Method and system for multi-mode coverage for an autonomous robot
First Claim
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1. A mobile robot, comprising:
- a drive mechanism that both drives the robot forward in a drive direction and turns the robot to change the drive direction;
a floor cleaner disposed on a lateral side of the robot;
a sensor responsive to proximity of objects near the lateral side of the robot; and
a drive controller that controls the drive mechanism to drive the robot according to a behavior having first and second modes, the controller determining detection of an object proximate the lateral side of the robot upon the sensor transitioning between a reflection state and a non-reflection state;
wherein the drive controller is configured todrive the robot according to the first mode of the behavior to follow a sensed object proximate the lateral side of the robot by executing a first detection cycle of the sensor and upon detecting the reflection state, initiating a turn away from the followed object,execute a second detection cycle and, upon detecting the non-reflection state, initiate a turn toward the lateral side while driving the robot forward, andexecute a third detection cycle and upon detecting the non-reflection state, execute the second mode;
wherein the drive controller drives the robot according to the second mode of the behavior by initiating a turn of the robot toward the lateral side in accordance with a turning radius and progressively decreasing the turning radius of the robot over time while driving the robot forward, thereby causing the robot to turn more sharply until the robot encounters a change in sensory input; and
wherein the drive controller ceases the behavior upon turning toward the lateral side through an angle of more than 270 degrees before encountering a change in sensory input.
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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
10 Claims
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1. A mobile robot, comprising:
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a drive mechanism that both drives the robot forward in a drive direction and turns the robot to change the drive direction; a floor cleaner disposed on a lateral side of the robot; a sensor responsive to proximity of objects near the lateral side of the robot; and a drive controller that controls the drive mechanism to drive the robot according to a behavior having first and second modes, the controller determining detection of an object proximate the lateral side of the robot upon the sensor transitioning between a reflection state and a non-reflection state;
wherein the drive controller is configured todrive the robot according to the first mode of the behavior to follow a sensed object proximate the lateral side of the robot by executing a first detection cycle of the sensor and upon detecting the reflection state, initiating a turn away from the followed object, execute a second detection cycle and, upon detecting the non-reflection state, initiate a turn toward the lateral side while driving the robot forward, and execute a third detection cycle and upon detecting the non-reflection state, execute the second mode; wherein the drive controller drives the robot according to the second mode of the behavior by initiating a turn of the robot toward the lateral side in accordance with a turning radius and progressively decreasing the turning radius of the robot over time while driving the robot forward, thereby causing the robot to turn more sharply until the robot encounters a change in sensory input; and wherein the drive controller ceases the behavior upon turning toward the lateral side through an angle of more than 270 degrees before encountering a change in sensory input. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A mobile robot, comprising:
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a robot housing; a drive mechanism that both drives the robot housing forward in a drive direction and turns the robot housing to change the drive direction; a bump sensor responsive to the robot bumping into an object in the drive direction; a proximity sensor responsive to proximity of a wall to be followed on a lateral side of the robot housing; a side brush extending beyond a lateral extent of the housing, the side brush driven to sweep debris from a floor surface beyond the lateral extent of the housing, for collection by the robot; and a drive controller that controls the drive mechanism to drive the robot according to a behavior having first and second modes, the controller determining detection of an object proximate the lateral side of the robot upon the sensor transitioning between a reflection state and a non-reflection state;
wherein the drive controller is configured todrive the robot according to the first mode of the behavior to follow a sensed object proximate the lateral side of the robot by executing a first detection cycle of the sensor and upon detecting the reflection state, initiating a turn away from the followed object, execute a second detection cycle and, upon detecting the non-reflection state, initiate a turn toward the lateral side while driving the robot forward, and execute a third detection cycle and upon detecting the non-reflection state, execute the second mode; wherein the drive controller drives the robot according to the second mode of the behavior by initiating a turn of the robot toward the lateral side in accordance with a turning radius and progressively decreasing the turning radius of the robot over time while driving the robot forward, thereby causing the robot to turn more sharply until one of the sensors detects a wall on the lateral side; and wherein the drive controller ceases the behavior upon turning toward the lateral side through an angle of more than 270 degrees before one of the sensors detects a wall on the lateral side.
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Specification