Information processing apparatus, method, and robot system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11400598-B2
Application number	US-201816148792-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2018
Priority date	Oct 2, 2017
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

An information processing apparatus that obtains, with high accuracy, the gripping position for gripping the target object by a gripping apparatus is provided. The information processing apparatus includes an image acquisition unit that acquires a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the target object, an image feature detection unit that detects a plurality of image features in the captured image, and a unit detection unit that detects a unit of a pattern in which a plurality of image features repeatedly appear. In addition, the information processing apparatus further includes a snipping position determining unit that determines a gripping position using the unit detected by the unit detection unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:
one or more processors programmed to cause the information processing apparatus to function as:
an image acquisition unit configured to acquire a captured image obtained by capturing an image of a target object to be gripped by a gripping device;
an image feature point detection unit configured to detect a plurality of image feature points in the captured image;
a generation unit configured to generate a plurality of groups of image feature points in which a distance and direction between respective image feature points appear repeatedly in common from the plurality of image feature points, wherein the plurality of groups of image feature points include a first group and a second group, wherein the image feature points included in the first group are similar in image feature to the image feature points included in the second group, and wherein the first group and the second group do not overlap with each other;
a similar structure detection unit configured to detect, from the captured image, a boundary of a group of image feature points, of the plurality of groups of image feature points, in the captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit, wherein detecting the boundary of the group of image feature points includes clustering the image feature points based on a feature of the image feature points; and
a gripping position determining unit configured to determine the gripping position at which the gripping device grips the target object based on the position of the boundary detected by the similar structure detection unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the similar structure detection unit detects the boundary of the group of image feature points by clustering the plurality of image feature points further based on the relative-position relationship of the image feature points.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gripping position determining unit determines the gripping position further based on the group of image feature points.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gripping position determining unit assigns priority order for gripping to a plurality of gripping positions.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the gripping device is provided in a manipulator of a robot system having the manipulator, and
the information processing apparatus further comprises a control unit configured to control the manipulator.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display unit configured to display the group of image feature points or the gripping position for a user.

7. A method for processing information, the method comprising:
acquiring a captured image obtained by capturing an image of a target object to be gripped by a gripping device;
detecting a plurality of image feature points in the captured image;
generating a plurality of groups of image feature points in which a distance and direction between respective image feature points appear repeatedly in common from the plurality of image feature points, wherein the plurality of groups of image feature points include a first group and a second group, wherein the image feature points included in the first group are similar in image feature to the image feature points included in the second group, and wherein the first group and the second group do not overlap with each other;
detecting, from the captured image, a boundary of a group of image feature points, of the plurality of groups of image feature points, in the acquired captured image, wherein detecting the boundary of the group of image feature points includes clustering the image feature points based on a feature of the image feature points; and
determining the gripping position at which the gripping device grips the target object based on the position of the detected boundary.

8. A robot system comprising:
an imaging device configured to capture an image of a target object; and
an information processing apparatus, wherein
the information processing apparatus comprises one or more processors programmed to cause the information processing apparatus to function as:
an image acquisition unit configured to acquire a captured image obtained by capturing the image of a target object to be gripped by a gripping device from the imaging device;
an image feature point detection unit configured to detect a plurality of image feature points in the captured image;
a generation unit configured to generate a plurality of groups of image feature points in which a distance and direction between respective image feature points appear repeatedly in common from the plurality of image feature points, wherein the plurality of groups of image feature points include a first group and a second group, wherein the image feature points included in the first group are similar in image feature to the image feature points included in the second group, and wherein the first group and the second group do not overlap with each other;
a similar structure detection unit configured to detect, from the captured image, a boundary of a group of image feature points, of the plurality of groups of image feature points, in the captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit, wherein detecting the boundary of the group of image feature points includes clustering the image feature points based on a feature of the image feature points; and
a gripping position determining unit configured to determine the gripping position at which the gripping device grips the target object based on the position of the boundary detected by the similar structure detection unit.

9. The robot system according to claim 8 , further comprising the gripping device.

10. The robot system according to claim 9 , further comprising a manipulator, wherein
the gripping device is provided in the manipulator, and
the information processing apparatus further comprises a control unit configured to control an orientation of the manipulator.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Tomioka Makoto
• Kobayashi Kazuhiko
• Higo Tomoaki
• Suzuki Masahiro

Classifications

• B25J9/1697 Primary

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title

• B25J9/1664

  characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning · CPC title

• G05B2219/45056

  Handling cases, boxes · CPC title