Mobile Robot Rail Boarding Control Using Vision-Based Entry Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of accurately boarding rails by mobile robots in non-standardized agricultural environments, particularly in smart farms, is exacerbated by low localization accuracy and high costs associated with high-performance Lidar, and environmental constraints, which hinder the effective utilization of smart farm cultivation systems.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method for controlling rail boarding using a sensor module to acquire environmental data, a detection module to identify and set entry lines, a memory to store control programs, and a processor to convert and generate driving information for precise rail boarding, enabling accurate rail entry points and paths for mobile robots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If high-performance Lidar is used for mapping and localization, then localization accuracy is improved, but cost increases and environmental constraints are imposed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, complex high-performance Lidar with a cheaper camera-based vision system. The camera captures images of the rail environment, and through image processing algorithms, achieves sufficient localization accuracy for rail boarding without the high cost and environmental constraints of high-performance Lidar
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical/optical scanning system of Lidar with a stationary camera-based vision system. Instead of using active laser scanning, the system passively captures visual information from the rail environment and processes it to achieve localization and guidance for rail boarding
2Manufacturing precision
If accurate location setting is implemented for rail boarding, then rail boarding precision is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the existing rail structure itself as the reference for localization and guidance. By detecting features from the rail environment (rails, floor markings, surrounding structures) and using these to automatically determine position and guide boarding, the system achieves accurate rail boarding without requiring complex external positioning infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from relying on horizontal plane localization to utilizing vertical dimension information. By detecting the rail's vertical position, height, and orientation through camera imaging and processing, the system achieves accurate boarding guidance by incorporating the vertical dimension into the localization and control process
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an apparatus for controlling rail boarding for autonomous driving of a mobile robot. The apparatus includes: a sensor module configured to acquire sensing information for recognizing a surrounding environment of the mobile robot; a detection module configured to detect a boarding target rail of the mobile robot based on the sensing information, set line information in the detected rail region, and set an entry line from the line information; a memory configured to store a control program for the rail boarding of the mobile robot is stored based on the detected information; and a processor configured to convert the entry line into a robot (real) coordinate system, set an entry point for moving to the entry line is set, and generate driving information for movement within the set entry point and entry line, as the program stored in the memory is executed.