Adjustable Leveler Reorients Distance Sensor on Uneven Terrain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile robotic devices in uneven environments, such as warehouses, face challenges in maintaining the desired orientation of distance sensors, leading to false or missed object detections due to changes in ground elevation, which affects the accuracy of obstacle detection and object recognition.
Innovation Solution
Equipping mobile robotic devices with an adjustable leveler that can spatially reorient a distance sensor relative to the ground surface, allowing it to maintain emissions parallel to the ground by determining and adjusting its position based on surface elevation data and current location within the environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the distance sensor is fixed in position on the mobile robotic device, then the device structure is simple, but the sensor cannot maintain proper orientation relative to the ground surface on uneven terrain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the Dynamics principle by making the distance sensor mount adjustable rather than fixed. The mount can dynamically change its position and orientation in response to detected ground elevation changes, allowing the sensor to maintain proper orientation relative to the ground surface while the robotic device moves across uneven terrain. This dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction between detection accuracy and structural simplicity.
2Reliability
If the distance sensor emits emissions at a fixed angle, then the sensor orientation is simple to control, but false detections occur on uneven ground surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements the Feedback principle by using the distance sensor itself to detect ground elevation and provide feedback to the control system. Based on this feedback about the actual ground surface position, the control system automatically adjusts the sensor mount orientation to compensate for terrain variations. This closed-loop feedback mechanism eliminates false detections while maintaining ease of operation through automatic adjustment.
3Measurement precision
If the distance sensor is reoriented to follow ground elevation changes, then detection accuracy improves, but the mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the Self-service principle by designing a system where the distance sensor automatically detects ground elevation changes and triggers its own reorientation through the adjustment mechanism. The sensor serves dual purposes: both measuring distance and detecting terrain variations that require compensation. This self-service capability improves measurement precision while minimizing the complexity of external control systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Example implementations may relate to a mobile robotic device that is operable to reorient a distance sensor using an adjustable leveler. According to these implementations, the robotic device may determine a height map indicating surface elevation data for a ground surface on which the robotic device is travelling within an environment. Then, the robotic device may determine a current location of the robotic device relative to the height map. Based on the current location, the robotic device may determine a current spatial orientation of the distance sensor relative to the ground surface. Further, the robotic device may (i) determine an adjusted position of the leveler to which the leveler is movable to cause the distance sensor to spatially reorient from the current spatial orientation to a target spatial orientation and (ii) cause the distance sensor to reorient to the target spatial orientation by moving the leveler to the adjusted position.