Granted Patent B2

US 12,601,586 · App. 17/700,586 · Granted Apr 14, 2026

Inventors: Hiroyuki Tanaka (Kyoto, JP); Hideki Chujo (Kyoto, JP); Masahiro Kinoshita (Kyoto, JP)

Assignee: OMRON CORPORATION

G01B11/24G01S17/89G01B11/0608G01B21/042G01S17/894

Abstract

Claims (50)

1 . A floor surface condition detection device configured to detect a condition of a floor surface on which a target has been placed, the device comprising:

a lighting device;

a light receiving unit comprising an image sensor; and

a processor operatively coupled to the lighting device and the image sensor, the processor configured with a program to perform operations comprising:

operation as a distance information acquisition unit configured to acquire information about a distance to the target according to an amount of reflection of electromagnetic waves emitted from the lighting device toward the target and received by the image sensor;

operation as a condition detection unit configured to detect the condition of the floor surface on which the target has been placed on the basis of the information about the distance acquired by the distance information acquisition unit;

operation as an angle information acquisition unit configured to acquire angle information corresponding to each pixel included in the distance image;

operation as a three dimensional coordinate conversion unit configured to convert the information about the distance acquired by the distance information acquisition unit into three dimensional coordinates on the basis of the angle information acquired by the angle information acquisition unit;

operation as a plane detection unit configured to detect a floor surface on which the target has been placed;

operation as a height calculation unit configured to calculate an installation height (h) of a distance measuring device on the basis of the three dimensional coordinates converted by the three dimensional coordinate conversion unit from the information about the distance for the floor surface detected by the plane detection unit;

operation as a coordinate rotation calculation unit configured to calculate a rotary coordinates (Xr, Yr, Zr) obtained by rotating around an axis the three dimensional coordinates converted from the information about the distance and the angle information in the three dimensional coordinate conversion unit;

operation as an irregularity detection unit configured to compare the coordinate (Zr) in a height direction of the rotary coordinates (Xr, Yr, Zr) calculated by the coordinate rotation calculation unit with the installation height (h) calculated by the height calculation unit, and if an object having a positive or negative dimension in the height direction is detected, detects this object as an irregularity of the floor surface; and

operation as a threshold value setting unit configured to set a first threshold value, a second threshold value, and a third threshold value used in the detection of irregularities by the irregularity detection unit, wherein

the height calculation unit calculates, as the installation height, an average value of coordinate values in an optical axis direction from among the plurality of coordinate values re-acquired by rotating an orthogonal coordinate system of the distance measuring device around an axis by the angle formed by a vertical line of the floor surface detected by the plane detection unit and the optical axis of the distance measuring device, and

the irregularity detection unit determines that there is the object on the floor when the difference (h−Zr) between the installation height (h) and the coordinate (Zr) is at or above the first threshold value, and that there is a hole on the floor when the difference (h−Zr) is below the second threshold value, and that there is a slope on the floor when an amount of change (ΔZr/ΔXr+ΔZr/ΔYr) of the distance in the height direction from the floor between adjacent pixels is above the third threshold value.

2 . The floor surface condition detection device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations further comprising operation as an output information selection unit configured to select and outputs the information about the distance for each pixel including the irregularities detected by the condition detection unit.

3 . A distance measuring device, comprising:

the floor surface condition detection device according to claim 1 , wherein,

the lighting device is configured to irradiate the target with electromagnetic waves; and

the sensor of the light receiving unit is configured to sense the amount of reflection of the electromagnetic wave emitted from the lighting device.

4 . The distance measuring device according to claim 3 ,

further comprising a memory unit configured to store at least one of the following: the information about the distance, angle information corresponding to each pixel included in the distance image, an orthogonal coordinate system of the distance measuring device, the installation height, rotary coordinates obtained by rotating around an axis the three-dimensional coordinates converted from the information about the distance and the angle information, a threshold used when detecting the target, and coordinate values of pixels to be outputted.

5 . The distance measuring device according to claim 3 ,

wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations further comprising operation as an output unit configured to output to an external device the information about the distance corresponding to the pixels.

