Route planning for a mobile robot using configuration-based preferences

• US 10,012,996 B1
• Filed: 09/15/2017
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2017
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Savioke, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Savioke, Inc.
• Inventors: Canoso, Adrian, Vaughan, William H., Chung, Michael Jae-Yoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Application Number:
  US15/706,602
• Time in Patent Office: 291 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0221 involving a learning process
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0231 using optical position detecting means position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

Disclosed are robot configuration-based mapping and planning technologies for a mobile robot.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling movement of an autonomous mobile robot, the method comprising:

accessing a map, the map comprising, for a plurality of locations in a mapped area, location data, route data, and cost data, an instance of the route data indicative of a robot-navigable path from a location to another location, an instance of the cost data associated with the robot-navigable path;

receiving robot configuration data relating to a task that is executable by the autonomous mobile robot, the robot configuration data comprising task description data and destination data;

based on the task description data, determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path;

using a task-specific map comprising the map and the cost modification, determining a route usable by the autonomous mobile robot to traverse to a destination location identified in the destination data and to perform a task identified in the task description data;

causing the autonomous mobile robot to execute instructions to perform the task using the determined route;

when the robot configuration data comprises a payload description, determining the cost modification based on the payload description.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

when the task description data comprises a task type, determining the task type as one of a delivery task or a mingle task or an usher task;

determining the cost modification based on the task type.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising, when the robot configuration data comprises robot behavior specifications, determining the cost modification based on the robot behavior specifications.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path comprises increasing a cost associated with the robot-navigable path based on the robot configuration data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path comprises decreasing a cost associated with the robot-navigable path based on the robot configuration data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path comprises changing a speed parameter associated with traversal of the robot-navigable path by the autonomous mobile robot based on the robot configuration data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path comprises changing a time of day parameter associated with traversal of the robot-navigable path by the autonomous mobile robot based on the robot configuration data.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a current condition relating to the task;

adjusting the cost modification based on the current condition;

adding the adjusted cost modification to the task-specific map;

using the task-specific map comprising the adjusted cost modification, determining an alternative route usable by the autonomous mobile robot to traverse to the destination location identified in the destination data and to perform the task identified in the task description data;

causing the autonomous mobile robot to execute instructions to perform the task using the alternative route.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising generating a set of new maps usable by a plurality of robots, the set of new maps including a plurality of cost modifications applicable to different robots in the plurality of robots.

10. A system for controlling movement of an autonomous mobile robot, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

a communication interface coupled to the one or more processors;

one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media coupled to the one or more processors and storing sequences of instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

accessing a map, the map comprising, for a plurality of locations in a mapped area, location data, route data, and cost data, an instance of the route data indicative of a robot-navigable path from a location to another location, an instance of the cost data associated with the robot-navigable path;

receiving robot configuration data relating to a task that is executable by the autonomous mobile robot, the robot configuration data comprising task description data and destination data;

based on the task description data, determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path;

using a task-specific map comprising the map and the cost modification, determining a route usable by the autonomous mobile robot to traverse to a destination location identified in the destination data and to perform a task identified in the task description data;

causing the autonomous mobile robot to execute instructions to perform the task using the determined route;

when the robot configuration data comprises a payload description, determining the cost modification based on the payload description.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

when the task description data comprises a task type, determining the task type as one of a delivery task or a mingle task or an usher task;

determining the cost modification based on the task type.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising, when the robot configuration data comprises robot behavior specifications, determining the cost modification based on the robot behavior specifications.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path comprises increasing a cost associated with the robot-navigable path based on the robot configuration data.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path comprises decreasing a cost associated with the robot-navigable path based on the robot configuration data.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path comprises changing a speed parameter associated with traversal of the robot-navigable path by the autonomous mobile robot based on the robot configuration data.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path comprises changing a time of day parameter associated with traversal of the robot-navigable path by the autonomous mobile robot based on the robot configuration data.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining a current condition relating to the task;

adjusting the cost modification based on the current condition;

adding the adjusted cost modification to the task-specific map;

using the task-specific map comprising the adjusted cost modification, determining an alternative route usable by the autonomous mobile robot to traverse to the destination location identified in the destination data and to perform the task identified in the task description data;

causing the autonomous mobile robot to execute instructions to perform the task using the alternative route.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising generating a set of new maps usable by a plurality of robots, the set of new maps including a plurality of cost modifications applicable to different robots in the plurality of robots.

19. A computer program product for controlling movement of an autonomous mobile robot, the computer program product comprising one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

accessing a map, the map comprising, for a plurality of locations in a mapped area, location data, route data, and cost data, an instance of the route data indicative of a robot-navigable path from a location to another location, an instance of the cost data associated with the robot-navigable path;

receiving robot configuration data relating to a task that is executable by the autonomous mobile robot, the robot configuration data comprising task description data and destination data;

based on the task description data, determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path;

using a task-specific map comprising the map and the cost modification, determining a route usable by the autonomous mobile robot to traverse to a destination location identified in the destination data and to perform a task identified in the task description data;

causing the autonomous mobile robot to execute instructions to perform the task using the determined route;

when the robot configuration data comprises a payload description, determining the cost modification based on the payload description.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

when the task description data comprises a task type, determining the task type as one of a delivery task or a mingle task or an usher task;

determining the cost modification based on the task type.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising, when the robot configuration data comprises robot behavior specifications, determining the cost modification based on the robot behavior specifications.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path comprises increasing a cost associated with the robot-navigable path based on the robot configuration data.

23. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path comprises decreasing a cost associated with the robot-navigable path based on the robot configuration data.

24. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path comprises changing a speed parameter associated with traversal of the robot-navigable path by the autonomous mobile robot based on the robot configuration data.

25. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein determining a cost modification associated with the robot-navigable path comprises changing a time of day parameter associated with traversal of the robot-navigable path by the autonomous mobile robot based on the robot configuration data.

26. The computer program product of claim 19, comprising:

determining a current condition relating to the task;

adjusting the cost modification based on the current condition;

adding the adjusted cost modification to the task-specific map;

using the task-specific map comprising the adjusted cost modification, determining an alternative route usable by the autonomous mobile robot to traverse to the destination location identified in the destination data and to perform the task identified in the task description data;

causing the autonomous mobile robot to execute instructions to perform the task using the alternative route.

27. The computer program product of claim 19, comprising generating a set of new maps usable by a plurality of robots, the set of new maps including a plurality of cost modifications applicable to different robots in the plurality of robots.