Mobile Robot Area Cleaning
First Claim
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1. A cleaning robot comprising:
- a chassis;
a drive system connected to the chassis and configured to drive the robot across a floor surface;
a signal generator carried by the chassis and arranged to direct a signal toward the floor surface;
a sensor carried by the chassis and responsive to a reflection of the directed signal from the floor surface; and
a controller in communication with the drive system and the sensor, the controller configured to control the drive system to alter direction of the robot in response to the sensor receiving a reflected signal indicating an edge of the floor surface, so as to keep the robot from crossing the floor surface edge.
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Abstract
A cleaning robot includes a chassis, a drive system connected to the chassis and configured to drive the robot, a signal generator and sensor carried by the chassis, and a controller in communication with the drive system and the sensor. The signal generator directs a signal toward the floor surface. The sensor is responsive to reflected signals from the floor surface. The controller controls the drive system to alter direction of the robot responsive to a reflected signal indicating an edge of the floor surface.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A cleaning robot comprising:
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a chassis; a drive system connected to the chassis and configured to drive the robot across a floor surface; a signal generator carried by the chassis and arranged to direct a signal toward the floor surface; a sensor carried by the chassis and responsive to a reflection of the directed signal from the floor surface; and a controller in communication with the drive system and the sensor, the controller configured to control the drive system to alter direction of the robot in response to the sensor receiving a reflected signal indicating an edge of the floor surface, so as to keep the robot from crossing the floor surface edge. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of maneuvering an autonomous robot across a floor within a bounded area having at least one open edge, the method comprising:
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driving the robot across the floor while sensing a signal from the robot reflected by the floor and received at a sensor carried by the robot; while continuing to drive the robot, evaluating the reflected signal to determine whether a characteristic of the received reflected signal indicates that the robot is adjacent an open edge of the bounded area; and
,in response to determining from the reflected signal that the robot is adjacent an open edge of the bounded area, altering a direction of robot motion such that the robot is directed away from the open edge. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification