METHOD OF CONTROLLING A MOBILE ROBOT

• US 20160345791A1
• Filed: 05/26/2016
• Published: 12/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Inventors: BRITAIN, Maximilian John, WAKELING, William Matthew, ORD, Christopher John
• Granted Patent: US 10,028,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 9/00 Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0085 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A method of controlling a mobile robot, the method including monitoring a first system of the mobile robot to detect a first error associated with the first system, monitoring a second system of the mobile robot to detect a second error associated with the second system, and when the first error and the second error are detected at the same time, determining that a third error has occurred.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a mobile robot, the method comprising:

monitoring a first system of the mobile robot to detect a first error associated with the first system; and

monitoring a second system of the mobile robot to detect a second error associated with the second system,

wherein when the first error and the second error are detected at the same time, determining that a third error has occurred.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the robot to perform an error-handling operation in response to a determination that a third error has occurred.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the error-handling operation performed in response to the third error is different to an alternate error-handling operation performed in response to one of the first or the second error.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first system is a floor cleaning system and comprises a motor for generating an airflow through the mobile robot.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first error is an airway blockage.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein detection of the first error comprises detecting a reduction in load experienced by the motor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second system is a drive system and comprises one or more navigation sensors to monitor the robot'"'"'s position within an environment, and a drive actuator to move the robot within the environment.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second error is slip.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein monitoring the second system comprises monitoring changes in position of the robot as the robot is driven.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein detection of the second error comprises detecting that a change in the robot'"'"'s position detected by the one or more navigation sensors does not correspond to the amount driven by the drive actuator.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the third error is a limpet-state of the robot.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the first system comprises a motor for generating an airflow through the mobile robot, and wherein the error-handling operation in response to a determination that a third error has occurred comprises running the motor in a reduced power mode to reduce suction and continuing to drive the robot.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the motor is run in the reduced power mode until the mobile robot has travelled outside a calculated area of pre-determined size, the centre of the calculated area being the position at which the third error was detected.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first error and the second error are detected at the same time if an instance of one of the first error and the second error is detected while the other of the first error and the second error is on-going.

15. A mobile robot comprising a control system, a task execution system and a drive system, the control system configured to monitor the task execution system and drive system, wherein the control system comprises an error detection unit, the error detection unit configured to detect a first error in the task execution system and a second error in the drive system, and further configured to determine that a third error has occurred if it detects the first error and the second error at the same time.

16. The mobile robot of claim 15, wherein the control system further comprises an error handling unit configured to carry out one of a first and second error-handling operation in response to the detection of either the first or second error respectively, and further configured to alternatively carry out a third error handling operation in response to the determination that a third error has occurred.

17. The mobile robot of claim 15, wherein the task execution system is a floor cleaning system comprising a motor for generating an airflow through the mobile robot.

18. The mobile robot of claim 17, wherein the first error is an airway blockage, the second error is slip, and the third error is a limpet-state of the mobile robot.

19. An error detection unit for a mobile robot, the error detection unit comprising:

a monitoring unit; and

an error determination unit;

wherein the monitoring unit monitors one or more parameters of a first and a second system of the mobile robot, and identifies one or more parameters of the first and second systems that are indicative of errors, and the error determination unit determines that;

a first error has occurred if the monitoring unit identifies parameters of the first system that are indicative of an error;

a second error has occurred if the monitoring unit identifies parameters of the second system that are indicative of an error; and

a third error has occurred if the monitoring unit identifies parameters of both the first and second system that are indicative of errors at the same time.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause a computing device to perform a method of controlling a mobile robot, the method comprising:

monitoring a first system of the mobile robot to detect a first error associated with the first system; and

monitoring a second system of the mobile robot to detect a second error associated with the second system,

wherein when the first error and the second error are detected at the same time, determining that a third error has occurred.

21. A mobile robot comprising a control system configured to perform a method for controlling the mobile robot, the method comprising:

monitoring a first system of the mobile robot to detect a first error associated with the first system; and

monitoring a second system of the mobile robot to detect a second error associated with the second system,

wherein when the first error and the second error are detected at the same time, determining that a third error has occurred.