IP Library Granted Patent US 11,537,140
Granted Patent B2
US 11,537,140 · App. 16/639,137 · Granted Dec 27, 2022

Mobile body, location estimation device, and computer program

Inventors: Shinji Suzuki (Kyoto, JP); Tetsuo Saeki (Kyoto, JP); Masaji Nakatani (Kyoto, JP)
Assignee: NIDEC-SHIMPO CORPORATION
G05D1/0274G05D1/0038G05D1/0891
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,537,140
App. No.
16/639,137
Granted
Dec 27, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A device includes an external sensor to scan an environment so as to periodically output scan data, a storage to store an environmental map, and a location estimation device to match the sensor data against the environmental map read from the storage so as to estimate a location and an attitude of the vehicle. The location estimation device determines predicted values of a current location and a current estimation of the vehicle in accordance with a history of estimated locations and estimated attitudes of the vehicle, and performs the matching by using the predicted values.

Claims (9)

1. A vehicle which travels from a first position through a second position to a third position, the vehicle comprising:

an external sensor to scan an environment so as to periodically output scan data;

a storage to store an environmental map; and

a location estimation device configured to read the environmental map from the storage, and to match the scan data against the environmental map by using an iterative closest point algorithm to estimate a location and an attitude of the vehicle at the third position; wherein

the location estimation device determines predicted values of a location and an attitude of the vehicle at the third position in accordance with a history of estimated locations and estimated attitudes of the vehicle obtained by the location estimation device while the vehicle travels from the first position to the second position, the predicted values being used as initial values of the iterative closest point algorithm; and

the location estimation device determines a rate of change in estimated locations and estimated attitudes of the vehicle in the second position in accordance with the history of estimated locations and estimated attitudes of the vehicle obtained by the location estimation device while the vehicle travels from the first position to the second position, and uses the rate of change to determine the predicted values of the location and the attitude of the vehicle in the third position.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising one of an omnidirectional wheel, a two-legged walking device, and a multi-legged walking device.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a display to present, using at least one of an image and a sound, at least one of the estimated location and the estimated attitude of the vehicle at the third position.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3 , further comprising a navigation device to guide a user through a path in accordance with a destination and the estimated location and the estimated attitude of the vehicle at the third position.

Assignments (3)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Apr 16, 2026
From: NIDEC DRIVE TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
To: MUSASHI SEIMITSU INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 074390/0651 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 29, 2021
From: NIDEC CORPORATION
To: NIDEC-SHIMPO CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058500/0469 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 14, 2020
From: SUZUKI, SHINJI; SAEKI, TETSUO; NAKATANI, MASAJI
To: NIDEC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 051821/0566 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2017-169727 · Sep 4, 2017 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200233431A1 · Jul 23, 2020