Mobile Robot System

• US 20110288684A1
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Rosenstein, Michael, Chiappetta, Mark, Shamlian, Steven V., Halloran, Michael, Won, Chikyung, Farlow, Tim S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,014,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/264
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/009 Nursing, e.g. carrying sick persons, pushing wheelchairs, distributing drugs
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/144 camera and display on the same optical axis, e.g. optically multiplexing the camera and display for eye to eye contact
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

A robot system includes a mobile robot having a controller executing a control system for controlling operation of the robot, a cloud computing service in communication with the controller of the robot, and a remote computing device in communication with the cloud computing service. The remote computing device communicates with the robot through the cloud computing service.

Claims

1. A robot system comprising:

a mobile robot having a controller executing a control system for controlling operation of the robot;

a cloud computing service in communication with the controller of the robot; and

a remote computing device in communication with the cloud computing service, the remote computing device communicating with the robot through the cloud computing service.

2. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the remote computing device executes an application for producing a layout map of a robot operating environment.

3. The robot system of claim 2, wherein the remote computing device stores the layout map in external cloud storage using the cloud computing service.

4. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the controller of the robot accesses the layout map through the cloud computing service for issuing drive commands to a drive system of the robot.

5. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the remote computing device executes an application providing remote teleoperation of the robot.

6. The robot system of claim 5, wherein the application provides controls for at least one of driving the robot, altering a pose of the robot, viewing video from a camera of the robot, and operating a camera of the robot.

7. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the remote computing device executes an application providing video conferencing between a user of the computing device and a third party within view of a camera of the robot.

8. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the remote computing device executes an application for scheduling usage of the robot.

9. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the remote computing device executes an application for monitoring usage and operation of the robot.

10. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the remote computing device comprises a tablet computer.

11. A robot system comprising:

a mobile robot having a controller executing a control system for controlling operation of the robot;

a computing device in communication with the controller;

a cloud computing service in communication with the computing device; and

a portal in communication with cloud computing service.

12. The robot system of claim 11, wherein the portal comprises a web-based portal providing access to content.

13. The robot system of claim 11, wherein the portal receives robot information from the robot through the cloud computing service.

14. The robot system of claim 11, wherein the robot receives user information from the portal through the cloud computing service.

15. The robot system of claim 11, wherein the computing device includes a touch screen.

16. The robot system of claim 11, wherein the computing device executes an operating system different from an operating system of the controller.

17. The robot system of claim 11, wherein the computing device executes at least one application that collects robot information from the robot and sends the robot information to the cloud computing service.

18. The robot system of claim 11, wherein the robot comprises:

a base defining a vertical center axis and supporting the controller;

a holonomic drive system supported by the base, the drive system having first, second, and third drive wheels, each trilaterally spaced about the vertical center axis and each having a drive direction perpendicular to a radial axis with respect to the vertical center axis;

an extendable leg extending upward from the base; and

a torso supported by the leg, actuation of the leg causing a change in elevation of the torso, the computing device detachably supported above the torso.

19. The robot system of claim 18, wherein the robot further comprises:

a neck supported by the torso; and

a head supported by the neck, the neck capable of panning and tilting the head with respect to the torso, the computing device detachably supported by the head.

20. A robot system comprising:

a mobile robot having a controller executing a control system for controlling operation of the robot;

a computing device in communication with the controller;

a mediating security device controlling communications between the controller and the computing device;

a cloud computing service in communication with the computing device; and

a portal in communication with cloud computing service.

21. The robot system of claim 20, wherein the mediating security device converts communications between a computing device communication protocol of the computing device and a robot communication protocol of the robot.

22. The robot system of claim 20, wherein the mediating security device comprises an authorization chip for authorizing communication traffic between the computing device in the robot.

23. The robot system of claim 20, wherein the computing device communicates wirelessly with the robot controller.

24. The robot system of claim 20, wherein the computing device is releasably attachable to the robot.

25. The robot system of claim 20, wherein the computing device comprises a tablet computer.

26. The robot system of claim 20, wherein the portal comprises a web-based portal providing access to content.

27. The robot system of claim 20, wherein the portal receives robot information from the robot through the cloud computing service.

28. The robot system of claim 20, wherein the robot receives user information from the portal through the cloud computing service.

29. The robot system of claim 20, wherein the computing device accesses cloud storage using the cloud computing service.

30. The robot system of claim 20, wherein the computing device executes at least one application that collects robot information from the robot and sends the robot information to the cloud computing service.

31. A method of operating a mobile robot, the method comprising:

receiving a layout map corresponding to an environment of the robot;

moving the robot in the environment to a layout map location on the layout map;

recording a robot map location on a robot map corresponding to the environment and produced by the robot;

determining a distortion between the robot map and the layout map using the recorded robot map locations and the corresponding layout map locations; and

applying the determined distortion to a target layout map location to determine a corresponding target robot map location.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising receiving the layout map from a cloud computing service.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising producing the layout map on an application executing on a remote computing device and storing the layout map on a remote cloud storage device using the cloud computing service.

34. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

determining a scaling size, origin mapping, and rotation between the layout map and the robot map using existing layout map locations and recorded robot map locations; and

resolving a robot map location corresponding to the target layout map location.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising applying an affine transformation to the determined scaling size, origin mapping, and rotation to resolve the target robot map location.

36. The method of claim 31, further comprising determining a triangulation between layout map locations that bound the target layout map location.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising determining a scale, rotation, translation, and skew between a triangle mapped in the layout map and a corresponding triangle mapped in the robot map and applying the determined scale, rotation, translation, and skew to the target layout map location to determine the corresponding robot map point.

38. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

determining distances between all layout map locations and the target layout map location;

determining a centroid of the layout map locations;

determining a centroid of all recorded robot map locations; and

for each layout map location, determining a rotation and a length scaling to transform a vector running from the layout map centroid to the target layout location into a vector running from the robot map centroid to the target robot map location.

39. The method of claim 31, further comprising producing the robot map using a sensor system of the robot.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising

emitting light onto a scene of the environment;

receiving reflections of the emitted light off surfaces of the scene;

determining a distance of each reflecting surface; and

constructing a three-dimensional depth map of the scene.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising emitting a speckle pattern of light onto the scene and receiving reflections of the speckle pattern from the scene.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising storing reference images of the speckle pattern as reflected off a reference object in the scene, the reference images captured at different distances from the reference object.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising capturing at least one target image of the speckle pattern as reflected off a target object in the scene and comparing the at least one target image with the reference images for determining a distance of the reflecting surfaces of the target object.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising determining a primary speckle pattern on the target object and computing at least one of a respective cross-correlation and a decorrelation between the primary speckle pattern and the speckle patterns of the reference images.

45. The method of claim 43, further comprising maneuvering the robot with respect to the target object based on the determined distances of the reflecting surfaces of the target object.

46. The method of claim 40, further comprising determining a time-of-flight between emitting the light and receiving the reflected light and determining a distance to the reflecting surfaces of the scene.

47. The method of claim 40, further comprising emitting the light onto the scene in intermittent pulses.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising altering a frequency of the emitted light pulses.