Mobile Robot Position Tracking with Slippage-Corrected Sensor Fusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile robotic devices face challenges in accurately tracking displacement and rotation, leading to inaccuracies in mapping and localization due to issues like slippage and uneven surfaces.
Innovation Solution
The robotic device employs a combination of sensors, including visual, encoder, and optoelectronic sensors to capture environmental readings, adjust for slippage by determining a corrected position, and create a map using overlapping sensor data to enhance accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If encoder sensor readings are used to track displacement, then the tracking system is simple and fast, but accuracy deteriorates due to slippage and uneven surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensing modalities (encoder sensors, visual sensors, and optoelectronic sensors) into a unified tracking system. The encoder sensors provide fast, simple displacement tracking while visual and optoelectronic sensors compensate for slippage and surface variations, merging their strengths to achieve high accuracy without excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces visual sensors and optoelectronic sensors as intermediary elements that mediate between the encoder sensor readings and the actual displacement. These intermediary sensors detect environmental features and surface conditions, providing corrective information that adjusts the encoder-based tracking to account for slippage and uneven surfaces
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are combined to correct for slippage, then positioning accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the sensor system with multi-functionality where visual sensors serve multiple purposes: tracking environmental features for position correction, detecting surface characteristics for slippage detection, and providing data for both short-term and long-term positioning accuracy. This universal approach reduces overall system complexity despite using multiple sensor types
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where sensor readings are continuously processed to detect discrepancies between expected and actual position. The system uses this feedback to adjust and correct positioning estimates, with the corrected position information feeding back into the tracking algorithm to maintain accuracy while managing complexity through iterative refinement
3Measurement precision
If visual sensor data is used for position correction, then accuracy on uneven surfaces improves, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by using visual sensor data selectively rather than continuously for all positioning corrections. The system processes visual data primarily when discrepancies are detected or at specific intervals, performing corrections only when necessary to maintain accuracy while minimizing processing time and computational overhead
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach improves the accuracy of robotic device positioning and mapping by correcting for slippage and uneven surfaces, enabling more precise environmental coverage and localization.
Implementation Method 1
capturing, with an encoder sensor, readings of wheel rotation indicative of displacement of the robotic device
Implementation Method 2
capturing, with an optoelectronic sensor, readings of a driving surface of the environment of the robotic device; determining, with the processor, displacement of the robotic device in two dimensions based on the optoelectronic sensor readings
Implementation Method 3
capturing, with a visual sensor, visual readings to objects within an environment of the robotic device as the robotic device moves within the environment
Implementation Method 4
capturing, with a depth sensor, distances to obstacles as the robot moves within the environment
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a tangible, non-transitory, machine readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuates operations including: capturing visual readings to objects within an environment; capturing readings of wheel rotation; capturing readings of a driving surface; capturing distances to obstacles; determining displacement of the robotic device in two dimensions based on sensor readings of the driving surface; estimating, with the processor, a corrected position of the robotic device to replace a last known position of the robotic device; determining a most feasible element in an ensemble based on the visual readings; and determining a most feasible position of the robotic device as the corrected position based on the most feasible element in the ensemble and the visual readings.