User-assisted robot navigation system

• US 8,364,309 B1
• Filed: 07/14/2009
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bendrix L. Bailey
• Original Assignee: Bendrix L. Bailey
• Inventors: Bailey, Bendrix L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US12/502,699
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: 901 1- 50, 700/184, 700/183, 700186-195, 700245-264, 701/1, 701 23- 27, 701400-512, 701/516, 701/518, 701/521, 701/525, 701/527, 701/532, 701/538
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0259 using magnetic or electromagnetic means
• 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 2201/0203 Cleaning or polishing vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/008 based on physical entities controlled by simulated intelligence so as to replicate intelligent life forms, e.g. based on robots replicating pets or humans in their appearance or behaviour

Abstract

A system and method in which a user and a mobile robot cooperate to create a plan for use by the robot in navigating a space. The robot may include a tracking unit that detects the distance traveled and direction from a starting or home location and orientation. The robot also includes a navigation module that controls the movement of the robot based on a navigation plan received from a robot control utility residing at a workstation operated by the user. The robot further includes a position error correction engine that is configured to correct for position errors that may occur as the robot traverses the space. The position error correction engine receives data from one or more robot sensors that detect structures disposed below the surface over which the robot travels. As the robot encounters obstacles in the space, it enters them on the floor plan. The user then reviews the information added by the robot to the floor plan and accepts, rejects or modifies that information in order to create the navigation plan.

Claims

1. A mobile robot comprising:

a controllable drive element operable to move the robot over a surface;

at least one sub-surface detector configured to sense the presence of a feature located below the surface over which the robot moves;

a memory coupled to the at least one sub-surface detector for storing data generated by the at least one sub-surface detector; and

a discovery engine coupled to the controllable drive element and to the memory, the discovery engine configured to

operate the controllable drive element to move the robot autonomously according to a predetermined discovery routine within a space,

determine a location of at least one obstacle encountered by the robot as the robot moves within the space according to the predetermined discovery routine, the at least one obstacle impeding the movement of the robot within the space,

store the determined location of the at least one obstacle in the memory, and

provide the determined location of the at least one obstacle to a management station.

2. The mobile robot of claim 1 further comprising:

one or more encoders coupled to the controllable drive element, the one or more encoders configured to generate data corresponding to a distance traveled by the robot; and

a position error correction engine coupled to the one or more encoders and the memory, the position error correction engine configured to utilize the data generated by the at least one sub-surface detector to produce a position error.

3. The mobile robot of claim 2 further comprising:

a navigation module coupled to the controllable drive element, the navigation module operating the controllable drive element to direct the robot to follow a navigation plan through the space, wherein

the navigation plan includes the location of the at least one obstacle as determined by the discovery engine.

4. The mobile robot of claim 3 wherein the navigation module is coupled to the position error correction engine, and is configured to utilize the position error in order to follow the navigation plan.

5. The mobile robot of claim 1 wherein the at least one sub-surface detector is configured to sense the presence of one or more of:

a floor joist,

a reinforcing bar (rebar),

a pipe,

an electrical wire, and

a duct work.

6. The mobile robot of claim 1 wherein the controllable drive element includes two drive wheels and at least one motor operatively coupled to the two drive wheels.

7. The mobile robot of claim 2 the position error produced by the position error correction engine corresponds to slippage of one or more of the two drive wheels.

8. The mobile robot of claim 1 further comprising:

a longitudinal axis, and

two sub-surface detectors that are symmetrically aligned about the longitudinal axis of the robot.

9. The mobile robot of claim 2 wherein the position error detection engine is configured to

determine distances between sub-surface features as the robot moves over the surface, and

compare a currently determined distance between two sub-surface features with a previously determined distance between the two sub-surface features to produce the position error.

10. The mobile robot of claim 1 further comprising a cleaning element for cleaning the surface over which the robot moves.

