← Back to Patent Explorer
US5073749A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Mobile robot navigating method

Assignee: Sogo Security Services Co Ltd
•
Filing: 1990-06-19
•
Granted: 1991-12-17
•
Expires: 2010-06-19
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A mobile robot navigating method for navigating an autonomous mobile robot utilizes a path planning unit, a posture control unit, a command signal converting unit, a current posture computing unit and a running mechanism, such as an autonomous carrier vehicle, capable of quickly and accurately controlling the mobile robot for steady running to a desired posture along a specified path. The mobile robot is controlled for running by a speed command including a desired speed for feed-forward control a speed correction for feed back control, and an angular velocity command including a desired angular velocity for feed-forward control and an angular velocity correction for feedback control. The mobile robot is controlled in a feed back and feed-forward control mode using the speed command and the angular velocity command so as to run steadily along an optimum path to a desired posture without meandering.

Inventors

  • 👤 Yutaka Kanayama

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-27 15:50
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05D; G05D1/00; G05D1/02; G05D1/021; G05D1/0268; G05D1/0274; G05D1/0272

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim 223 words
A mobile robot navigating method for navigating an autonomous mobile robot comprising a path planning unit, a posture control unit, a command signal converting unit, a current posture computing unit, and a running mechanism, said method comprising: obtaining current robot posture data based on travelling operations executed by the robot; periodically sending said current posture data from the current posture computing unit to the posture control unit at predetermined time intervals; obtaining speed correction feedback control data and angular velocity correction feedback control data; periodically feeding forward from the path planning unit to the posture control unit (1) desired posture data, (2) a desired speed feed-forward command which is independent of said speed correction feedback control data, and (3) a desired angular velocity feed-forward command which is independent of said angular velocity correction feedback control data; calculating, by means of said posture control unit, a speed command which is based on said desired speed feed-forward command and said speed correction feedback control data, and an angular velocity command which is based on said desired angular velocity feed-forward command and said angular velocity correction feedback control data; and converting, by means of said command signal converting unit, the speed command and the angular velocity command into running commands for controlling the running mechanism to make the running mechanism operate according to the running commands.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 223 words
A mobile robot navigating method for navigating an autonomous mobile robot comprising a path planning unit, a posture control unit, a command signal converting unit, a current posture computing unit, and a running mechanism, said method comprising: obtaining current robot posture data based on travelling operations executed by the robot; periodically sending said current posture data from the current posture computing unit to the posture control unit at predetermined time intervals; obtaining speed correction feedback control data and angular velocity correction feedback control data; periodically feeding forward from the path planning unit to the posture control unit (1) desired posture data, (2) a desired speed feed-forward command which is independent of said speed correction feedback control data, and (3) a desired angular velocity feed-forward command which is independent of said angular velocity correction feedback control data; calculating, by means of said posture control unit, a speed command which is based on said desired speed feed-forward command and said speed correction feedback control data, and an angular velocity command which is based on said desired angular velocity feed-forward command and said angular velocity correction feedback control data; and converting, by means of said command signal converting unit, the speed command and the angular velocity command into running commands for controlling the running mechanism to make the running mechanism operate according to the running commands.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 98 words
A mobile robot navigating method according to claim 1, wherein the desired posture data is expressed by a triple of a local Cartesian coordinate system having its origin at a current position defined by the current posture data and having an X - axis extending in a current direction defined by the current posture data, and the speed correction feedback control data and the angular velocity correction feedback control data are calculated on the basis of the difference between the desired posture data and the current posture data expressed by the triple of the local Cartesian coordinate system.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 68 words
A mobile robot navigating method according to claim 2, wherein an actual posture detecting unit detects an actual posture, and current posture data stored in the current posture computing unit is replaced by actual posture data provided by the actual posture detecting unit when the actual posture detected by the actual posture detecting unit deviates greatly from the current posture data stored in the current posture computing unit.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 68 words
A mobile robot navigating method according to claim 1, wherein an actual posture detecting unit detects an actual posture, and current posture data stored in the current posture computing unit is replaced by actual posture data provided by the actual posture detecting unit when the actual posture detected by the actual posture detecting unit deviates greatly from the current posture data stored in the current posture computing unit.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 97 words
A mobile robot navigating method according to claim 1, wherein said step of obtaining said speed correction feedback control data and said angular velocity correction feedback control data includes the step of calculating a difference between said current posture data and said desired posture data, and said method including the steps of determining actual posture data based on the actual posture of the robot, and substituting said actual posture data for said current posture data in said difference determining step whenever said actual posture data deviates from said current posture data by at least a predetermined amount.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4486694A Cited
US4638445A Cited
US4875172A Cited
US4652803A Cited
US4679808A Cited
US4777416A Cited
US4821192A Cited
US4890233A Cited
US4761595A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1994-12-16 1995-06-17 1995-12-17 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1998-12-16 1999-06-17 1999-12-17 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2002-12-16 2003-06-17 2003-12-17 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag