Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Automatic route guidance vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-12
2002-10-08
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Automatic route guidance vehicle
C701S205000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06463368
ABSTRACT:
The invention is directed to a method and to an arrangement for determining a path.
Such a method and such an arrangement are known from [1]. In this determination, markings are employed in order to define a path along which a robot moves.
The marking of a path is involved and, thus, expensive, and is also not desired in all areas. In particular, the demand is made of a robot that it find its way on its own such in a space in which it had not previously been and about which it also has no data stored in a memory in the form of a digital map that it can the entire space as gap-free as possible, whereby a multiple traversal of one area of the space should be kept as slight as possible.
The invention is thus based on the problem of determining a path around a predetermined reference position, as a result whereof a simplified, cost-beneficial navigation within a space is possible without prior knowledge, and no markings are required.
The problem is solved by the method as well as by the arrangement having the features according to the independent patent claims.
The following steps are iteratively implemented in the method:
An arcuate path around the reference position having a predetermined spacing is determined step-by-step;
the existence of an obstacle along the arcuate path is checked;
the arcuate path is lengthened as long as no obstacle is found;
when an obstacle is found, the spacing is enlarged by a prescribable value and the method is continued in a new iteration with the enlarged spacing.
The arrangement comprises a processor that is configured such that an iterative method having the following steps can be implemented:
An arcuate path around the reference position having a predetermined spacing is determined step-by-step;
the existence of an obstacle along the arcuate path is checked;
the arcuate path is lengthened as long as no obstacle is found;
when an obstacle is found, the spacing is enlarged by a prescribable value and the method is continued in a new iteration with the enlarged spacing.
The invention specifies a very simple and, thus, cost-beneficial navigation strategy for a mobile arrangement in a space. the invention can be advantageously utilized for steering an arrangement along the identified path. What is achieved in this way is that, given a space in which the arrangement had not previously been and about which the arrangement has no information, an arrangement can cover the entire space with a slight overlap area in a very simple and cost-beneficial way. What is to be understood as an overlap area is a part of the space in which the path that is multiply contained in the identified path is determined.
It is provided in a development of the invention that the arrangement is connected via a cable to an electrical terminal that represents the reference position. The distance is determined on the basis of the cable length. This development established an extremely cost-beneficial and, due to an element, the cable, already contained in the power supply given a plurality of arrangements, cost-beneficial [sic] orientation aid for the arrangement.
The invention can be advantageously utilized for the orientation of a robot or, too, of a vacuum cleaner.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4962453 (1990-10-01), Pong et al.
patent: 5634237 (1997-06-01), Paranjpe
patent: 5758298 (1998-05-01), Guldner
patent: 2 251 271 (1994-05-01), None
patent: 2 697 098 (1994-04-01), None
Feiten Wendelin
Illmann Jörg
Neubauer Werner
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Pipala Edward
Schiff & Hardin & Waite
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
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