Autonomous behaviors for a remote vehicle

• US 8,255,092 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flir Detection, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Phillips, Emilie, Rudakevych, Pavlo E., Taka, Orjeta, Frost, Tom, Wolfe, James Gordon Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Algahaim, Helal A
• Application Number:
  US12/102,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20090037033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,597 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/23, 701/24, 701/200, 348/113
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• 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 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A system for allowing an operator to switch between remote vehicle tele-operation and one or more remote vehicle autonomous behaviors. The system comprises: an operator control unit receiving input from the operator including instructions for the remote vehicle to execute an autonomous behavior; a control system on the remote vehicle for receiving the instruction to execute an autonomous behavior from the operator control unit; and a GPS receiver, an inertial measurement unit, and a navigation CPU on the remote vehicle. Upon receiving the instruction to execute an autonomous behavior, the remote vehicle executes that autonomous behavior using input from the GPS receiver, the inertial measurement unit (IMU), and the navigation CPU.

Claims

1. A method for performing a retrotraverse behavior for a remote vehicle, the method comprising:

determining, by a processor, whether the retrotraverse is active;

if the retrotraverse behavior is active;

erasing previously-used waypoints;

determining a current position of the remote vehicle and a current time, and pre-pending the current position and the current time to a list of time stamped waypoints;

generating additional waypoints and adding them to the list of time stamped waypoints;

storing the list of time stamped waypoints;

determining whether a control signal has been received from an operator control unit;

if the control signal has not been received from the operator control unit;

setting a retrotraverse start time to the current time;

generating a return path interconnecting previously-traversed waypoints in reverse order of timestamps;

navigating the remote vehicle along the return path until the control signal is received from the operator control unit; and

setting a retrotraverse end time to the current time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the time stamped waypoints are separated by at least a minimum difference in time and distance.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a list of previously-performed retrotraverses by recording a list of start time and end time pairs for each retrotraverse period of time.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising excluding waypoints recorded during previously-performed retrotraverses from the return path.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising excluding waypoints recorded during previously-performed retrotraverses by excluding waypoints recorded between the start time and end time pairs for each previously-performed retrotraverse.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising excluding waypoints traversed during previously-performed retrotraverses from the return path.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the remote vehicle'"'"'s position using odometry.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the remote vehicle'"'"'s position using one or more of a global positioning system or navigation beacon points.