Patent ID: 8090193
Filing Date: 2012-01-03
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
1. A mobile robot comprising an image processor that processes an image taken by a vision sensor and generates recognition information regarding a target object to be recognized included in the taken image, and a controller that integrally controls the mobile robot based on the generated recognition information, the image processor comprising: a multiple-resolution image generation unit that down-sizes the taken image to generate a low-resolution image having a resolution lower than that of the taken image and at least one high-resolution image having a resolution higher than that of the low-resolution image; a low-resolution image process unit that processes the low-resolution image generated by the multiple-resolution image generation unit, and generates first target object information regarding the target object included in the low-resolution image; an image-process determination unit that determines whether or not to process the high-resolution image in accordance with predetermined input information or a predetermined rule, also determines which high-resolution image having what resolution should be processed if the multiple-resolution image generation unit generates two or more high-resolution images, and then defines a resolution process region at part of the low-resolution image; a high-resolution image process unit that processes a region in the high-resolution region that corresponds to the resolution process region at part of the low-resolution image defined by the image-process determination unit so as to generate second target object information regarding the target object included in the high-resolution image; and an image-process result generation unit that: determines whether or not the first target object information generated by the low-resolution image process unit and the second target object information generated by the high-resolution image process unit are met, and based on the determination of the first and second target object information, uses at least either of the first and the second target object information, first and the second target object information, thereby to generate the recognition information.