Robot charger docking localization

• US 10,365,656 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2017
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Locus Robotics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Locus Robotics Corporation
• Inventors: Moore, Thomas, Powers, Bradley, Sussman, Michael, Insinga, Aron K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/821,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20190155296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors

Abstract

A method, system, and wheeled base for navigating a robot for docking with a charger docking station. The robot receives an initial pose associated with a robot charger docking station and a mating pose associated with the robot charger docking station. The robot first navigates from a location to an initial pose using scan matching to a first map. The robot performs a second navigation from the initial pose to the mating pose using scan matching to a second map, thereby causing an electrical charging port of the robot to mate with an electrical charging assembly of the robot charger docking station. Localization during charger docking may use a higher resolution map than when navigating to the docking station. Localizing against the robot charger docking station may be performed on a higher resolution map of the docking station alone.

Claims

1. A method for navigating a robot for docking with a robot charger docking station, comprising:

receiving an initial pose associated with a robot charger docking station;

receiving a mating pose associated with the robot charger docking station;

performing a first navigation of a robot from a location to the initial pose using scan matching to a first map;

performing a second navigation of the robot from the initial pose to the mating pose using scan matching to a second map;

wherein upon arriving at the mating pose, thereby causing the electrical charging port of the robot to mate with an electrical charging assembly of the robot charger docking station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resolution of the second map used for scan matching during the second navigation is higher than the resolution of the first map used during the first navigation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the resolution of the first map is 5 cm-resolution and the resolution of the second map is 1 cm-resolution.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second map used for scan matching during the second navigation comprises a map including a map of the robot charger docking station.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the scan matching during the second navigation localizes the robot using a local scan of the robot charger docking station against the map of the robot charger docking station.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the local scan is a laser-radar scan of the robot charger docking station at the resolution of the second map.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second map used for scan matching during the second navigation consists of a map of the robot charger docking station.

8. A mobile robot configured to navigate from a location and to dock with a robot charger docking station for re-charging, the robot comprising:

a wheeled mobile base having an electrical charging port and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to;

obtain an initial pose associated with the robot charger docking station;

obtain a mating pose associated with the robot charger docking station;

navigate the wheeled mobile base from the location to the initial pose using scan matching to a first map;

navigate the wheeled base from the initial pose to the mating pose using scan matching to a second map, thereby causing the electrical charging port of the wheeled base to mate with an electrical charging assembly of the robot charger docking station.

9. The mobile robot of claim 8, wherein the resolution of the second map used for scan matching during the navigation from the initial pose to the mating pose is higher than the resolution of the first map used during the navigation from the location to the initial pose.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the resolution of the first map is 5 cm-resolution and the resolution of the second map is 1 cm-resolution.

11. The mobile robot of claim 8, wherein the second map used for scan matching during the navigation from the initial pose to the mating pose comprises a map including a map of the robot charger docking station.

12. The mobile robot of claim 11, wherein the scan matching during the navigation from the initial pose to the mating pose localizes the robot using a local scan of the robot charger docking station against the map of the robot charger docking station.

13. The mobile robot of claim 12, wherein the local scan is a laser-radar scan of the robot charger docking station at the resolution of the second map.

14. The mobile robot of claim 8, wherein the second map used for scan matching during the navigation from the initial pose to the mating pose consists of a map of the robot charger docking station.

15. The mobile robot of claim 8, wherein the initial pose is spaced from the robot charging docking station by a first distance and the mating pose is spaced from the robot charger station by a second distance.

16. The mobile robot of claim 15, wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.

17. The mobile robot of claim 8, wherein the initial pose and the mating pose are stored in a memory in one of the wheeled mobile base or in a remote server.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which, when executed by a processor of a robot, cause the robot to execute the steps comprising:

receiving an initial pose associated with a robot charger docking station;

receiving a mating pose associated with the robot charger docking station;

controlling a first navigation of a robot from a location to the initial pose using scan matching to a first map;

controlling a second navigation of the robot from the initial pose to the mating pose using scan matching to a second map, thereby causing the electrical charging port of the robot to mate with an electrical charging assembly of the robot charger docking station.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the resolution of the second map used for scan matching during the second navigation is higher than the resolution of the first map used during the first navigation.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the resolution of the first map is 5 cm-resolution and the resolution of the second map is 1 cm-resolution.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the second map used for scan matching during the second navigation consists of a map of the robot charger docking station.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the scan matching during the second navigation localizes the robot using a local scan of the robot charger docking station against the map of the robot charger docking station.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the local scan is a laser-radar scan of the robot charger docking station at the resolution of the second map.