11. A method for programming a mobile robot to navigate a space, the method comprising:

producing a floor plan of the space to be navigated by the robot;

receiving one or more proposed modifications to the floor plan from the robot, the one or more proposed modifications corresponding to a location of at least one obstacle encountered by the robot as it moved about the space during a discovery phase, the at least one obstacle impeding movement of the robot in the space;

accepting or rejecting the one or more proposed modifications to the floor plan from the robot;

generating, on a processor, a navigation plan for the space; and

providing the navigation plan to the robot for use by the robot in navigating the space.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the navigation plan includes at least one user-specified pathway through a portion of the space to be navigated by the robot.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the navigation plan identifies at least one user-specified area in the space that is to be avoided by the robot.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein

the floor plan includes at least one obstacle in the space, and

the one or more proposed modifications includes a change in the location of the at least one obstacle.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving a report from the robot that describes how the robot navigated through the space.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising revising the navigation plan by a user based on the report received from the robot.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the floor plan is a two-dimensional, user-created graphical representation of the space to be navigated.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the navigation plan identifies at least one user-specified area in the space in which the robot is to use a preset navigation routine.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the navigation plan is included in the floor plan.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the generating the navigation plan comprises drawing navigation data onto the floor plan.

21. A mobile robot comprising:

a controllable drive element operable to move the robot over a surface;

a memory;

a discovery engine coupled to the controllable drive element and to the memory, the discovery engine configured to

operate the controllable drive element to move the robot according to a predetermined discovery routine within a space,

determine a location of at least one object that is encountered by the robot as the robot moves within the space, and that impedes movement of the robot,

store the determined location of the at least one movement impeding object in the memory, and

provide the determined location of the at least one movement impeding object to a management station; and

a navigation module coupled to the controllable drive element, the navigation module operating the controllable drive element to direct the robot to follow a navigation plan through the space, wherein

the navigation plan accounts for the location of the at least one movement impeding obstacle as determined by the discovery engine.

22. The mobile robot of claim 21 further comprising:

at least one sub-surface detector configured to sense the presence of a feature located below the surface over which the robot moves;

one or more encoders coupled to the controllable drive element, the one or more encoders configured to generate data corresponding to a distance traveled by the robot; and

a position error correction engine coupled to the one or more encoders and the memory, the position error correction engine configured to utilize the data generated by the at least one sub-surface detector to produce a position error.

23. The mobile robot of claim 22 wherein navigation module is coupled to the position error correction engine, and is configured to utilize the position error in order to follow the navigation plan.

24. The mobile robot of claim 22 wherein the position error detection engine is configured to

determine distances between sub-surface features as the robot moves over the surface, and

compare a currently determined distance between two sub-surface features with a previously determined distance between the two sub-surface features to produce the position error.

25. The mobile robot of claim 21 further comprising:

a cleaning element for cleaning the surface over which the robot moves.

26. A method for programming a mobile robot to navigate a space, the method comprising:

traversing, by the mobile robot, at least a portion of the space;

determining, by the mobile robot, a location of at least one obstacle in the space as the mobile robot traverses the at least a portion of the space, the at least one obstacle impeding movement of the mobile robot in the at least a portion of the space;

storing the determined location of the at least one obstacle in a memory of the mobile robot;

providing the determined location of the at least one obstacle from the mobile robot to a management station;

generating, at the management station, a navigation plan of the space, the navigation plan accounting for the determined location of the at least one obstacle;

providing the navigation plan from the management station to the mobile robot.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

utilizing, by the mobile robot, a predetermined discovery routine to traverse the at least a portion of the space.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the navigation plan includes at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a route for navigating around the determined location of the at least one obstacle when navigating within the space,

one or more pathways to be followed by the mobile robot when navigating within the space,

one or more first areas to be avoided by the mobile robot when navigating within the space, and

one or more second areas to be traversed according to a preset navigation routine.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

utilizing, by the mobile robot, the navigation plan when navigating within the space.

30. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

performing a cleaning operation, by the mobile robot, in the space.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the cleaning operating includes vacuuming the space.