Page 271 - Concise Encyclopedia of Robotics

Range Plotting
each side of the power line and ground, can help prevent RF from getting
into a computer via the utility lines.
can be expected to worsen unless manufacturers pay stricter attention to
electromagnetic shielding. As computers are increasingly used as robot
controllers, potential problems multiply. An errant robot can create a
hazard and cause accidents. The danger is greatest with medical or life-
support devices.
RANGE As computers become more portable and more common,RFI problems
Range is the distance, as measured along a straight line in a specific direc-
tion in three-dimensional (3-D) space, between a robot and an object or
barrier in the work environment. In the case of a sensor, the range is the
maximum radial distance over which the device can be expected to work
properly.
In mathematics and logic, the term range refers to the set of objects
(usually numbers) onto which objects in the domain of a mathematical
function are mapped.
See also FIELD OF VIEW (FOV), RANGE OF FUNCTION, and RANGE SENSING AND PLOTTING.
RANGE IMAGE
See DEPTH MAP.
RANGE OF FUNCTION
The range of a mathematical function is the set of things (usually numbers)
onto which objects in the domain are mapped. Every x in the domain of a
function f is mapped onto exactly one value y. There might be, and often
are, y values that do not have anything mapped onto them by function f.
These points are outside the range of f.
Suppose you are given the function f(x) = +x 1/2 (that is, the positive
square root of x) for x 0. The graph of this function is shown in the
illustration. This function always maps x onto a positive real number y.
No matter what value you pick for x in the domain in this example, +x 1/2
is positive.
Computers work extensively with functions, both analog and digital.
Functions are important in robotic navigation, location, and measure-
ment systems.
See also DOMAIN OF FUNCTION and FUNCTION.
RANGE PLOTTING
Range plotting is a process in which a graph is generated depicting the
distance (range) to objects, as a function of the direction in two or three
dimensions.

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