Method of robot arm fleet position control with wireless charging time

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10821608-B2
Application number	US-201715791343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2017
Priority date	Oct 23, 2017
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

Embodiments generally relate to robots and enabling robots to locate objects in a physical environment. In some embodiments, a method includes charging a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag with an RFID reader, where the RFID tag is coupled to an object, and where the RFID reader is coupled to a robot arm. The method further includes receiving a plurality of responses from the RFID tag, where each response includes a power value to which the RFID tag was charged and a time value for charging the RFID tag to the power value. The method further includes moving the RFID reader to a plurality of RFID reader positions using the robot arm, where each RFID reader position is associated with one of the responses of the plurality of responses. The method further includes determining a plurality of distances from the RFID reader to the RFID tag based on power values and the time values of the respective responses at the respective RFID reader positions. The method further includes determining a location of the RFID tag based on the plurality of distances.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for determining a location of an object in a three-dimensional space, the method comprising:
charging a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag with an RFID reader, wherein the RFID tag is coupled to an object, and wherein the RFID reader is coupled to a robot arm;
receiving a plurality of responses from the RFID tag, wherein each response includes a power value to which the RFID tag was charged and a time value for charging the RFID tag to the power value;
moving the RFID reader to a plurality of RFID reader positions using the robot arm, wherein each RFID reader position is associated with one of the responses of the plurality of responses;
determining a plurality of distances from the RFID reader to the RFID tag based on the power values and the time values of the respective responses at the respective RFID reader positions, wherein the determining of the plurality of distances comprises:
correlating the power values with the time values at different distances; and
determining the plurality of distances from the RFID reader to the RFID tag based on the correlating of the power values with the time values at the different distances; and

determining a location of the RFID tag based on the plurality of distances.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising moving the robot arm to the object based on the location of the RFID tag.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein each time value is an interval between a start time of the RFID tag being charged and a response time that one of the responses was received.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the RFID tag is simultaneously charged by a plurality of RFID readers of different robot arms, and wherein the RFID reader is charging a plurality of RFID tags, wherein the determining of the plurality of distances is based on combined power values.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the RFID tag is simultaneously charged by a plurality of RFID readers of different robot arms, and wherein the RFID reader is charging a plurality of RFID tags, wherein the number of RFID positions is based on the number of RFID tags being charged by the RFID reader.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the RFID tag is simultaneously charged by a plurality of RFID readers of different robot arms, and wherein the RFID reader charges a plurality of RFID tags, where the method further comprises determining a plurality of distances from the RFID reader to the RFID tag based on power values and the time values from the plurality of RFID tags.

7. A system comprising:
at least one processor and a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
charging a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag with an RFID reader, wherein the RFID tag is coupled to an object, and wherein the RFID reader is coupled to a robot arm;
receiving a plurality of responses from the RFID tag, wherein each response includes a power value to which the RFID tag was charged and a time value for charging the RFID tag to the power value;
moving the RFID reader to a plurality of RFID reader positions using the robot arm, wherein each RFID reader position is associated with one of the responses of the plurality of responses;
determining a plurality of distances from the RFID reader to the RFID tag based on the power values and the time values of the respective responses at the respective RFID reader positions, wherein the determining of the plurality of distances comprises:
correlating the power values with the time values at different distances; and
determining the plurality of distances from the RFID reader to the RFID tag based on the correlating of the power values with the time values at the different distances; and

determining a location of the RFID tag based on the plurality of distances.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor further perform operations comprising moving the robot arm to the object based on the location of the RFID tag.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein each time value is an interval between a start time of the RFID tag being charged and a response time that one of the responses was received.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the RFID tag is simultaneously charged by a plurality of RFID readers of different robot arms, and wherein the RFID reader is charging a plurality of RFID tags, wherein the determining of the plurality of distances is based on combined power values.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the RFID tag is simultaneously charged by a plurality of RFID readers of different robot arms, and wherein the RFID reader is charging a plurality of RFID tags, wherein the number of RFID positions is based on the number of RFID tags being charged by the RFID reader.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein the RFID tag is simultaneously charged by a plurality of RFID readers of different robot arms, and wherein the RFID reader charges a plurality of RFID tags, where the method further comprises determining a plurality of distances from the RFID reader to the RFID tag based on power values and the time values from the plurality of RFID tags.

13. The system of claim 7 , wherein the charging of the RFID tag is performed wirelessly.

14. A computer program product for locating objects in a three-dimensional space, the computer program product including at least one computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
charging a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag with an RFID reader, wherein the RFID tag is coupled to an object, and wherein the RFID reader is coupled to a robot arm;
receiving a plurality of responses from the RFID tag, wherein each response includes a power value to which the RFID tag was charged and a time value for charging the RFID tag to the power value;
moving the RFID reader to a plurality of RFID reader positions using the robot arm, wherein each RFID reader position is associated with one of the responses of the plurality of responses;
determining a plurality of distances from the RFID reader to the RFID tag based on the power values and the time values of the respective responses at the respective RFID reader positions, wherein the determining of the plurality of distances comprises:
correlating the power values with the time values at different distances; and
determining the plurality of distances from the RFID reader to the RFID tag based on the correlating of the power values with the time values at the different distances; and

determining a location of the RFID tag based on the plurality of distances.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor further performs operations comprising moving the robot arm to the object based on the location of the RFID tag.

16. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein each time value is an interval between a start time of the RFID tag being charged and a response time that one of the responses was received.

17. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the RFID tag is simultaneously charged by a plurality of RFID readers of different robot arms, and wherein the RFID reader is charging a plurality of RFID tags, wherein the determining of the

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• GU Yu
• Li Dingcheng
• Liu Kai
• Liu Su

Classifications

• G05B19/4183

  characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification · CPC title

• G06K7/10376

  the interrogation device being adapted for being moveable · CPC title

• G01S13/103

  particularities of the measurement of the distance (G01S13/12, G01S13/14, G01S13/16, G01S13/18 and G01S13/20 take precedence) · CPC title

• G05B19/0426

  Programming the control sequence · CPC title

• G05B2219/36371

  Barcode reader · CPC title