Honda Research Institute Europe Gmbh

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Nokia Research Institute Europe Gmbh

Mathias Franzius

Nils Einecke

Heiko Wersing

Jörg Deigmöller

Dirk Ruiken

Ute Bauer-Wersing

Benjamin Metka

Bernhard Sendhoff

Sven Rebhan

Keiji Muro

Ronny Borsdorf

Roman Dirnberger

Chao Wang

Yufeng Jin

Oliver Schön

Martin Weigel

Roman Dimberger

Jörg Klaus Deigmöller

A method and teleoperation system, includes provision of first information on an environment of a teleoperated device by at least one sensor module that is included in the teleoperated device and prediction of an action intended by the operator based on an input of the operator by an action predictor module that is included in the information gathering assistant module. It is determined whether first information on an environment is sufficient to execute the intended action in the environment by a reasoning agent module. Then second information on the environment is determined, which is suitable to enhance the environment information which is useful to execute the intended action in the environment by the reasoning agent module. Provision of second information is controlled by at least one information provision unit, and the first and second information on the environment is fused by an information fusion module.

Teleoperation system and method thereof

A user interface for instructing a tele-operating system and the tele-operating system are provided. The user interface includes an output device configured to output at least one virtual tool representation of at least one tool to an operator of the tele-operating system, and an input device configured to obtain a selection instruction from the operator for selecting one of the output at least one virtual tool representation. The user interface further includes a control circuit configured to determine a task based on the selected virtual tool representation, control displaying the selected virtual tool representation to the operator via the output device, acquire an action instruction from the operator via the input device, interpret the acquired action instruction based on the determined task, and control the tele-operating system to perform an action using the at least one tool based on the interpreted action instruction and the selected virtual tool representation.

Virtual tools for supported tele-operations

A method and corresponding system for creating an annotated object model of a real world object. The method comprises providing an initial object model for an object for which an annotated object model shall be created, predicting properties of the object, visualizing a representation of the object based on the initial object model wherein the predicted object properties are displayed associated with the representation, and obtaining selection information based on at least one of a user gesture, user pointing operation, user speech input, and user gaze perceived by a user perception device. The method determines a portion of the object corresponding to the selection information, receives property information from a user input and associates the input property information with the corresponding portion of the object.

Method and system for creating an annotated object model for a new real-world object

An autonomous working device comprises at least one sensor configured to generate a sensor signal based on a physical interaction of the autonomous working device with a physical entity, at least one actuator configured to perform a working task, and a controller configured to generate a control signal for controlling the actuator. The controller is configured to evaluate the sensor signal, to determine a pattern of a physical interaction of the autonomous working device with a person and to generate the control signal based on the determined pattern of a physical interaction.

Controlling an autonomous working device based on physical interaction

A method of unsupervised learning of a metric representation and a corresponding system for a mobile device determines a metric position information for a mobile device from an environmental representation. The mobile device comprises at least one sensor for acquiring sensor data and an odometer system configured to acquire displacement data of the mobile device. An environmental representation is generated based on the acquired sensor data by applying an unsupervised learning algorithm. The mobile device moves along a trajectory and the displacement data and the sensor data are acquired while the mobile device is moving along the trajectory. A set of mapping parameters is calculated based on the environmental representation and the displacement data. A metric position estimation is determined based on a further environmental representation and the calculated set of mapping parameters.

Unsupervised learning of metric representations from slow features

A method and system for navigating a mobile system and corresponding mobile system is disclosed, in particular for autonomous mobile systems such as robots, for example lawn mowers or even smartphones. The mobile device includes at least one sensor, an electronic control unit, and an output unit. The method includes acquiring sensor data on an environment of the mobile device, calculating a gradient of a difference of a target environmental representation and a current environmental representation, and determining a movement direction to reach a target position corresponding to the target environmental representation based on the estimated gradient. The determined movement direction for navigating the mobile device is output, for example to a steering system of the mobile device or to a display. The method can include generating an environmental representation by performing unsupervised learning from the acquired sensor data.

Navigation system based on slow feature gradients

The invention regards a method and respective system for assisting a user in producing and selecting images. When moving a moveable platform on which a camera is mounted, a plurality of images is captured with the camera. At least one image score for at least one region of the image is calculated in a processor, and those images, for which the at least one image score fulfils a selection condition, or identifiers of such images, are stored in a list in a memory. The stored images or the identifiers that allow retrieval of the stored images are output via an interface.

