Robot 3D Sensor Scan Control for Local and Global Map Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot control systems inefficiently scan areas using three-dimensional sensors by sequentially moving the sensor along a grid, which is time-consuming and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A control apparatus for a robot that switches between local and global scanning modes, where local scanning focuses on overlapping ranges with high uncertainty and global scanning covers wider areas with low uncertainty, optimizing the scanning process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the sensor scans the entire scan area sequentially along a grid, then complete coverage of the scan area is achieved, but the scanning time becomes excessively long and efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The scan area is divided into multiple sub-areas, and the scanning process is segmented into multiple scanning modes (first scanning mode and second scanning mode). The control device selectively applies different scanning strategies to different sub-areas based on their characteristics, thereby reducing overall scanning time while maintaining complete coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device dynamically switches between different scanning modes based on the current scanning progress and area characteristics. The scanning strategy is not fixed but adapts in real-time, transitioning from exhaustive grid scanning to more efficient patterns when appropriate, thus optimizing the balance between coverage and time consumption.
2Measurement precision
If the measurement range is shifted to overlap with the most recent measurement range for local scanning, then measurement precision in the local range is improved, but the time to cover the entire scan area increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different scanning strategies are applied to different regions of the scan area. In the first scanning mode, overlapping measurement ranges are used to achieve high measurement precision in local areas. In the second scanning mode, non-overlapping ranges are used to efficiently cover broader areas. This local differentiation of scanning quality resolves the contradiction between precision and efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
In the first scanning mode, the measurement range is shifted to overlap with the most recent measurement range, performing redundant measurements in certain areas. This excessive action ensures high measurement precision in local ranges by capturing multiple samples of the same area, which is then balanced by the second scanning mode that covers broader areas with less redundancy.
Data Source
AI summary
A control apparatus for a robot including a three-dimensional sensor includes an operation controller that controls the robot to shift a measurement range of the three-dimensional sensor in a scan area, and a map obtainer that updates map information based on a result of measurement performed by the three-dimensional sensor. The map information indicates a scan status at each of a plurality of points in the scan area. The operation controller performs first scanning in which the measurement range of the three-dimensional sensor is shifted to update map information about a local range in the scan area, and performs second scanning in which the measurement range of the three-dimensional sensor is shifted away from the local range to update map information about a range different from the local range for which the first scanning is performed to update map information.