Emergency stop method and system for autonomous mobile robots
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A computer-controlled autonomous mobile robot, comprising:
- a chassis;
a drive subsystem for maneuvering the chassis including one or more motors;
a power source;
a power relay for relaying power from the power source to the one or more motors; and
an emergency stop system to trigger an emergency stop of the autonomous mobile robot by causing the power relay to interrupt power flow to the one or more motors, said emergency stop system comprising;
a base unit connected to the robot; and
an element engageable by a user extending from the base unit, the element being movably held by the base unit in an operation mode position,wherein the base unit includes a mechanism for detecting the presence of the element in the operation mode position and triggering an emergency stop of the robot when the element is moved out of the operation mode position by the user.
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Abstract
An emergency stop system for an autonomous mobile robot includes a base unit connected to the robot and an element engageable by a user extending from the base unit. The element is movably held by the base unit in an operation mode position. The base unit includes a mechanism for detecting the presence of the element in the operation mode position and triggering an emergency stop of the robot when the element is moved out of the operation mode position by the user.
138 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A computer-controlled autonomous mobile robot, comprising:
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a chassis; a drive subsystem for maneuvering the chassis including one or more motors; a power source; a power relay for relaying power from the power source to the one or more motors; and an emergency stop system to trigger an emergency stop of the autonomous mobile robot by causing the power relay to interrupt power flow to the one or more motors, said emergency stop system comprising; a base unit connected to the robot; and an element engageable by a user extending from the base unit, the element being movably held by the base unit in an operation mode position, wherein the base unit includes a mechanism for detecting the presence of the element in the operation mode position and triggering an emergency stop of the robot when the element is moved out of the operation mode position by the user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of supervising operation of a plurality of computer-controlled mobile robots autonomously performing operations in a given area, each of the robots including an emergency stop system comprising a base unit and an element engageable by a user extending from the base unit, the element being movably held by the base unit in an operation mode position, wherein the base unit includes a mechanism for detecting the presence of the element in the operation mode position and triggering an emergency stop of the robot when the element is moved by the user out of the operation mode position, the method comprising:
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observing the operation of the plurality of robots from a remote location; identifying a malfunctioning robot among said plurality of robots; approaching said malfunctioning robot from said remote location; and engaging the element of the emergency stop system of said malfunctioning robot to move it out of the operation mode position to trigger an emergency stop of the malfunctioning robot. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method performed by an autonomous mobile robot, the robot including an emergency stop system comprising a base unit and an element engageable by a user extending from the base unit, the element being movably held by the base unit in an operation mode position, the method comprising the steps of:
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autonomously performing a given operation in a given area; detecting movement of the element from the operation mode position when the element is moved by the user; and triggering an emergency stop of the robot when movement of the element out of the operation mode position is detected. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification