provided, each of which prevents the robot from hitting an obstacle when autonomous movement of the robot is controlled using an OSS. The method for controlling a robot including a plurality of rangefinder sensors, the robot being configured to autonomously move based on a map created using one or more measurement data portions of the plurality of rangefinder sensors. The method includes: deleting some of the one or more measurement data portions of the plurality of rangefinder sensors; integrating the one or more measurement data portions remaining after the deleting into an integrated measurement data portion; and determining the integrated measurement data portion to be a measurement data portion of one or more virtual rangefinder sensors which are fewer in number than the number of the plurality of rangefinder sensors.

Claims (21)

1. A method for controlling a robot including a plurality of rangefinder sensors, the method comprising:

plotting a plurality of measurement points of the plurality of rangefinder sensors on a range-finding range of a virtual rangefinder sensor;

dividing the range-finding range of the virtual rangefinder sensor into a plurality of divided measurement areas;

for each of the plurality of divided measurement areas, (i) selecting a measurement point in the divided measurement area, (ii) deleting remaining measurement points in the divided measurement area other than the selected measurement point, and (iii) determining the selected measurement point as a measurement point of the virtual rangefinder sensor; and

creating a map based on the measurement point of the virtual rangefinder sensor in each of the plurality of divided measurement areas, wherein

the range-finding range of the virtual rangefinder sensor is circular,

the plurality of divided areas are obtained by equally dividing the range-finding range of the virtual rangefinder sensor according to a predetermined angle, and

the robot is configured to move autonomously based on the map.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in each of the divided measurement areas, the deleted remaining measurement points are unmeasurable at a position of the virtual rangefinder sensor.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein

for each of the plurality of divided measurement areas, the selected measurement point in the divided measurement area is a measurement point, from among measurement points in the divided measurement area, having a shortest distance to a position of the virtual rangefinder sensor.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each of the divided measurement areas has a wedge shape having a center angle identical to the predetermined angle.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a current position of the robot is estimated using one or more of the measurement point of the virtual rangefinder sensor for each of the plurality of divided measurement areas.

6. A robot including a plurality of rangefinder sensors, the robot comprising a controller configured to:

plot a plurality of measurement points of the plurality of rangefinder sensors on a range-finding range of a virtual rangefinder sensor;

divide the range-finding range of the virtual rangefinder sensor into a plurality of divided measurement areas;

for each of the plurality of divided measurement areas, (i) select a measurement point in the divided measurement area, (ii) delete remaining measurement points in the divided measurement area other than the selected measurement point, and (iii) determine the selected measurement point as a measurement point of the virtual rangefinder sensor; and

create a map based on the measurement point of the virtual rangefinder sensor in each of the plurality of divided measurement areas, wherein

the range-finding range of the virtual rangefinder sensor is circular,

the plurality of divided areas are obtained by equally dividing the range-finding range of the virtual rangefinder sensor according to a predetermined angle, and

the robot is configured to move autonomously based on the map.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 7, 2018
From: ANDO, TAKESHI; NGUYEN, DUYHINH; SASAI, HIROYUKI
To: PANASONIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 045139/0151 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2017-012439 · Jan 26, 2017 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180210455A1 · Jul 26, 2018