Robotic ordering and delivery system software and methods
First Claim
1. A method for using a map to navigate a robot throughout a building, the method comprising the steps of:
- electronically defining point locations within a scaled computer representation of a floor plan of the building;
electronically defining robot paths within said computer representation between said point locations;
loading said scaled computer representation into said robot, wherein said loaded scaled computer representation includes the defined point locations and the defined robot paths;
performing a check querying a local computer system to ensure a network is operational and elevators are in good working order; and
navigating said robot based upon said defined robot paths within said loaded computer representation,wherein at least one of said electronically defined locations within said scaled computer representation represent elevators which are configured so that the robot is able to ride the elevators during the navigating step.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Systems, methods and devices for the automated delivery of goods form one to another using a robotic tug and accompanying cart. A computer within the tug or cart stores an electronic map of the building floor plan and intended paths for the tug to take when traversing from one location to the next. During the delivery, a variety of different sensors and scanners gather data that is used to avoid obstacles and/or adjust the movement of the tug in order to more closely follow the intended path. The system preferably includes both wired and wireless networks that allow one or more tugs to communicate with a tug base station, a primary network located at the site of the delivery and a remote host center that monitors the status and data collected by the tugs.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method for using a map to navigate a robot throughout a building, the method comprising the steps of:
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electronically defining point locations within a scaled computer representation of a floor plan of the building; electronically defining robot paths within said computer representation between said point locations; loading said scaled computer representation into said robot, wherein said loaded scaled computer representation includes the defined point locations and the defined robot paths; performing a check querying a local computer system to ensure a network is operational and elevators are in good working order; and navigating said robot based upon said defined robot paths within said loaded computer representation, wherein at least one of said electronically defined locations within said scaled computer representation represent elevators which are configured so that the robot is able to ride the elevators during the navigating step. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for using a map to navigate a robot throughout a building, the method comprising the steps of:
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electronically defining point locations within a scaled computer representation of a floor plan of the building; electronically defining robot paths within said computer representation between said point locations; loading said scaled computer representation into said robot, wherein said loaded scaled computer representation includes the defined point locations and the defined robot paths; navigating said robot based upon said defined robot paths within said loaded computer representation, wherein said navigating step comprises the steps of; receiving at least one indication of a final destination to which the robot intends to travel; determining a path on which to travel to said final destination based upon said computer representation; and generating a list of x,y coordinates which represent the path on said computer representation; accepting at least a portion of sensor data from sensors onboard said robot; and adjusting the path in said determining step based on said sensor data, wherein said sensor data includes information received directly from a second robot.
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20. A method for using a map to navigate a robot throughout a building, the method comprising the steps of:
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electronically defining first and second point locations within a scaled computer representation of a floor plan of the building, wherein the first point location defines an initial destination and the second point location defines a final destination; electronically defining robot paths within said computer representation between said first and second point locations; loading said scaled computer representation into said robot, wherein said loaded scaled computer representation includes the defined first and second point locations and the defined robot paths; navigating said robot based upon said defined robot paths within said loaded computer representation from the first point location to the second point location; determining a first path of the robot paths on which the robot intends to travel from the first point location to the second point location based upon the computer representation; generating the first path on the computer representation; determining that at least a portion of the first path is obstructed based on sensor data from sensors onboard said robot; and determining a second path on which to travel from the first point location to the second point location based at least in part on the sensor data. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. A method for using a map to navigate a robot throughout a building, the method comprising the steps of:
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electronically defining point locations within a scaled computer representation of a floor plan of the building; electronically defining robot paths within said computer representation between said point locations; loading said scaled computer representation into said robot, wherein said loaded scaled computer representation includes the defined point locations and the defined robot paths; and navigating said robot based upon said defined robot paths within said loaded computer representation, wherein at least one of the electronically defined locations represents a docking station of the robot that provides docking functionality for the robot and at least one of the electronically defined locations represents a final destination of the robot, wherein navigating the robot comprises navigating the robot between the final destination and the docking station, and wherein the docking functionality comprises at least two of recharging batteries of the robot, downloading any collected data of the robot, performing a diagnostic self-check of the robot, providing an interface with which a user can select a desired destination.
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Specification