MOBILE ROBOT PROVIDING ENVIRONMENTAL MAPPING FOR HOUSEHOLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

• US 20180304472A1
• Filed: 06/27/2018
• Published: 10/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Angle, Colin, Snelling, David, O'Dea, Melissa, Farlow, Timothy S., Duffley, Samuel, Mammen, Jeffrey W., Halloran, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US16/020,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20180304472A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/006 by means of a wireless system for controlling one or several manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/2245 providing the operator with a purely computer-generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A mobile robot includes a processor connected to a memory and a wireless network circuit, for executing routines stored in the memory and commands generated by the routines and received via the wireless network circuit. The processor drives the mobile robot to a multiplicity of accessible two dimensional locations within a household, and commands an end effector, including at least one motorized actuator, to perform mechanical work in the household. A plurality of routines include a first routine which monitors a wireless local network and detects a presence of a network entity on the wireless local network, a second routine which receives a signal from a sensor detecting an action state of one of the network entities, the action state changeable between waiting and active, and a third routine which commands the end effector to change state of performing mechanical work based on the presence and on the action state.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A computer-implemented method for operating a cleaning robot, the method comprising:

generating a progressively improving map of the area being cleaned;

transmitting a graphical representation of the progressively improving map or portion thereof to a user interface on a user terminal that is remote from the cleaning robot; and

localizing a location of a dock in the area being cleaned by the cleaning robot, wherein the graphical representation of the progressively improving map comprises a graphical representation of the relative position of the location of the dock in the graphical representation of the progressively improving map.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein generating a progressively improving map comprises generating the progressively improving map of an area within the progressively improving map being cleaned during cleaning of the area by the robot.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein cleaning of the area by the robot comprises multi-pass cleaning.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein cleaning of the area by the robot comprises a quick cleaning strategy comprising single-pass cleaning.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the area within the progressively improving map increases over time.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 3, further comprising tagging a location of a device to the progressively improving map.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein the device comprises a transceiver and tagging a location of the device comprises tagging the transceiver by detecting a peak signal strength of the transceiver to identify a location of the transceiver.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein generating a progressively improving map comprises comparing the progressively improving map with a covered area within the progressively improving map and generating a graphical representation of a comparison of the progressively improving map with the covered area.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the graphical representation comprises a completion ratio of the progressively improving map.

11. A computer-implemented method for operating a cleaning robot, the method comprising:

providing at least one user-selectable cleaning strategy control element at a user terminal, the user-selectable pre-planned cleaning strategy control element having at least a deep cleaning strategy control state and a quick cleaning strategy control state, wherein;

responsive to selection of the deep cleaning strategy control state, the user terminal commands the remote cleaning robot to execute a relatively higher cumulative energy cleaning strategy; and

responsive to selection of the quick cleaning strategy control state, the user terminal commands the remote cleaning robot to execute a relatively lower cumulative energy cleaning strategy,

wherein the relatively lower cumulative energy cleaning strategy includes the remote cleaning robot concentrating its cleaning in open areas and/or in designated areas.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the relatively higher cumulative energy cleaning strategy includes the remote cleaning robot concentrating its cleaning on edges and corners of a living space.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the at least one user-selectable pre-planned cleaning strategy control element comprises a cleaning strategy button configured to receive user selection from a plurality of different cleaning modes, the plurality of different cleaning modes comprises at least the deep cleaning strategy control state and the quick cleaning strategy control state.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the at least one user-selectable pre-planned cleaning strategy control element comprises a graphically displayed element for receiving a user input.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the quick cleaning strategy control state comprises a deterministic, planned travel pattern over a cleaning area in a single-pass.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the quick cleaning strategy control state comprises a faster forward speed as compared to a speed in the deep cleaning strategy control state.

17. A computer-implemented method for operating a cleaning robot, the method comprising:

displaying a graphical representation of a map of an area at a user terminal, the graphical representation comprising a plurality of subdivisions of the map; and

providing at least one user-selectable pre-planned cleaning strategy control element, the cleaning strategy control element being configured to receive input from the user to select an associated cleaning strategy from a plurality of cleaning strategies for one or more of the plurality of subdivisions of the map.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of subdivisions of the map comprise a room identity.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the room identities comprise an area of the map, a transition line from one subdivision to another subdivision, or as localized markers within the map.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of cleaning strategies comprises a deep cleaning strategy control state and a quick cleaning strategy control state, wherein:

responsive to selection of the deep cleaning strategy control state, the user terminal commands the remote cleaning robot to execute a relatively higher cumulative energy cleaning strategy; and

responsive to selection of the quick cleaning strategy control state, the user terminal commands the remote cleaning robot to execute a relatively lower cumulative energy cleaning strategy.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the relatively lower cumulative energy cleaning strategy includes the cleaning robot concentrating its cleaning in open areas and/or in designated areas.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the relatively higher cumulative energy cleaning strategy includes the cleaning robot concentrating its cleaning on edges and corners of a living space.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of subdivisions of the map comprises at least a first subdivision corresponding to a first cleaning strategy and a second subdivision corresponding to a second cleaning strategy that is different from the first cleaning strategy.