Systems and methods for configurable operation of a robot based on area classification

• US 10,310,507 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2018
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Kleiner, Alexander D., Munich, Mario E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Application Number:
  US15/943,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20180284792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0488 Combinations or arrangements of several tools, e.g. edge cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/2246 displaying a map of the environment
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/2464 using an occupancy grid
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/6482 by dividing the whole area or space in sectors to be processed separately
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2105/10 for cleaning, vacuuming or polishing
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2107/40 Indoor domestic environment
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2109/10 Land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A method of operating a mobile robot includes generating a segmentation map defining respective regions of a surface based on occupancy data that is collected by a mobile robot responsive to navigation of the surface, identifying sub-regions of at least one of the respective regions as non-clutter and clutter areas, and computing a coverage pattern based on identification of the sub-regions. The coverage pattern indicates a sequence for navigation of the non-clutter and clutter areas, and is provided to the mobile robot. Responsive to the coverage pattern, the mobile robot sequentially navigates the non-clutter and clutter areas of the at least one of the respective regions of the surface in the sequence indicated by the coverage pattern. Related methods, computing devices, and computer program products are also discussed.

Claims

1. A method of operating a mobile robot, comprising:

executing, by at least one processor, computer readable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium to perform operations comprising;

receiving, at the mobile robot from a remote device, cleaning mission information, the cleaning mission information comprising an order of cleaning respective demarcated regions of a segmentation map, the segmentation map comprising a representation of a surface segmented to define the respective demarcated regions; and

performing a cleaning operation based on the cleaning mission information, wherein performing the cleaning operation comprises operating a drive of the mobile robot to sequentially navigate areas of the surface represented by the respective demarcated regions of the segmentation map in the order indicated by the cleaning mission information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the cleaning operation further comprises operating the drive of the mobile robot to traverse an area of the surface represented by one of the respective demarcated regions in a direction of travel indicated by a rank direction included in the cleaning mission information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the rank direction is along a first dimension of the one of the respective demarcated regions that is longer than a second dimension thereof, and wherein operating the drive of the mobile robot to traverse the area of the surface represented by the one of the respective demarcated regions in the direction of travel indicated by the rank direction comprises fewer turns than in a direction of travel along the second dimension.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cleaning mission information comprises:

a first cleaning mission instruction that identifies a first selection of the respective demarcated regions to be cleaned and the order of cleaning therefor, wherein the order of cleaning is indicated by numerical values; and

a second cleaning mission instruction that identifies a second selection of the respective demarcated regions to be cleaned, wherein the second selection is different from the first selection.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein performing the cleaning operation comprises:

operating the drive of the mobile robot to navigate areas of the surface represented by the first and second selections of the respective demarcated regions of the segmentation map based on a first scheduled time associated with the first cleaning mission instruction and a second scheduled time associated with the second cleaning mission instruction, respectively.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cleaning mission information further indicates at least one of the respective demarcated regions that is not to be cleaned, and wherein performing the cleaning operation further comprises operating the drive of the mobile robot to avoid navigation of an area of the surface represented by the at least one of the respective demarcated regions as indicated by the cleaning mission information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the segmentation map based on occupancy data that is collected responsive to navigation of the surface; and

transmitting the segmentation map to a mobile terminal for display thereon.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the segmentation map is based on first occupancy data that is collected responsive to a previous navigation of the surface by at least one mobile robot during a first cleaning mission executed before the cleaning operation, and wherein the updating is based on second occupancy data that is collected responsive to the navigation of the surface by the at least one mobile robot.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective demarcated regions of the segmentation map correspond to respective rooms, and wherein performing the cleaning operation comprises operating the drive of the mobile robot to complete navigation in an area of the surface corresponding to one of the respective rooms before traversing an area of the surface corresponding to a next one of the respective rooms based on the order indicated by the cleaning mission information.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting room-based statistical information for one or more respective rooms to a mobile terminal for display thereon, wherein the one or more respective rooms correspond to the respective demarcated regions of the segmentation map.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the cleaning mission information comprises:

a first cleaning mission instruction that indicates the order of cleaning the respective demarcated regions; and

a second cleaning mission instruction that indicates a date or time for cleaning the respective demarcated regions,

wherein performing the cleaning operation comprises operating the drive of the mobile robot to sequentially navigate the areas of the surface represented by the respective demarcated regions of the segmentation map at the date or time indicated by the second cleaning mission instruction and in the order indicated by the first cleaning mission instruction.

