Method and system for multi-mode coverage for an autonomous robot
First Claim
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1. A mobile robot comprising:
- (a) means for moving the robot over a surface;
(b) an obstacle detection sensor;
(c) and a control system operatively connected to said obstacle detection sensor and said means for moving;
(d) said control system configured to operate the robot in a plurality of operational modes said plurality of operational modes comprising;
a spot-coverage mode, said spot-coverage mode comprising substantially spiral movement, an obstacle following mode whereby said robot travels adjacent to an obstacle, and a bounce mode whereby the robot travels substantially in a direction away from an obstacle after encountering the obstacle.
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Abstract
A control system for a mobile robot (10) is provided to effectively cover a given area by operating in a plurality of modes, including an obstacle following mode (51) and a random bounce mode (49). In other embodiments, spot coverage, such as spiraling (45), or other modes are also used to increase effectiveness. In addition, a behavior based architecture is used to implement the control system, and various escape behaviors are used to ensure full coverage.
235 Citations
2 Claims
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1. A mobile robot comprising:
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(a) means for moving the robot over a surface;
(b) an obstacle detection sensor;
(c) and a control system operatively connected to said obstacle detection sensor and said means for moving;
(d) said control system configured to operate the robot in a plurality of operational modes said plurality of operational modes comprising;
a spot-coverage mode, said spot-coverage mode comprising substantially spiral movement, an obstacle following mode whereby said robot travels adjacent to an obstacle, and a bounce mode whereby the robot travels substantially in a direction away from an obstacle after encountering the obstacle.
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2. A mobile robot comprising:
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(a) means for moving the robot over a surface;
(b) an obstacle detection sensor;
(c) and a control system operatively connected to said obstacle detection sensor and said means for moving;
(d) said control system configured to operate the robot in a plurality of modes, said plurality of modes comprising;
an obstacle following mode whereby said robot travels adjacent to an obstacle, and a bounce mode whereby the robot travels substantially in a direction away from an obstacle after encountering the obstacle;
(e) whereby said control system is configured to alternate into said obstacle following mode after a predetermined number of sensor interactions.
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Specification