Bistatic object detection apparatus and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016378117-A1
Application number	US-201514752688-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 26, 2015
Priority date	Jun 24, 2015
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for navigation of a robotic device configured to operate in an environment comprising objects and/or persons. Location of objects and/or persons may change prior and/or during operation of the robot. In one embodiment, a bistatic sensor comprises a transmitter and a receiver. The receiver may be spatially displaced from the transmitter. The transmitter may project a pattern on a surface in the direction of robot movement. In one variant, the pattern comprises an encoded portion and an information portion. The information portion may be used to communicate information related to robot movement to one or more persons. The encoded portion may be used to determine presence of one or more object in the path of the robot. The receiver may sample a reflected pattern and compare it with the transmitted pattern. Based on a similarity measure breaching a threshold, indication of object present may be produced.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 .- 20 . (canceled)

21 . An object detection sensor apparatus comprising:
a transmitter component configured to project a pattern by irradiating a portion of an environment using a carrier wave; a detector component configured to detect a reflected pattern of the carrier wave; and a processing component configured to:
evaluate a parameter of the detected reflected pattern; and
based on the parameter breaching a threshold, produce an indication of an object being present within the portion of the environment.

22 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the carrier wave is selected from the group consisting of: a sound wave, a visible light wave, and an infrared wave.

23 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein:
the object detection sensor apparatus is configured to be disposed on a robotic device configured to traverse along a surface; and the portion of the environment comprises a portion of the surface in front of the robotic device.

24 . The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein:
the object detection sensor apparatus is disposed at a height above the surface; the transmitter component is characterized by a first angle of view; the detector component is characterized by a second angle of view; and the portion of the surface in front of the robotic device is spaced from the robotic device by a blanking distance.

25 . The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein:
the detector component is spaced from the transmitter component by a separation distance; the indication of the object being present within the portion of the environment is configured to be produced by an object detection process, the object detection process being characterized by a lower bound of object resolvable size; and an increase in the separation distance is configured to cause a reduction of the lower bound of object resolvable size.

26 . The apparatus of claim 25 , wherein:
the carrier wave comprises a visible light wave; the detector component comprises a camera configured to produce an image comprising a plurality of pixels; and for a given size of the image, an increase of a number of the plurality of pixels is configured to cause the reduction of the lower bound of object size.

27 . The apparatus of claim 25 , wherein:
the reflected pattern detected by the detector component is characterized by a perspective distortion relative to the projected pattern; and dimensions of the projected pattern are configured in accordance with a counter-distortion process configured to compensate for the perspective distortion.

28 . The apparatus of claim 25 , wherein:
the transmitter component comprises a visible light emitter and a mask component, the mask component configured to shape emitted light into the projected pattern characterized by a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension; and the transverse dimension is selected to match a width of the robotic device.

29 . The apparatus of claim 25 , wherein:
the transmitter component comprises a digital light projector operably coupled to the processing component, the digital light projector being configured to produce the projected pattern characterized by a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension; and the transmitter component is configured to dynamically adjust the transverse dimension based on a signal from the processing component, the signal being indicative of a width of the robotic device.

30 . The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein:
the transmitter component is configured to dynamically adjust the longitudinal dimension based on another signal from the processing component, the another signal being indicative of a speed of the robotic device.

31 . A method for detecting an object by a computerized robotic apparatus configured to clean a surface, the method comprising:
configuring a reference pattern; projecting the reference pattern onto a surface in front of the robotic apparatus using a light emitter component; detecting a reflected pattern by a camera component, the camera component being configured to produce a digital image; analyzing the digital image to determine a parameter of the reflected pattern; and based on the parameter of the reflected pattern breaching a threshold, producing an indication of the object being present in front of the robotic apparatus.

32 . The method of claim 31 , wherein:
the projected reference pattern comprises an encoded portion, the encoded portion comprising a plurality of elements and a background portion; and the encoded portion is configured to produce the reflected pattern characterized by a first area of increased contrast compared to a second area associated with the background portion.

33 . The method of claim 32 , wherein the act of configuring the reference pattern comprises:
selecting a pattern width in accordance with a width of the robotic apparatus; and selecting a pattern length in accordance with a speed of the robotic apparatus.

34 . The method of claim 32 , wherein:
the encoded portion comprises a plurality of lines arranged in a grid configuration; and the act of configuring the reference pattern comprises selecting one or more of a line width and the grid configuration.

35 . The method of claim 34 , wherein the plurality of elements of the grid configuration comprises one or more elements of varying width or height.

36 . The method of claim 32 , wherein:
the encoded portion comprises a plurality of rectangles arranged in a grid configuration; and the act of configuring the reference pattern comprises selecting one or more of: rectangle dimensions, a checkerboard-like pattern, and/or the grid configuration.

37 . The method of claim 36 , wherein the reference pattern comprises a checkerboard-like pattern comprising elements of alternating black and white elements.

38 . The method of claim 31 , wherein:
the projected reference pattern comprises an encoded portion and a target portion; the encoded portion comprises at least one element characterized by a first light characteristic configured to differ from a second light characteristic of the target portion; the parameter of the reflected pattern comprises a height above a surface comprising the at least one element; and the threshold is based on an expected reference width or an expected reference length of the projected reference pattern comprising the at least one element when the object is not present in front of the robotic apparatus.

39 . The method of claim 38 , wherein the reference width or length corresponds to another reflected pattern projected onto a surface in an absence of the object.

40 . The method of claim 38 , wherein the at least one element is further characterized by one or both of a light wavelength and a light intensity.

Assignees

• Brain Corp

Inventors

• Szatmary Botond
• Richert Micah

Classifications

• B25J5/00

  Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages (B25J1/00 takes precedence; programme-controlled manipulators B25J9/00 {; vehicle aspects B60, B62, e.g. remote-controlled steering for motor vehicles B62D1/24; control of position of vehicles G05D1/00}) · CPC title

• G06V10/145 Primary

  Illumination specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. using gratings · CPC title

• G06F18/22

  Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures · CPC title

• G01S7/51

  Display arrangements · CPC title

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title