Robotic systems and methods

• US 9,527,217 B1
• Filed: 11/19/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Onemarket Network LLC
• Original Assignee: Westfield Labs Corporation
• Inventors: Lowy, Joshua Lynton
• Primary Examiner(s): LOGAN, KYLE O
• Application Number:
  US14/946,635
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• Field of Search: 700/216
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/006 by means of a wireless system for controlling one or several manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/005 using batteries, e.g. as a back-up power source
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/021 Optical sensing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/00 Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages B25J1/00 takes precedence; programme-controlled manipulators B25J9/00 ; vehicle aspects B60, B62, e.g. remote-controlled steering for motor vehicles B62D1/24; control of position of vehicles G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0014 Image feed-back for automatic industrial control, e.g. robot with camera robots B25J19/023
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A robot having a base with a moving mechanism configured to move the robot according to control instructions, a controller configured to move the robot within a predetermined area along a pathway area, a body supported on the base, a camera mounted on the body and controlled to capture photo images while traveling along the pathway area, wherein the robot is controlled to rotate its body about a point in the pathway area and use the camera to take a 360 degree photo image of the surrounding at the location. The photo image is analyzed to identify information related to the location.

Claims

1. A robot system, comprising:

at least one robot having;

at least one transceiver configured to receive wireless signals from a building structure to determine a location of the robot within the building structure;

a base having a moving mechanism configured to move the robot according to control instructions received in the robot, wherein;

the base of the robot is configured to have a storage space to hold items for transportation within the building structure, and

the base has a door or latch configured to secure the storage space from unauthorized access;

a controller configured to;

determine the location of the robot within the building structure based on the wireless signals, and

control the moving mechanism to move the robot within a predetermined area along a pathway within the building structure in accordance with digital map data of the building structure;

a body supported on the base; and

a camera mounted on the body and controlled by the controller to capture photo images while traveling along the pathway;

wherein the robot;

receives an instruction from a server, wherein the instruction identifies a location within the building structure;

travels to the location identified in the instruction;

transports the items in the storage space from a store in the building structure to a centralized location in the building structure;

takes a photo image of the surrounding of a point in the building structure while traveling to the location identified in the instruction, wherein the building structure at the point has a posted announcement captured by the photo image; and

communicates the photo image to the server;

wherein the server;

receives the photo image from the robot;

analyzes the photo image;

identifies the announcement posted in the building structure and captured in the photo image;

extracts information provided in the announcement from analyzing the photo image;

generates content based on the information; and

publishes, to a mobile application via an application programming interface (API), the content generated based on the information.

2. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the photo image is a 360 degree photo image of surrounding at the point in the building structure.

3. The robot system of claim 2, wherein the robot is configured to rotate the body about the point in the pathway to capture the 360 degree photo image using the camera.

4. The robot system of claim 1, further comprising:

a dock station having a receptacle;

wherein the robot further includes a connector configured to be plugged in the receptacle to provide a connection to charge a battery of the robot when the robot is docked at the dock station.

5. The robot system of claim 4, wherein when the connector is plugged in the receptacle, the connector and the receptacle further provides a data communication channel to download instructions from the server to the robot and to upload data captured by the robot to the server.

6. The robot system of claim 1, further comprising:

the server configured to recognize the information from the photo image captured by the camera of the robot.

7. The robot system of claim 6, wherein the server is configured to recognize the information based on optical character recognition and matching of predetermined keywords.

8. The robot system of claim 6, wherein the server is configured to recognize the information based on processing a bar code in the photo image captured by the camera of the robot.

9. The robot system of claim 6, wherein the server is configured to provide over an internet a user interface on a user device to access the information.

10. The robot system of claim 9, wherein the server is configured to present the information on a map of the building structure.

11. The robot system of claim 10, wherein the building structure is a shopping mall.

12. The robot system of claim 11, wherein the information is identified to be offers from stores in the shopping mall;

and the robot is configured to travel to a plurality of store fronts in the shopping mall to capture 360 degree photo images of the store fronts.

13. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the robot further includes a wireless communications transceiver to measure wireless signal strength levels in the building structure and correlate the measured signal strength levels with locations of the robot at which the signal strength levels are made.

14. The robot system of claim 13, wherein the server is configured to present at least one of:

a map of the signal strength levels in the building structure; and

a map of the wireless communications devices in the building structure.

15. A robot, comprising:

transceivers configured to receive wireless signals from a building structure to determine a location of the robot within the building structure;

a base having a moving mechanism configured to move the robot according to control instructions received in the robot, wherein;

the base of the robot is configured to have a storage space to hold items for transportation within the building structure, and

the base has a door or latch configured to secure the storage space from unauthorized access;

a controller configured to;

determine the location of the robot within the building structure based on the wireless signals, and

control the moving mechanism to move the robot within a predetermined area along a pathway within the building structure in accordance with digital map data of the building structure;

a body supported on the base; and

a camera mounted on the body and controlled by the controller to capture photo images while traveling along the pathway;

wherein the robot;

receives an instruction from a server, wherein the instruction identifies a location within the building structure;

travels to the location identified in the instruction;

transports the items in the storage space from a store in the building structure to a centralized location in the building structure;

takes a photo image of the surrounding of a point in the building structure while traveling to the location identified in the instruction, wherein the building structure at the point has a posted announcement captured by the photo image; and

communicates the photo image to the server;

wherein the server;

receives the photo image from the robot;

analyzes the photo image;

identifies the announcement posted in the building structure and captured in the photo image;

extracts information provided in the announcement from analyzing the photo image;

generates content based on the information; and

publishes, to a mobile application via an application programming interface (API), the content generated based on the information.

16. The robot of claim 15, further comprising:

a touch screen configured to provide a user interface to present purchase orders;

wherein the items purchased from the store according to the purchase orders presented on the touch screen are secured in the storage space in the base of the robot and transported from the store to the centralized location in the building structure.

17. The robot of claim 16, wherein the robot is configured to autonomously travel in the building structure and capture photo images while traveling along the pathway.