Remote control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12287648-B2
Application number	US-202418677273-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2024
Priority date	May 31, 2023
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

A remote control device includes, at least one processer configured to perform processes including, acquiring three-dimensional point cloud data measured using a distance measuring device, estimating at least one of a position and an orientation of a moving object in the three-dimensional point cloud data by matching a template point cloud indicating the moving object with the three-dimensional point cloud data, determining a start position to start matching of the template point cloud with the three-dimensional point cloud data; and generating a control command for remotely controlling the moving object using at least one of the estimated position and the estimated orientation of the moving object and transmit the control command to the moving object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A remote control device comprising:
at least one memory configured to store computer program code;
at least one processor configured to operate as instructed by the computer program code, the computer program code including:
point cloud data acquisition code configured to cause the at least one processor to acquire three-dimensional point cloud data measured using a distance measuring device;
position estimation code configured to cause the at least one processor to estimate at least one of a position and an orientation of a moving object in the three-dimensional point cloud data by matching a template point cloud indicating the moving object with the three-dimensional point cloud data;
start position determination code configured to cause the at least one processor to determine a start position in the three-dimensional point cloud data to start matching of the template point cloud with the three-dimensional point cloud data by the position estimation code; and
remote control code configured to cause the at least one processor to generate a control command for remotely controlling the moving object using at least one of the estimated position and the estimated orientation of the moving object and transmits the control command to the moving object, wherein
the start position determination code is further configured to determine the start position using information on a drive history of an actuator provided in the moving object, out of information on a position used for the matching and information included in the control command, and using information on at least one of the position and the orientation of the moving object used to generate the control command, and of a target route predetermined as a traveling route of the moving object by the remotely controlling, determine the start position using information on the position of the moving object in the three-dimensional point cloud data, acquire, as the information on the position of the moving object, a previous matching position where previous matching between the three-dimensional point cloud data and the template point cloud has been completed, and determine the start position using the acquired previous matching position.

2. The remote control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the start position determination code is further configured to:
estimate a position of the moving object after movement from the previous matching position during a period from a time of completion of the previous matching to a time before execution of current matching, and
determine the start position using the estimated position after the movement.

3. The remote control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the memory stores the target route that is the information on the position of the moving object, and wherein
the start position determination code is further configured to determine any position on the target route as the start position.

4. The remote control device according to claim 3 , wherein
the start position determination code is further configured to:
acquire a previous matching position where previous matching between the three-dimensional point cloud data and the template point cloud has been completed on the target route, and
determine the start position using the acquired previous matching position on the target route.

5. The remote control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the start position determination code is further configured to determine the start position using, as the information on the position of the moving object, any of a position of the moving object detected from the three-dimensional point cloud data by a predetermined object detection method, and a position of the moving object detected based on a difference between point cloud data associated with a background of the three-dimensional point cloud data and point cloud data associated with the moving object.

6. The remote control device according to claim 5 , wherein
the start position determination code is further configured to:
when a plurality of positions of the moving objects is detected, determine the start position using the position of the moving object associated with a moving object identification information, for identifying the moving object, out of the plurality of detected positions of the moving objects.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ikeda Keigo
• Saito Yasuhiro
• Yaegashi Kazuo
• Izu Hiroki

Classifications

• B62D65/18

  Transportation, conveyor or haulage systems specially adapted for motor vehicle or trailer assembly lines {(conveyors and haulage in general B65G)} · CPC title

• G05D1/6985

  using a lead vehicle, e.g. primary-secondary arrangements · CPC title

• G05D2105/45

  for manufacturing, maintenance or repairing · CPC title

• G05D2107/70

  Industrial sites, e.g. warehouses or factories · CPC title

• G05D2109/10

  Land vehicles · CPC title