Method and system for multi-mode coverage for an autonomous robot
DC CAFCFirst Claim
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1. A mobile robot comprising:
- (a) means for moving the robot over a surface;
(b) an obstacle detection sensor;
(c) and a control system operatively connected to said obstacle detection sensor and said means for moving;
(d) said control system configured to operate the robot in a plurality of operational modes and to select from among the plurality of modes in real time in response to signals generated by the obstacle detection sensor, said plurality of operational modes comprising;
a spot-coverage mode whereby the robot operates in an isolated area, an obstacle following mode whereby said robot travels adjacent to an obstacle, and a bounce mode whereby the robot travels substantially in a direction away from an obstacle after encountering the obstacle, and wherein, when in the obstacle following mode, the robot travels adjacent to an obstacle for a distance at least twice the work width of the robot.
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Abstract
A control system for a mobile robot (10) is provided to effectively cover a given area by operating in a plurality of modes, including an obstacle following mode (51) and a random bounce mode (49). In other embodiments, spot coverage, such as spiraling (45), or other modes are also used to increase effectiveness. In addition, a behavior based architecture is used to implement the control system, and various escape behaviors are used to ensure full coverage.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. A mobile robot comprising:
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(a) means for moving the robot over a surface;
(b) an obstacle detection sensor;
(c) and a control system operatively connected to said obstacle detection sensor and said means for moving;
(d) said control system configured to operate the robot in a plurality of operational modes and to select from among the plurality of modes in real time in response to signals generated by the obstacle detection sensor, said plurality of operational modes comprising;
a spot-coverage mode whereby the robot operates in an isolated area, an obstacle following mode whereby said robot travels adjacent to an obstacle, and a bounce mode whereby the robot travels substantially in a direction away from an obstacle after encountering the obstacle, and wherein, when in the obstacle following mode, the robot travels adjacent to an obstacle for a distance at least twice the work width of the robot.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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13. A mobile robot comprising:
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(a) means for moving the robot over a surface;
(b) an obstacle detection sensor;
(c) and a control system operatively connected to said obstacle detection sensor and said means for moving;
(d) said control system configured to operate the robot in a plurality of operational modes and to select from among the plurality of modes in real time in response to signals generated by the obstacle detection sensor, said plurality of operational modes comprising;
an obstacle following mode whereby said robot travels adjacent to an obstacle for a distance at least twice the work width of the robot and a bounce mode whereby the robot travels substantially in a direction away from an obstacle after encountering the obstacle;
(e) whereby said control system is configured to alternate into said obstacle following mode after a predetermined number of sensor interactions. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 35)
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21. A mobile robot comprising:
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(a) means for moving the robot over a surface;
(b) an obstacle detection sensor;
(c) a control system operatively connected to said obstacle detection sensor and said robot moving means; and
wherein(d) said control system is configured to operate the robot in a plurality of operational modes, said plurality of operational modes including an obstacle following mode wherein the robot travels adjacent to an obstacle, and a bounce mode wherein the robot travels substantially in a direction away from an obstacle after encountering the obstacle;
(e) said control system being further configured to alternate into said obstacle following mode after a predetermined number of sensor interactions; and
(f) a means for determining a level of clutter associated with the surface over which the robot moves. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A mobile robot comprising:
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(a) means for moving the robot over a surface;
(b) an obstacle detection sensor; and
(c) a control system operatively connected to said obstacle detection sensor and said robot moving means; and
wherein(d) said control system is configured to operate the robot in a plurality of operational modes, said plurality of operational modes including an obstacle following mode wherein the robot travels adjacent to an obstacle, and a bounce mode wherein the robot travels substantially in a direction away from an obstacle after encountering the obstacle;
(e) said control system being further configured to alternate into said obstacle following mode after a predetermined number of sensor interactions; and
further(f) wherein the control system alternates between said operational modes based upon a lack of sensor input.
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36. A mobile robot comprising:
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(a) means for moving the robot over a surface;
(b) an obstacle detection sensor;
(c) and a control system operatively connected to said obstacle detection sensor and said means for moving;
(d) said control system configured to operate the robot in a plurality of modes, said plurality of modes comprising;
an obstacle following mode whereby said robot travels adjacent to an obstacle, and a bounce mode whereby the robot travels substantially in a direction away from an obstacle after encountering the obstacle;
(e) whereby said control system is configured to alternate into said obstacle following mode after a predetermined number of sensor interactions, and further comprising;
(f) a wheel drop sensor, whereby said robot utilizes the rate of wheel drop sensor events as input to said control system.
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37. A method of controlling a mobile-robot equipped with a sensor for detecting an obstacle, said method comprising the steps of:
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a. moving in a spiral running motion;
b. discontinuing said spiral running motion after the earlier of sensing an obstacle or traveling a predetermined distance;
c. running in a substantially forward direction until an obstacle is detected;
d. turning and running along the detected obstacle for a distance at least twice the work width of the robot;
e. turning away from the detected obstacle and running in a substantially forward direction; and
f. thereafter repeating said step of running along a detected obstacle and said step of turning away from the detected obstacle, wherein changes in movement are selected in real time in response to any of calculated distance or signals generated by the sensor. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A mobile robot comprising:
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(a) means for moving the robot over a surface;
(b) an obstacle detection sensor;
(c) a cliff sensor; and
(d) a control system operatively connected to said obstacle detection sensor, said cliff sensor, and said means for moving;
(e) said control system configured to operate the robot in a plurality of operational modes, said plurality of operational modes comprising;
a spot-coverage mode whereby the robot operates in an isolated area, an obstacle following mode whereby said robot travels adjacent to an obstacle for a distance at least twice the work width of the robot, and a bounce mode whereby the robot travels substantially in a direction away from an obstacle after encountering the obstacle.
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Specification