Autonomous multi-platform robot system

• US 6,496,755 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2002
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vision Robotics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Personal Robotics Incorporated
• Inventors: Wallach, Bret A., Koselka, Harvey A., Gollaher, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel, Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US10/094,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20020095239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 284 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/257, 700/264, 701/23-26, 701/1, 701/3, 701/120, 701/123, 701/200, 701/207, 701/215, 701/300, 701/301, 318/567, 318/568.11, 342/357.1, 342/357.06, 342/357.13, 342/457, 180/167, 340/435, 340/903, 340/988
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0295 by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet

Abstract

An autonomous mobile robot system allocates mapping, localization, planning and control functions to at least one navigator robot and allocates task performance functions to one or more functional robots. The at least one navigator robot maps the work environment, localizes itself and the functional robots within the map, plans the tasks to be performed by the at least one functional robot, and controls and tracks the functional robot during task performance. The navigator robot performs substantially all calculations for mapping, localization, planning and control for both itself and the functional robots. In one implementation, the navigator robot remains stationary while controlling and moving the functional robot in order to simplify localization calculations. In one embodiment, the navigator robot is equipped with sensors and sensor processing hardware required for these tasks, while the functional robot is not equipped with sensors or hardware employed for these purposes.

Claims

1. An autonomous system of mobile robots operating within an arbitrary environment and comprising:

one or more functional mobile robot(s) that are responsible for performing functional tasks; and

one or more autonomous navigator mobile robot(s) that localize themselves and the functional robot(s) within the environment using the functional robot(s) as landmarks and control the functional robot(s) during task performance.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, when the functional robot(s) are moving, at least one navigator robot remains stationary.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein, when the navigator robot(s) are moving, at least one functional robot remains stationary.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each navigator robot comprises:

one or more sensors for gathering data from the environment;

a controller, in data communication with the sensors, for directing the operations of both the navigator and the functional robot(s), the controller having a computing device and a memory for storing maps of the environment; and

a transmitter, in data communication with the controller, for transmitting control signals to the functional robot(s).

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each functional robot comprises a receiver for receiving the control signals from the navigator robot(s).

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the navigator robot(s) control the motion of the functional robot(s) and track actual movement of the functional robot(s) using the one or more sensors of the navigator robot(s).

7. The system of claim 4, wherein each navigator robot generates a dynamic map of the environment by obtaining sensor data from the immediate surroundings, creating a temporary map from the sensor data, incorporating the temporary map into the dynamic map, and moving to a new location to obtain new sensor data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the navigator robot(s) plan the tasks to be performed by the functional robot(s) by determining what tasks need to be completed, matching the functional robot(s) to a particular task, and developing a task schedule.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the sensors include one or more digital cameras.

10. The system of claim 1, additionally comprising a base station for assisting in task completion, tracking of functional robot(s) or recharging of the robot(s).

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigator and functional robot(s) are tethered together.

12. An autonomous system of mobile robots operating within an environment and comprising:

one or more functional mobile robot(s) that are responsible for performing functional tasks; and

one or more autonomous navigator mobile robot(s) that localize themselves and the functional robot(s) within the environment using the functional robot(s) as landmarks and control the functional robot(s) during task performance, wherein, when the functional robot(s) are moving, the navigator robot(s) remain stationary, and wherein, when the navigator robot(s) are moving, the functional robot(s) remain stationary.

13. An autonomous system of robots operating within an arbitrary environment and comprising:

one or more functional mobile robot(s) that are responsible for performing functional tasks; and

a plurality of navigator robots including one or more autonomous navigator mobile robot(s) and one or more computing platform(s), wherein the navigator robots localize themselves and the functional robot(s) within the environment using the functional robot(s) as landmarks and control the functional robot(s) during task performance.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing platform(s) may be stationary or mobile.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the autonomous navigator mobile robot(s) include sensors for gathering data, and wherein the sensor data is transmitted to the computing platform(s) for further processing.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing platform(s) process the sensor data and communicate the results to the autonomous navigator mobile robot(s).

17. A system of mobile robots operating within an environment, comprising:

one or more substantially non-autonomous functional mobile robot(s) configured to perform functional tasks; and

one or more autonomous navigator mobile robot(s) configured to localize themselves and the functional robot(s) within the environment,

wherein each navigator robot comprises;

one or more sensors for gathering data from the environment,

a transmitter for transmitting signals to the functional robot(s), and

a controller for directing the movement of the one or more non-autonomous functional mobile robot(s) within the environment during task performance.

18. A system of mobile robots operating within an environment, comprising:

one or more non-autonomous functional mobile robot(s) configured to perform functional tasks; and

a system of navigator robots, comprising;

one or more autonomous navigator mobile robot(s), and

one or more computing platform(s),

wherein the navigator robots localize themselves and the functional robot(s) within the environment and control the functional robot(s) during task performance.