Method and system for robot localization and confinement
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A robot, comprising:
- a motor drive that independently drives each of at least two wheels of the robot;
a light beam receiver that receives light substantially omnidirectional and detects when the robot encounters a confinement light beam directed along a substantially horizontal axis; and
a processor, connected to the light beam receiver and to the motor drive, that recognizes the confinement light beam, and upon detection of the confinement light beam, controls the motor drive to turn the robot until the confinement light beam is no longer detected;
wherein the processor controls the motor drive to turn the robot in a direction decided according to gradient levels of the confinement light at different orientations of the robot.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention discloses a system and method for confining a robot to a particular space. The system includes a portable barrier signal transmitter that produces a barrier signal primarily along an axis, and a mobile robot capable of avoiding the barrier signal upon detection of the barrier signal. In the preferred embodiment the barrier signal is emitted in an infrared frequency and the robot includes an omni-directional signal detector. Upon detection of the signal, the robot turns in a direction selected by a barrier avoidance algorithm until the barrier signal is no longer detected.
311 Citations
38 Claims
-
1. A robot, comprising:
-
a motor drive that independently drives each of at least two wheels of the robot; a light beam receiver that receives light substantially omnidirectional and detects when the robot encounters a confinement light beam directed along a substantially horizontal axis; and
a processor, connected to the light beam receiver and to the motor drive, that recognizes the confinement light beam, and upon detection of the confinement light beam, controls the motor drive to turn the robot until the confinement light beam is no longer detected;wherein the processor controls the motor drive to turn the robot in a direction decided according to gradient levels of the confinement light at different orientations of the robot. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A robot, comprising:
-
a motor drive that independently drives each of at least two wheels of the robot; a light beam receiver that receives light substantially omnidirectionally and detects when the robot encounters an omnidirectional diffuse light light region directed along a horizontal plane substantially at the height of the light beam receiver; and a processor, connected to the light beam receiver and to the motor drive, that recognizes the omnidirectional diffuse light region, and upon detection of the omnidirectional diffuse light region controls the motor drive to turn the robot until the omnidirectional diffuse light region is no longer detected; wherein the light beam receiver is configured to detect a confinement light beam having a most narrow region closet to a source of the omnidirectional diffuse light region, such that the processor controls the motor drive to turn the robot to avoid crossing the most narrow region of the confinement light beam. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A robot confinement emitter, comprising:
-
at least one confinement light beam emitter that emits a modulated directed light beam; and at least one omnidirectional diffuse light region emitter that emits a modulated diffuse light region, each of the at least one confinement light beam and the at least one onimdirectional diffuse light region overlapping in a plane parallel to ground level such that a light beam receiver borne by a robot may detect either one or both of the at least one confinement light beam and the at least one omnidirectional diffuse light region; wherein the robot confinement emitter is responsive to a control system used to turn on and turn off one or more robot confinement emitters in order to allow automatic cleaning of multiple rooms in a controlled manner. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A robot system, comprising:
-
a “
home base”
transmitter that emits at least one light along a substantially horizontal axis,a robot, including; a substantially circular shell and two wheels mounted on opposite sides of a center line, each of the wheels being independently driven to allow the robot to turn and to turn substantially in place, and a light beam receiver that receives light from different directions and detects when the robot encounters a light beam directed along a substantially horizontal axis, and a processor that controls the robot to use a detection of the at least one light beam by the light beam receiver to return to the “
home base”
transmitter when the voltage of the robot'"'"'s battery drops below a predetermined level,the light beam receiver and the at least one light beam being substantially at or below the height of the robot, the height of the robot being minimized to allow the robot to pass under furniture. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
-
24. A robot, comprising:
-
a motor drive that independently drives each of at least two wheels of the robot; a light beam receiver that receives light substantially omnidirectionally and detects when the robot encounters a confinement light beam directed along a substantially horizontal axis, the light beam receiver including an omnidirectional lens having an axis formal to the plane of movement of the robot and that accepts rays substantially in a plane at the height of the lens but rejects rays substantially above or substantially below the plane at the height of the lens; and a processor, connected to the height beam receiver and to the motor drive, that recognizes the confinement light beam, and upon detection of the confinement light beam, controls the motor drive to turn the robot until the confinement light beam is no longer detected. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
-
-
31. A robot, comprising:
-
a motor drive that independtly drives each of at least two wheels of the robot; a light beam receiver that receives light substantially omnidirectionally and detects when the robot encounters an omnidirectional diffuse light region directed along a horizontal plane substantially at the height of the light beam receiver, the light beam receiver including an omnidirectional lens having an axis normal to the plane of movement of the robot and that accepts rays substantially in a plane at the height of the lens but rejects rays substantially above or substantially below the plane at the height of the lens; and a processor, connected to the light beam receiver and to the motor drive, that recognizes the omnidirectional diffuse light region, and upon detection of the omnidirectional diffuse light region controls the motor drive to turn the robot until the omnidirectional diffuse light region is no longer detected. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
-
-
34. A robot confinement emitter, comprising:
-
at least on confinement light beam emitter that emits a modulated directed light beam; and at least one omnidirectional diffuse light region emitter that emits a modulated diffuse light region, each of the at least one confinement light beam and the at least one omnidirectional diffuse light region overlapping in a plane parallel to ground level such that a light beam receiver borne by a robot may detect either one or both of the at least one confinement light beam and the at least one omnidirectional diffuse light region; wherein the robot confinement emitter is responsive to a control system that communicates directly with one or more robot confinement emitters allowing a cycling of work spaces. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
-
-
37. A robot confinement emitter, comprising:
-
at least one confinement light beam emitter that emits a modulated directed light beam; and at least one omnidirectional diffuse light region emitter that emits a modulated diffuse light region, each of the at least one confinement light beam and the at least one omnidirectional diffuse light region overlapping in a plane parallel to ground level such that a light beam receiver borne by a robot may detect either one or both of the at least one confinement light beam and the at least one omnidirectional diffuse light region; wherein the robot confinement emitter is responsive to a robot that sends a signal to the robot confinement emitter to turn the robot confinement emitter on. - View Dependent Claims (38)
-
Specification