Robot system

• US 8,374,721 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2006
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Halloran, Michael J., Mammen, Jeffrey W., Campbell, Tony L., Walker, Jason S., Sandin, Paul E., Billington, John N. Jr., Ozick, Daniel N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jamie
• Application Number:
  US11/633,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20070250212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,262 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/264, 901/1, 901/19, 901/23, 901/47, 318/568.1, 318/568.11, 318/568.12, 340/539.13, 340/572.4, 340/825.49, 342/450, 701/23, 701/207
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/40 Parts or details of machines not provided for in groups A47L11/02 - A47L11/38, or not restricted to one of these groups, e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4072 Arrangement of castors or wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0466 Rotating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/12 Dry filters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/30 Arrangement of illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2036 Electric differentials, e.g. for supporting steering vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 : Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 : characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 : Conductive energy transfer
• 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 1/0227 : using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 : using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 : using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• 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 1/028 : using a RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 : in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 : Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/50 : Miscellaneous

Abstract

A power-saving robot system includes at least one peripheral device and a mobile robot. The peripheral device includes a controller having an active mode and a hibernation mode, and a wireless communication component capable of activation in the hibernation mode. A controller of the robot has an activating routine that communicates with and temporarily activates the peripheral device, via wireless communication, from the hibernation mode. In another aspect, a robot system includes a network data bridge and a mobile robot. The network data bridge includes a broadband network interface, a wireless command interface, and a data bridge component. The data bridge component extracts serial commands received via the broadband network interface from an internet protocol, applies a command protocol thereto, and broadcasts the serial commands via the wireless interface. The mobile robot includes a wireless command communication component that receives the serial commands transmitted from the network data bridge.

Claims

1. A robot system comprising:

at least one peripheral device to be placed in an environment and comprising;

a power supply;

a wireless communication component comprising infrared communication components; and

a controller having an active mode in which the peripheral device is fully operative, and a hibernation mode in which the peripheral device is at least partly inactive, the wireless communication component being capable of activation in the hibernation mode; and

a mobile robot comprising;

a drive system that moves the robot about the environment,

a wireless communication component comprising infrared communication components; and

a controller having an activating routine that communicates with the peripheral device via the wireless communication components and temporarily activates the peripheral device from the hibernation mode when the wireless communication components of the peripheral device and the robot come within range of one another, and the controller having a binding routine that communicates using the mobile robot'"'"'s infrared communication components, wherein the mobile robot and the peripheral device are within infrared communication while the controller is executing the binding routine.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein upon the wireless command communication component of the peripheral device receiving a robot ping from the wireless command communication component of the robot, the controller of the peripheral device switches to operate in the active mode.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein when the robot is located outside a communication range between the wireless command communication component of the robot and the wireless command communication component of the peripheral device, the controller of the peripheral device operates in the hibernation mode.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein when the peripheral device enters a low power state, the controller of the peripheral device switches to the hibernation mode.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the robot comprises a floor-cleaning coverage robot.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the peripheral device comprises a navigation beacon with a gateway beacon emitter arranged to transmit a gateway marking emission with the navigation beacon disposed within a gateway between a first bounded area and an adjacent second bounded area, the areas both within the environment.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication components communicate with transmission wavelengths that permit the robot and the peripheral device to be outside of line of sight during communication of the activating routine.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication components communicate with transmission wavelengths that require the robot and the peripheral device to be within a line of sight during communication of the binding routine.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the peripheral device is precluded from altering modes from the hibernation mode to the active mode until a line of sight is present between the robot and the peripheral device and the binding routine has successfully executed.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication components communicate with a point-to-point protocol while excluding routing.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication components communicate commands interpretable by the peripheral device to initiate a function.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the peripheral device, while in the hibernation mode, occasionally listens for a robot ping.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the peripheral device, while in the hibernation mode, occasionally polls for a quiet robot.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the peripheral device is a base station.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the peripheral device is a mobile device.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the robot measures a signal strength of a wireless transmission communicated by the wireless communication component of the peripheral device to determine a distance from the peripheral device.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless transmission communicated by the robot wireless communication circuit includes identification information.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless transmission communicated by the peripheral device wireless communication circuit includes identification information.

19. A robot system comprising:

a network data bridge comprising;

a broadband network interface connectible to an internet protocol network and carrying communications transferred in compliance with an internet protocol, wherein the internet protocol specifies internet protocol header information;

a wireless command interface connectible to a wireless command protocol network and carrying communications transferred under a command protocol, wherein the command protocol specifies communication lacking the internet protocol header information; and

a data bridge component, the data bridge component extracting serial commands received via the broadband network interface from the internet protocol and applying the command protocol thereto, the data bridge component broadcasting the serial commands via the wireless command interface; and

a mobile robot comprising;

a drive system that moves the robot about an environment; and

a wireless command communication component that receives the serial commands transmitted from the network data bridge.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising at least one peripheral device to be placed in the environment and comprising:

a peripheral wireless command communication component receiving serial commands transmitted from the robot and the network data bridge; and

a controller having an active mode in which the peripheral device is fully operative, and a hibernation mode in which the peripheral device is at least partly inactive;

wherein the peripheral wireless command communication component is capable of activation in the hibernation mode.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein upon the peripheral wireless command communication component receiving a robot ping from the wireless command communication component of the robot, the controller of the peripheral device switches to the active mode.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein when the robot is located outside a communication range between the wireless command communication component of the robot and the wireless command communication component of the peripheral device, the controller of the peripheral device operates in the hibernation mode.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein when the peripheral device enters a low power state, the controller of the peripheral device switches to the hibernation mode.

24. The system of claim 19 wherein the peripheral device, while operating in the hibernation mode, occasionally polls for a quiet robot.

25. The system of claim 19 wherein the peripheral device, while operating in the hibernation mode, occasionally listens for a robot ping.