ROBOTIC SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20170028564A1
• Filed: 10/13/2016
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Onemarket Network LLC
• Original Assignee: Westfield Labs Corporation
• Inventors: Lowy, Joshua Lynton
• Granted Patent: US 10,300,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/006 by means of a wireless system for controlling one or several manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/005 using batteries, e.g. as a back-up power source
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/021 Optical sensing devices
• 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: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0014 Image feed-back for automatic industrial control, e.g. robot with camera robots B25J19/023
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A robot having a base with a moving mechanism configured to move the robot according to control instructions, a controller configured to move the robot within a predetermined area along a pathway area, a body supported on the base, a camera mounted on the body and controlled to capture photo images while traveling along the pathway area, wherein the robot is controlled to rotate its body about a point in the pathway area and use the camera to take a 360 degree photo image of the surrounding at the location. The photo image is analyzed to identify information related to the location.

Claims

1. A robot system, comprising:

at least one robot having;

an indoor location determination device configured to determine a location of the robot within a building structure;

a base having a moving mechanism configured to move the robot according to control instructions received in the robot, wherein the base of the robot is configured to have a storage space to hold items for transportation within the building structure, and wherein the base has a door or latch configured to secure the storage space from unauthorized access;

a controller configured to move the robot within a predetermined area along a pathway within the building structure in accordance with digital map data of the building structure;

a body supported on the base; and

a camera mounted on the body and controlled to capture photo images while traveling along the pathway;

wherein the robot is configured to take a photo image of the surrounding of the point after traveling to a location received in an instruction and communicate the photo image to a server configured to analyze the photo image, identify information related to the location from the photo image, and publish content based on the information.

2. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the photo image is a 360 degree photo image of surrounding at the location.

3. The robot system of claim 2, wherein the robot is configured to rotate the body about a point in the pathway to capture the 360 degree photo image using the camera.

4. The robot system of claim 1, further comprising:

a dock station having a receptacle;

wherein the robot further includes a connector configured to be plugged in the receptacle to provide a connection to charge a battery of the robot when the robot is docked at the dock station.

5. The robot system of claim 4, wherein when the connector is plugged in the receptacle, the connector and the receptacle further provides a data communication channel to download instructions from the server to the robot and to upload data captured by the robot to the server.

6. The robot system of claim 1, further comprising:

the server configured to recognize the information from the photo image captured by the camera of the robot.

7. The robot system of claim 6, wherein the server is configured to recognize the information based on optical character recognition and matching of predetermined keywords.

8. The robot system of claim 6, wherein the server is configured to recognize the information based on processing a bar code in the photo image captured by the camera of the robot.

9. The robot system of claim 6, wherein the server is configured to provide over an internet a user interface on a user device to access the information.

10. The robot system of claim 9, wherein the server is configured to present the information on a map of the building structure.

11. The robot system of claim 10, wherein the building structure is a shopping mall.

12. The robot system of claim 11, wherein the information is identified to be offers from stores in the shopping mall;

and the robot is configured to travel to a plurality of store fronts in the shopping mall to capture 360 degree photo images of the store fronts.

13. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the robot is configured to transport the items in the storage space from stores in the building structure to a centralized location.

14. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the robot further includes a wireless communications transceiver to measure wireless signal strength levels in the building structure and correlate the measured signal strength levels with locations of the robot at which the signal strength levels are made.

15. The robot system of claim 14, wherein the robot is further configured to determine locations of wireless communications devices in the building structure that emit wireless signals for which the signal strength levels are measured.

16. The robot system of claim 14, wherein the server is configured to present at least one of:

a map of the signal strength levels in the building structure; and

a map of the wireless communications devices in the building structure.

17. A robot, comprising:

an indoor location determination device configured to determine a location of the robot within a building structure;

a base having a moving mechanism configured to move the robot according to control instructions received in the robot, wherein the base of the robot is configured to have a storage space to hold items for transportation within the building structure, and wherein the base has a door or latch configured to secure the storage space from unauthorized access;

a controller configured to move the robot within a predetermined area along a pathway within the building structure in accordance with digital map data of the building structure;

a body supported on the base; and

a camera mounted on the body and controlled to capture photo images while traveling along the pathway;

wherein the robot is configured to take a photo image of the surrounding of the point after traveling to a location received in an instruction and communicate the photo image to a server configured to analyze the photo image, identify information related to the location from the photo image, and publish content based on the information.

18. The robot of claim 17, further comprising:

a touch screen configured to provide a user interface to present purchase orders;

wherein the base of the robot is configured to have a storage space into which items purchased via the purchase orders can be stored for transport to a centralized location in the building structures.

19. The robot of claim 18, wherein the robot is configured to autonomously travel in the building structure and capture photo images while traveling along the pathway.

20. The robot of claim 19, wherein the server is configured to publish the information to mobile applications running in user devices via a predetermined application programming interface (API).