System and method for content estimate based detection of obstacles within a bin
AssigneeApm Automation Solutions Ltd
InventorsAvishai Bartov, Yossi Zlotnick
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and a system for automatically mapping obstacles within a bin that stores content, the system may include a location estimator that is arranged to calculate, in response to detection signals, multiple estimates of shapes of the upper surface of the content at different time periods; wherein the detection signals are generated by a receiver in response to radiation signals reflected or scattered within the bin; and an obstacle detector that is arranged to detect an obstacle in response to relationships between the multiple estimates of shapes of the upper surface of the content.
Claims23
A system for automatically mapping obstacles within a bin that stores content, the system comprising:
- a location estimator that is arranged to calculate, in response to detection signals, multiple estimates of shapes of the upper surface of the content at different time periods;
- wherein the detection signals are generated by a receiver in response to radiation signals reflected or scattered within the bin;
- and
- an obstacle detector that is arranged to
- (a) detect an obstacle as an area that remains substantially unchanged at two or more estimates of the multiple estimates despite substantial differences of other areas of the two or more estimates;
- (b) update the multiple estimates by ignoring detection signals representative of the obstacle;
- and
- (c) re-evaluate a definition of an area as an obstacle and to update at least one of the multiple estimates by an inclusion of detection signals representative of the obstacle if it is determined that the definition of the area as an obstacle was erroneous.
A method for automatically mapping obstacles within a bin that stores content, the method comprising:
- calculating, by a location estimator, in response to detection signals, multiple estimates of shapes of the upper surface of the content at different time periods;
- wherein the detection signals are generated by a receiver in response to radiation signals reflected or scattered within the bin;
- and
- detecting, by an obstacle detector, an obstacle as an area that remains substantially unchanged at two or more estimates of the multiple estimates despite substantial differences of other areas of the two or more estimates;
- re-evaluating a definition of an area as an obstacle;
- and updating at least one of the multiple estimates by an inclusion of detection signals representative of the obstacle if it is determined that the definition of the area as an obstacle was erroneous.
A system for automatically mapping obstacles within a bin that stores content, the system comprising:
- a transmitter that is arranged to direct radiation pulses towards an interior of the bin at different points of time during an content changing process selected out of an emptying process of the content and a filling process of the content;
- a receiver that is arranged to receive echoes of the radiation pulses and to generate detection signals that are indicative of a time of arrival and of a direction of arrival of the echoes;
- and
- an obstacle detector that is arranged to detect an obstacle as an area that reflects or scatters echoes of radiation pulses that are have substantially a same time of arrival and a same direction of arrival throughout the content changing process.
A method for automatically mapping obstacles within a bin that stores content, the method comprising:
- directing, by a transmitter, radiation pulses towards an interior of the bin at different points of time during an content changing process selected out of an emptying process of the content and a filling process of the content;
- receiving, by a receiver, echoes of the radiation pulses;
- generating, by the receiver, detection signals that are indicative of a time of arrival and of a direction of arrival of the echoes;
- and
- detecting, by an obstacle detector, an obstacle as an area that reflects or scatters echoes of radiation pulses that are have substantially a same time of arrival and a same direction of arrival throughout the content changing process.
A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores instructions to be executed by a computerized system, the instructions are for:
- calculating, by a location estimator, in response to detection signals, multiple estimates of shapes of the upper surface of the content at different time periods;
- wherein the detection signals are generated by a receiver in response to radiation signals reflected or scattered within the bin;
- and detecting, by an obstacle detector, an obstacle as an area that remains substantially unchanged at two or more estimates of the multiple estimates despite substantial differences of other areas of the two or more estimates;
- re-evaluating a definition of an area as an obstacle;
- and updating at least one of the multiple estimates by an inclusion of detection signals representative of the obstacle if it is determined that the definition of the area as an obstacle was erroneous.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.