US 2006/0041333 A1 · Robot

Abstract

There are included a surrounding pattern projection system for projecting an annular pattern light beam encircling a main unit portion from an upper side of the main unit portion to a floor surface around the main unit portion in an oblique direction with respect to the floor surface, a camera for picking up a projected pattern image of the pattern light beam projected from the surrounding pattern projection system from the upper side of the main unit portion, and a image processing device for sensing a displacement of the projected image of the pattern light beam based on the picked up image picked up by the camera, the displacement being generated when the pattern light beam is projected onto a portion of an obstacle around the main unit portion which is different in height from the floor surface, and for detecting thereby the obstacle around the main unit portion.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A robot comprising:

a robot main unit portion;
a projections unit for projecting an annular pattern light beam encircling the robot main unit portion from an upper side of the robot main unit portion to a floor surface around the main unit portion;
an image pickup unit for picking up a projected image of the pattern light beam projected from the projections unit from an upper side of the robot main unit portion;
an image processing device for sensing a displacement of the projected image of the pattern light beam based on the image picked up by the image pickup unit and detecting a height difference portion around the robot main unit portion which is different in height from the floor surface;
and
a robot main unit portion driving unit for moving the main unit portion on the floor surface so as to avoid the height difference portion detected by the image processing device or to go toward the height difference portion.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Robot

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Robot

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims9