Device for influencing navigation of an autonomous vehicle

• US 8,688,270 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2012
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Roy, Robert Paul, Neumann, Rogelio Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US13/647,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20130035793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/245
• 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 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0203 Cleaning or polishing vehicle

Abstract

A device for controlling the reflection of incident beams to influence navigation of an autonomous device having a navigation sensor comprising a beam emitter and a beam detector for detecting reflected emitted beams. The device comprises at least one surface having a geometry configured to direct a reflection from the emitted beam in a predetermined direction so that a suitable amount of the reflected beam can be detected by the detector.

Claims

1. A docking station for controlling the reflection of incident beams to influence navigation of an autonomous mobile device associated with the docking station and having a navigation sensor comprising an emitter emitting a beam and a detector detecting a reflected emitted beam, the docking station comprising a docking body defining:

a receiving surface raised above a floor surface supporting the docking station; and

a ramp extending downwardly from the receiving surface to the floor surface, the ramp defining steps, each step having at least one surface having a geometry configured to direct a reflection from the emitted beam of emitter of the autonomous mobile device in a predetermined direction so that a suitable amount of the reflected beam can be detected by the detector of the autonomous mobile device.

2. The docking station of claim 1, wherein each step comprises a vertical surface and a horizontal surface.

3. The docking station of claim 1, wherein each step comprises a generally horizontal surface and a generally vertical surface, wherein angles of the horizontal and vertical surfaces are oriented at a predetermined angle to attain a desired reflection path of light from the stepped surface.

4. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the surface geometry comprises a bumpy, textured surface.

5. The docking station of claim 1, wherein autonomous mobile device is robotic floor cleaning device.

6. The docking station of claim 5, wherein the navigation sensor is a cliff sensor.

7. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the ramp is inclined with respect to a surface over which the autonomous mobile device is intended to travel.

8. The docking station of claim 7, wherein the ramp is inclined toward the receiving surface at an angle of 30°

to 60°

with respect to the floor surface.

9. A docking station for controlling the reflection of incident beams to influence navigation of an autonomous mobile device associated with the docking station and having a navigation sensor comprising an emitter emitting a beam and a detector detecting a reflected emitted beam, the docking station comprising:

a docking body defining;

a receiving surface raised above a floor surface supporting the docking station; and

at least one ramp surface extending downwardly from the receiving surface to the floor surface generally in a first plane and having a geometry comprising sub-surfaces extending in different planes than the first plane and directing a reflection from the emitted beam from the autonomous mobile device toward the detector of the autonomous mobile device.

10. The docking station of claim 9, wherein the surface geometry comprises at least one step.

11. The docking station of claim 10, wherein each step comprises a vertical surface and a horizontal surface.

12. The docking station of claim 10, wherein each step comprises a generally horizontal surface and a generally vertical surface, wherein angles of the horizontal and vertical surfaces are oriented at a predetermined angle to attain a desired reflection path of light from the stepped surface.

13. The docking station of claim 9, wherein the autonomous mobile device is a robotic floor cleaning device.

14. The docking station of claim 13, wherein the navigation sensor is a cliff sensor.

15. The docking station of claim 9, wherein the at least one ramp surface is inclined with respect to a surface over which the autonomous device had been traveling.

16. The docking station of claim 15, wherein the at least one ramp surface is inclined at an angle of 30°

to 60°

with respect to the floor surface over which the autonomous device had been traveling.

17. A docking station having at least one inclined, reflective surface configured to control the reflection of incident beams, the surface influencing navigation of a robotic cleaning device having a navigation sensor comprising an emitter emitting a beam and a detector detecting a reflected emitted beam,

wherein the at least one inclined, reflective surface comprises at least one step has having a geometry configured to direct a reflection from the emitted beam in a predetermined direction so that a suitable amount of the reflected beam can be detected by the detector.

18. The docking station of claim 17, wherein each step comprises a generally horizontal surface and a generally vertical surface, wherein angles of the horizontal and vertical surfaces are oriented at a predetermined angle to attain a desired reflection path of light from the stepped surface.