Autonomous Coverage Robot

• US 20150120128A1
• Filed: 12/31/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Rosenstein, Michael T., Chiappetta, Mark, Schnittman, Mark, Pastore, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,408,515 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/28
• 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 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• 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: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10021 Stereoscopic video; Stereoscopic image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10028 Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10048 Infrared image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30261 Obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/00 Image analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/62 of area, perimeter, diameter or volume
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A mobile floor cleaning robot includes identifying, using a controller, a location of an object on a floor surface away from the robot, and issuing a first drive command from the controller to a drive system of the robot to drive the robot across the floor surface to clean the floor surface at the identified location of the object. The method also includes determining whether the object persists on the floor surface, and when the object persists, driving across the floor surface to re-clean the floor surface at the identified location of the object.

Claims

1. A method of operating mobile floor cleaning robot, the method comprising:

identifying, using a controller of the floor cleaning robot, a location of an object on a floor surface away from the robot;

issuing a first drive command from the controller to a drive system of the robot to drive the robot across the floor surface to clean the floor surface at the identified location of the object;

determining whether the object persists on the floor surface; and

when the object persists, issuing a second drive command to the drive system to drive the robot across the floor surface to re-clean the floor surface at the identified location of the object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after cleaning the floor surface at the identified object location, issuing the second drive command from the controller to the drive system to maneuver the robot according a cleaning path.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after cleaning the floor surface at the identified object location, issuing a third drive command from the controller to the drive system to maneuver the robot to determine whether the object persists on the floor surface.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when cleaning the floor surface at the identified object location, tracking, using the controller, the identified object location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein tracking the identified object location comprises storing the identified object location in non-transitory memory in communication with the controller.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the controller stores the identified object location on a map in the non-transitory memory.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing, by the controller, a wall following behavior causing the drive system to drive the robot adjacent to a wall by an offset distance.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying, using the controller, a location of a piece of debris on the floor surface outside the offset distance from the wall; and

issuing a third drive command from the controller to the drive system of the robot to drive away from the wall and across the floor surface to clean the floor surface at the identified location of the piece of debris.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the controller, a sequence of images of the floor surface from an imaging sensor in communication with the controller;

identifying, using the controller, multiple dirty floor areas based on the sequence of images; and

executing, using the controller, a path planning routine causing the drive system to maneuver the robot across the floor surface to clean each identified dirty floor area.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the image sensor comprises a camera arranged to have a field of view along a forward drive direction of the robot.

11. A mobile floor cleaning robot comprising:

a robot body defining a forward drive direction;

a drive system supporting the robot body and configured to maneuver the robot over a floor surface;

a cleaning system supported by the robot body;

an imaging sensor disposed on the robot body; and

a controller in communication with the drive system and the imaging sensor, the controller;

identifying a location of an object on the floor surface away from the robot;

issuing a first drive command to the drive system to drive the robot across the floor surface to clean the floor surface at the identified location of the object;

determining whether the object persists on the floor surface; and

when the object persists, issuing a second drive command to the drive system to drive the robot across the floor surface to re-clean the floor surface at the identified location of the object.

12. The mobile floor cleaning robot of claim 11, wherein the controller issues the second drive command to the drive system to maneuver the robot according to a cleaning path after the robot cleans the floor surface at the identified object location.

13. The mobile floor cleaning robot of claim 11, wherein the controller issues a third drive command to the drive system to maneuver the robot to determine whether the object persists on the floor surface.

14. The mobile floor cleaning robot of claim 11, wherein the controller tracks the identified object location while the robot cleans the floor surface at the identified object location.

15. The mobile floor cleaning robot of claim 14, wherein the controller tracks the identified object location by storing the identified object location in non-transitory memory in communication with the controller.

16. The mobile floor cleaning robot of claim 15, wherein the controller stores the identified object location on a map in the non-transitory memory.

17. The mobile floor cleaning robot of claim 11, wherein the controller executes a wall following behavior causing the drive system to drive the robot adjacent to a wall by an offset distance.

18. The mobile floor cleaning robot of claim 17, wherein the controller:

identifies a location of a piece of debris on the floor surface outside the offset distance from the wall; and

issues a third drive command to the drive system of the robot to drive away from the wall and across the floor surface to clean the floor surface at the identified location of the piece of debris.

19. The mobile floor cleaning robot of claim 11, wherein the controller:

receives a sequence of images of the floor surface from the imaging sensor;

identifies multiple dirty floor areas based on the sequence of images; and

executes a path planning routine causing the drive system to maneuver the robot across the floor surface to clean each identified dirty floor area.

20. The mobile floor cleaning robot of claim 19, wherein the image sensor comprises a camera arranged to have a field of view along a forward drive direction of the robot.