초록 ▼

A vision system for a mobile robot employs at least two arrays of sensors for obtaining data on the position and distance of objects in a workspace. One of the sensor arrays is used principally to see near objects and the other array is used principally to see far objects. The two arrays are symmetr

A vision system for a mobile robot employs at least two arrays of sensors for obtaining data on the position and distance of objects in a workspace. One of the sensor arrays is used principally to see near objects and the other array is used principally to see far objects. The two arrays are symmetric about an axis that extends through the body of the robot. The robot carries a computer which controls the sequence in which the sensors are serially polled for information. Data received from the sensors is stored and provides a representation of the space and objects seen by the sensors. A software program causes the computer to manipulate data from the sensors to simulate rotation of the robot around the axis of symmetry and control behavior of the robot to complete goals set by input commands from a natural language processor.

대표청구항 ▼

In a mobile robot of the type having (a) a vision system, (b) memory means for storing data derived from the robot vision system, and (c) a computer for processing data derived from the robot\s vision system, the improvement wherein the robot\s vision system comprises (i) a first array of ranging tr

In a mobile robot of the type having (a) a vision system, (b) memory means for storing data derived from the robot vision system, and (c) a computer for processing data derived from the robot\s vision system, the improvement wherein the robot\s vision system comprises (i) a first array of ranging transducers for obtaining data on the position and distance of far objects in a volume of space, the transducers of the first array being symmetrically disposed on the mobile robot with respect to an axis of symmetry within the mobile robot, each transducer of the first array being fixed in position with respect to that axis of symmetry and seeing a portion of the volume of space seen by its entire array; (ii) a second array of ranging transducers for obtaining data of the position and distance of near objects in the same or an overlapping volume of space, the transducers of the second array being symmetrically disposed on the mobile robot with respect to said axis of symmetry, each transducer of the second array being fixed in position with respect to said axis of symmetry and seeing a portion of the volume of space seen by its entire array, the angle of view of the transducers of the second array being different from the angle of view of the transducers of the first array with respect to the same object in space; and (iii) means for polling said ranging transducers in sequences determined by the computer.