Visual Guidance for Obstructed Mobile Robot Location
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Solution Overview
Problem
In facilities where autonomous or semi-autonomous mobile robots are deployed, workers often face challenges in locating these robots due to visual obstructions such as support structures, walls, and other objects, which can hinder efficient interaction and task completion.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a mobile computing device associated with a worker to provide visual guidance for locating obstructed mobile robots. This involves obtaining the pose of the mobile device, detecting trigger events, selecting the relevant robot, determining if it is visually obstructed, and providing visual guidance to indicate the robot's location behind the obstruction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If workers rely on direct visual observation to locate mobile robots, then they can identify robots that are visible, but they cannot locate robots that are obscured by structural features or other objects
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a mobile computing device as an intermediary between the worker and the robots. This device receives robot location data, determines visibility status, and provides guidance information to the worker, enabling location of obscured robots without direct visual observation
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the mechanical visual observation process with an electronic information processing system. The mobile computing device uses robot pose data, facility maps, and line-of-sight analysis algorithms to determine robot visibility and provide location guidance, substituting human visual search with automated computational analysis
2Productivity
If workers search for robots manually without guidance, then they can eventually locate visible robots, but the time and effort required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis by determining robot visibility status and preparing location guidance information before the worker begins searching. The mobile computing device calculates line-of-sight relationships and identifies obscured robots in advance, so that when a worker needs to locate a robot, the system can immediately provide targeted guidance rather than requiring exhaustive manual search
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring robot poses and worker locations, then providing real-time guidance information to the worker through the mobile computing device. This feedback loop enables the worker to efficiently locate robots by receiving directional guidance based on current system state, significantly reducing search time compared to unguided manual searching
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes: obtaining a pose of a mobile computing device associated with a worker in a facility; detecting a trigger event to initiate presentation, at the mobile computing device, of visual guidance corresponding to one of a plurality of mobile robots in the facility; in response to detecting the trigger event, selecting one of the mobile robots; determining, based on the pose of the mobile computing device and a map of the facility, whether the selected one of the mobile robots is visually obstructed from the pose of the mobile computing device; and when the selected one of the mobile robots is visually obstructed, providing visual guidance via the mobile computing device, the visual guidance indicating a current location of the selected mobile robot behind an obstruction.