Method for detecting and responding to spills and hazards
First Claim
1. A method for detecting and responding to hazards within a store comprising:
- at a robotic system, during a scan cycle;
autonomously navigating toward an area of a floor of the store;
recording a thermal image of the area of the floor;
recording a depth map of the area of the floor;
recording a color image of the area of the floor;
detecting a thermal gradient in the thermal image;
scanning a region of the depth map, corresponding to the thermal gradient detected in the thermal image, for a height gradient; and
scanning a region of the color image, corresponding to the thermal gradient in the thermal image, for a color gradient;
in response to detecting the thermal gradient in the thermal image and in response to detecting absence of the height gradient in the region of the depth map, predicting presence of a fluid within the area of the floor;
identifying the fluid as clear in response to detecting absence of the color gradient in the region of the depth map; and
in response to identifying the fluid as clear, serving a prompt to remove the fluid from the area of the floor of the store and identifying the fluid as a clear liquid to a computing device affiliated with the store.
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Accused Products
Abstract
One variation of a method for detecting and responding to hazards within a store includes: autonomously navigating toward an area of a floor of the store; recording a thermal image of the area; recording a depth map of the area of the floor; detecting a thermal gradient in the thermal image; scanning a region of the depth map, corresponding to the thermal gradient detected in the thermal image, for a height gradient; in response to detecting the thermal gradient in the thermal image and in response to detecting absence of a height gradient in the region of the depth map, predicting presence of a fluid within the area of the floor; and serving a prompt to remove the fluid from the area of the floor of the store to a computing device affiliated with the store.
43 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method for detecting and responding to hazards within a store comprising:
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at a robotic system, during a scan cycle; autonomously navigating toward an area of a floor of the store; recording a thermal image of the area of the floor; recording a depth map of the area of the floor; recording a color image of the area of the floor; detecting a thermal gradient in the thermal image; scanning a region of the depth map, corresponding to the thermal gradient detected in the thermal image, for a height gradient; and scanning a region of the color image, corresponding to the thermal gradient in the thermal image, for a color gradient; in response to detecting the thermal gradient in the thermal image and in response to detecting absence of the height gradient in the region of the depth map, predicting presence of a fluid within the area of the floor; identifying the fluid as clear in response to detecting absence of the color gradient in the region of the depth map; and in response to identifying the fluid as clear, serving a prompt to remove the fluid from the area of the floor of the store and identifying the fluid as a clear liquid to a computing device affiliated with the store. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for detecting and responding to hazards within a store comprising:
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at a robotic system, during a scan cycle; autonomously navigating toward an area of a floor of the store; recording a thermal image of the area of the floor; recording a depth map of the area of the floor; recording a color image of the area of the floor; detecting a thermal gradient in the thermal image; scanning a region of the depth map, corresponding to the thermal gradient detected in the thermal image, for a height gradient; and scanning a region of the color image, corresponding to the thermal gradient in the thermal image, for a color gradient; in response to detecting the thermal gradient in the thermal image and in response to detecting absence of the height gradient in the region of the depth map, predicting presence of a fluid within the area of the floor; estimating an opacity of the fluid based on the color gradient; calculating a priority for removal of the fluid from the area of the floor of the store inversely proportional to the opacity of the fluid; inserting a prompt to remove the fluid from the area of the floor into an electronic notification; inserting the priority for removal of the fluid from the area of the floor into the electronic notification; and transmitting the electronic notification to the computing device affiliated with an associate of the store.
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18. A method for detecting and responding to hazards within a store comprising:
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accessing a history of locations of fluid spill events in the store; based on the history; based on a first quantity of historical fluid spill events occurring in a first aisle in a set of aisles in the store over a period of time, scheduling a robotic system to traverse the first aisle at a first frequency during a scan cycle; and based on a second quantity of historical fluid spill events, less than the first quantity, occurring in a second aisle in the set of aisles in the store over the period of time, scheduling the robotic system to traverse the second aisle at a second frequency less than the first frequency during the scan cycle; at the robotic system, during the scan cycle; autonomously navigating toward an area of a floor of the store; autonomously navigating along the second aisle at a second frequency, less than the first frequency, during the scan cycle, recording a thermal image of an area of the floor in the store; recording a depth map of the area of the floor; detecting a thermal gradient in the thermal image; scanning a region of the depth map, corresponding to the thermal gradient detected in the thermal image, for a height gradient; and in response to detecting the thermal gradient in the thermal image and in response to detecting absence of the height gradient in the region of the depth map; predicting presence of a fluid within the area of the floor; and serving a prompt to remove the fluid from the area of the floor of the store to a computing device affiliated with the store. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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Specification