6 . A floor surface condition detection method for detecting the condition of a floor surface on which an object has been placed with a device comprising a lighting device and an image sensor, the method comprising:

emitting from the lighting device, electromagnetic waves toward the target;

acquiring information about the distance to the target according to the amount of reflection of the electromagnetic waves emitted from the lighting device toward the target and received by the image sensor;

detecting the condition of the floor surface on which the target has been placed on the basis of the acquired information about the distance;

acquiring angle information corresponding to each pixel included in the distance image;

converting the information about the acquired distance into three dimensional coordinates on the basis of the acquired angle information;

detecting a floor surface on which the target has been placed;

calculating an installation height (h) of a distance measuring device on the basis of the converted three dimensional coordinates from information about a distance to the detected floor surface;

calculating a rotary coordinates (Xr, Yr, Zr) obtained by rotating around an axis the three dimensional coordinates converted from the information about the distance and the acquired angle information;

comparing the coordinate (Zr) in a height direction of the calculated rotary coordinates (Xr, Yr, Zr) with the calculated installation height (h), and if an object having a positive or negative dimension in the height direction is detected, detects this object as an irregularity of the floor surface; and

setting a first threshold value, a second threshold value, and a third threshold value used in the detection of irregularities, wherein

calculating the installation height comprises calculating, as the installation height (h), an average value of coordinate values in an optical axis direction from among the plurality of coordinate values re-acquired by rotating an orthogonal coordinate system of the distance measuring device around an axis by the angle formed by a vertical line of the detected floor surface and the optical axis of the distance measuring device, and

comparing the coordinate (Zr) in a height direction comprises determining that there is the object on the floor when the difference (h−Zr) between the installation height (h) and the coordinate (Zr) is at or above the first threshold value, and that there is a hole on the floor when the difference (h−Zr) is below the second threshold value, and that there is a slope on the floor when an amount of change (ΔZr/ΔXr+ΔZr/ΔYr) of the distance in the height direction from the floor between adjacent pixels is above the third threshold value.

7 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a floor surface condition detection program for detecting the condition of a floor surface on which a target has been placed with a device comprising a lighting device and an image sensor, wherein the program when read and executed causes a computer to execute a floor surface condition detection method comprising:

emitting from the lighting device, electromagnetic waves toward the target;

acquiring information about the distance to the target according to the amount of reflection of the electromagnetic waves emitted from the lighting device toward the target and received by the image sensor; and

detecting the condition of the floor surface on which the target has been placed on the basis of the information about the acquired distance information about the distance;

acquiring angle information corresponding to each pixel included in the distance image;

converting the information about the acquired distance into three dimensional coordinates on the basis of the acquired angle information;

detecting a floor surface on which the target has been placed;

calculating an installation height (h) of a distance measuring device on the basis of the converted three dimensional coordinates from information about a distance to the detected floor surface;

calculating a rotary coordinates (Xr, Yr, Zr) obtained by rotating around an axis the three dimensional coordinates converted from the information about the distance and the acquired angle information;

comparing the coordinate (Zr) in a height direction of the calculated rotary coordinates (Xr, Yr, Zr) with the calculated installation height (h), and if an object having a positive or negative dimension in the height direction is detected, detects this object as an irregularity of the floor surface; and

setting a first threshold value, a second threshold value, and a third threshold value used in the detection of irregularities, wherein calculating the installation height comprises calculating, as the installation height (h), an average value of coordinate values in an optical axis direction from among the plurality of coordinate values re-acquired by rotating an orthogonal coordinate system of the distance measuring device around an axis by the angle formed by a vertical line of the detected floor surface and the optical axis of the distance measuring device, and

comparing the coordinate (Zr) in a height direction comprises determining that there is the object on the floor when the difference (h−Zr) between the installation height (h) and the coordinate (Zr) is at or above the first threshold value, and that there is a hole on the floor when the difference (h−Zr) is below the second threshold value, and that there is a slope on the floor when an amount of change (ΔZr/ΔXr+ΔZr/ΔYr) of the distance in the height direction from the floor between adjacent pixels is above the third threshold value.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (48)