12. A method of operating a mobile terminal, comprising:

executing, by at least one processor, computer readable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium to perform operations comprising;

displaying, via a user interface of the mobile terminal, an image of a segmentation map including respective demarcated regions, the segmentation map comprising a representation of a surface segmented to define the respective demarcated regions, and the segmentation map being based on occupancy data that is collected responsive to navigation of the surface by at least one mobile robot;

receiving, via the user interface, a selection of a cleaning operation that indicates an order of cleaning for one or more of the respective demarcated regions; and

transmitting cleaning mission information comprising the selection, wherein the cleaning mission information instructs the at least one mobile robot to sequentially navigate one or more areas of the surface represented by the one or more of the respective demarcated regions in the order.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, via the user interface, a selection of one of the respective demarcated regions of the segmentation map, wherein the respective demarcated regions correspond to respective rooms,

wherein displaying the image of the segmentation map comprises displaying room-based statistical information for the one of the respective demarcated regions responsive to the selection thereof.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the selection indicates a cleaning pattern including one or more directions of travel in the one or more of the respective demarcated regions, and wherein the cleaning mission information instructs the at least one mobile robot to traverse one or more areas of the surface represented by the one or more of the respective demarcated regions based on the cleaning pattern.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the selection indicates a cleaning level including a number of passes in the one or more of the respective demarcated regions, and wherein the cleaning mission information instructs the at least one mobile robot to repeatedly traverse one or more areas of the surface represented by the one or more of the respective demarcated regions based on the number of passes.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the selection image of the segmentation map displayed via the user interface numerically indicates the order of cleaning the one or more of the respective demarcated regions.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the selection indicates at least one of the respective demarcated regions that is not to be cleaned, wherein the image of the segmentation map displayed via the user interface indicates the at least one of the respective demarcated regions that is not to be cleaned, and wherein the cleaning mission information instructs the at least one mobile robot to avoid navigation of at least one area of the surface represented by the at least one of the respective demarcated regions.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, via the user interface, a zoom selection,

wherein displaying the image of the segmentation map comprises displaying an enlarged view of the image of the segmentation map based on the zoom selection.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein displaying the image of the segmentation map further comprises displaying a rank direction indicating a direction of travel of a mobile robot in at least one of the respective demarcated regions of the segmentation map.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

updating the segmentation map based on occupancy data that is collected responsive to a subsequent navigation of the surface during a subsequent cleaning mission executed after the cleaning operation,

wherein displaying the image of the segmentation map comprises displaying an updated image of the segmentation map based on the updating.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, via the user interface, a user input to modify the image of the segmentation map, the user input comprising a divide region input or a combine region input,

wherein displaying the image of the segmentation map comprises displaying a modified image of the segmentation map responsive to the user input, wherein the modified image comprises a division of one of the respective demarcated regions into more than one region or a combination of two or more of the respective demarcated regions into one region.

22. A method of operating a mobile robot, comprising:

executing, by at least one processor, computer readable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium to perform operations comprising;

receiving, at the mobile robot from a remote device, cleaning mission information for respective demarcated regions of a segmentation map, the segmentation map comprising a representation of a surface segmented to define the respective demarcated regions that represent respective rooms, wherein the cleaning mission information comprises;

a first cleaning mission instruction that identifies a first selection of the respective demarcated regions to be cleaned in a first cleaning mission; and

a second cleaning mission instruction that identifies a second selection of the respective demarcated regions to be cleaned in a second cleaning mission, the second selection being different from the first selection; and

performing a cleaning operation based at least in part on the cleaning mission information, wherein performing the cleaning operation comprises;

operating a drive of the mobile robot to sequentially navigate ones of the respective rooms represented by the first selection in executing the first cleaning mission; and

then

operating the drive of the mobile robot to sequentially navigate ones of the respective rooms represented by the second selection in executing the second cleaning mission at a time that is different from the first cleaning mission.