METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY TRIGGERING A SELF-POSITIONING PROCESS

• US 20160008982A1
• Filed: 02/08/2013
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robart GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robart GmbH
• Inventors: ARTES, HAROLD, SEETHALER, DOMINIK, SCHAHPAR, MICHAEL
• Granted Patent: US 9,527,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0085 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/00 Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages B25J1/00 takes precedence; programme-controlled manipulators B25J9/00 ; vehicle aspects B60, B62, e.g. remote-controlled steering for motor vehicles B62D1/24; control of position of vehicles G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1692 Calibration of manipulator
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A mobile self-propelled robot for autonomously carrying out actions. The robot includes a drive module for moving the robot over a floor area; a processing module for carrying out the activities during a processing stage; at least one sensor module for detecting information relating to the structure of the surroundings; a detector module configured to detect a displacement of the robot prior to or during the processing stage. Further, the robot includes a navigation module configured to navigate the robot over the floor area during the processing stage using a map of the surroundings, to store and manage one or more maps of the surroundings, and to carry out a self-positioning process if the detector module has detected a displacement of the robot. During the self-positioning process, the presence and the location of the robot within the stored maps are detected.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A mobile self-propelled robot for autonomously carrying out activities, the robot comprising:

a drive module for moving the robot over a floor area;

a processing module for carrying out the activities during a processing operation;

at least one sensor module for acquiring information relating to a structure of an environment;

a detector module configured to detect a shifting of the robot before or during a processing operation; and

a navigation module connected to said detector module and configured to navigate the robot over the floor area during the processing operation using a map of the environment, to store and manage one or more maps of the environment, and to carry out a self-localization process when said detector module (150) has detected a shifting of the robot;

wherein the self-localization process includes detecting whether and where the robot is situated within an area of the stored maps.

13. The robot according to claim 12, wherein said navigation module is also configured to create and store a new map based on data acquired by said sensor module when the robot is not located within a store map.

14. The robot according to claim 12, wherein said navigation module carries out the self-localization process by determining global localization hypotheses in the stored maps.

15. The robot according to claim 14, wherein said navigation module is configured to determine a quality of the localization hypotheses in the stored maps.

16. The robot according to claim 12, which further comprises a communication module configured to establish a connection to a human-machine interface and for receiving user inputs via the connection.

17. The robot according to claim 12, wherein said detector module is configured to detect the shifting of the robot by detecting a lifting and a subsequent set-down of the robot.

18. The robot according to claim 17, which further comprises at least one contact switch on spring-loaded wheels and/or a reflection light barrier disposed on an underside of the robot and emitting a beam to be reflected at the floor, for detecting a lifting and subsequent set-down of the robot.

19. The robot according to claim 12, wherein said sensor module has an inertial sensor for recording movements of the robot and said detector module is configured to detect the shifting of the robot using the recorded movements.

20. The robot according to claim 12, wherein information acquired by said sensor module before being switched off is stored and the shifting of the robot is detected if the information acquired by said sensor module upon being switched back on differs from the stored information.

21. The robot according to claim 12, wherein the activities to be autonomously carried out comprise a treatment of a floor area and/or an inspection of an environment or objects in the environment and/or a transport of objects and/or a cleaning of air.

22. A method for automatically carrying out activities with a self-propelled autonomous robot, the method comprising:

storing and managing at least one map of an environment;

starting a treatment operation and carrying out the activities with a processing module arranged on the robot;

navigating the robot over the floor area during the treatment operation using a map of the environment;

acquiring information relating to a structure of the environment during the treatment operation by way of at least one sensor module arranged on or in the robot; and

carrying out a self-localization process if a detector module disposed on or in the robot detects that the robot has been shifted, the self-localization process determining whether and where the robot is situated within the stored maps.