Method and system for assisting a user in producing and selecting images

The invention regards a robotic gardening device comprising driving means for propelling the robotic gardening device, a working tool for performing dedicated gardening work and a controlling unit for controlling said driving means and the working tool and a method for controlling the same. The robotic gardening device further comprises at least one environment sensor generating a signal indicative of objects in the environment of the robotic gardening device, a computing unit for classifying these objects, wherein the classes comprise at least two different classes for objects being determined to be humans. The computing unit is configured to control the driving means and/or the working device according to a predetermined behavior associated with the respective objects class.

Robotic gardening device and method for controlling the same

A method and a system can generate a representation of a working area of an autonomous lawn mower. The system can include an autonomous lawn mower and a base station, and a boundary wire forming a closed loop which can be connected with the base station. The lawn mower and the base station interact such that the lawn mower can determine whether it is in its home position, a predetermined position that is taken when the mower returns to the base station. The lawn mower further includes a memory, for storing values from a movement sensor. A trajectory is generated based on the values, wherein a processor is configured to calculate an error between the position and orientation according to the trajectory and the home position. This total position error and total orientation error is then used to correct the position and corresponding orientations of the trajectory.

Method for generating a representation of a working area of an autonomous lawn mower and autonomous lawn mower system

The invention regards an autonomous working machine comprising drive means, current position estimation means, control means including a driving control unit and a camera. With aid of the current position estimation means the current position of the autonomous working machine is estimated. Furthermore, the driving control unit generates driving commands for the driving means on the basis of an intended movement of the autonomous working machine and the estimated current position. The camera is configured to capture images of the environment of the working machine. For estimating the current position, the current position estimation means is formed by the control means, which is configured to apply visual odometry on the captured images for estimating the current position of the working machine.

Autonomous working machine such as autonomous lawn mower

An autonomous vehicle comprises an environment sensing means for sensing an environment of the autonomous vehicle, and a computing unit configured to perform a mapping function and a localization function. The mapping function is based upon signals supplied from the environment sensing means to build a map. The localization function localizes the autonomous vehicle within the map and generates localization information. The autonomous vehicle further comprises boundary distance sensing means configured to generate a distance signal correlated to a distance between the autonomous vehicle and boundary indication means. The computing unit is configured to receive the distance signal and to perform the mapping function or the localization function based upon a signal from the environment sensing means and the distance signal from the boundary distance sensing means. The system also comprises a boundary wire indicating a border of an area in which autonomous driving of the vehicle can be performed.

Autonomous vehicle with improved simultaneous localization and mapping function

The invention regards a system and method for assisting reductive shaping of an object into a desired 3D-shape by removing material. The system comprises a tool and a localization means. The tool is configured to remove material from an object by means of a cutting function or a grinding function performed by a working head of the tool. The localization means determines a position of the working head relative to the desired 3D-shape. Each time the grinding function or cutting function would remove material from an inside of the desired 3D-shape the cutting or grinding function is deactivated.

System and method for assisting reductive shaping of an object into a desired 3D-shape by removing material

The invention relates to a control system for an autonomous garden tool that is equipped with at least one camera and one motor. The control system comprises a camera control module and an image generation module. With the camera control module the camera settings are controlled that are used for capturing images. With the image generation module two consecutive images in a sequence of images that is captured by the camera is determined whereby theses two consecutive images are captured on the basis of different camera settings. The two determined pictures are used as a basis for generating an HDR image in an HDR mode of the control system.

Control system for an autonomous garden tool, method and apparatus

The invention relates to a control system for an autonomous vehicle, a method and an autonomous vehicle. The system comprises an image capturing means capable of capturing at least a first image of the environment of the vehicle and a second image of the environment, wherein the images are captured in a close time relationship but with different image capturing parameters. A processing means configured to obtain and process the images captured with different image capturing parameters separately and taking into consideration a first intensity threshold when processing the first image and a second, different intensity threshold when processing the second image. A control means for generating and outputting a control signal on the basis of a result of the at least one of the processed images.

Control system for an autonomous vehicle and a method for generating a control signal and autonomous vehicle equipped with such control system

The invention relates to an autonomous lawn mower comprising a control unit in electrical connection with electrical connection means, and at least one replaceable part. The electrical connection means is located such that connection and disconnection of the electrical connection means and its counterpart of the replaceable part can be performed when replacing the replaceable part. The module for such autonomous lawn mower can replace the replaceable part of the lawn mower and comprises a signal generation unit and a counterpart for the electrical connection means of the lawn mower for transmitting electrical signals to a control unit of the autonomous lawn mower. The autonomous lawn mower forms an autonomous lawn mower system together with the module.

Growing community of inventors

Offenbach, Germany

Mathias Franzius