The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 07, 1999
Filed:
Nov. 05, 1996
Alonzo James Kelly, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Robert Craig Coulter, Apollo, PA (US);
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for determining position is comprised of the steps of capturing an image related to the present position and comparing the captured image with one or more images from an iconic map. The iconic map is a map which stores images of a substantially flat surface over which a robot or vehicle is to operate. The stored images contain randomly occurring characteristics such as the fibers in a carpet, brush marks appearing in brushed concrete, and the like. Although such naturally occurring features are essentially random, when analyzed in small enough images, each image becomes unique. The position is determined based upon the image from the map which provides the highest correlation. Speed, wheel slippage, and other parameters can be calculated using the disclosed method.