Method of Covering a Surface of a Building and Robot Therefor

• US 20160121486A1
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Published: 05/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Q-Bot Limited
• Original Assignee: Q-Bot Limited
• Inventors: Lipinski, Tomasz B., Childs, Peter, Holloway, Mathew
• Granted Patent: US 10,478,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/084 responsive to condition of liquid or other fluent material already sprayed on the target, e.g. coating thickness, weight or pattern
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/18 using fluids, e.g. gas streams
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/005 mounted on vehicles or designed to apply a liquid on a very large surface, e.g. on the road, on the surface of large containers
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/0405 with reciprocating or oscillating spray heads B05B13/0436, B05B13/0442, B05B13/0447, B05B13/0468 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/0431 with spray heads moved by robots or articulated arms, e.g. for applying liquid or other fluent material to 3D-surfaces B05B13/0436, B05B13/0442, B05B13/0447, B05B13/0463 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 3/00 Spraying or sprinkling apparatus with moving outlet elements or moving deflecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/02 performed by spraying
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0055 Cutting
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0075 Manipulators for painting or coating
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0019 End effectors other than grippers
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/04 with provision for the remote detachment or exchange of the head or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/76 specifically with respect to heat only heat insulation in general F16L59/00
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 21/12 acting by gas pressure, e.g. steam pressure
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 21/16 Implements for after-treatment of plaster or the like before it has hardened or dried, e.g. smoothing-tools, profile trowels E04F21/04, E04F21/165 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/43 Spray painting or coating

Abstract

A method of covering a surface of a building, the method comprising spraying an expandable foam material onto the surface and allowing the foam material to solidify whereby to form a covering of the surface and a robotic vehicle configured to carry out the method.

Claims

1. A method of covering a surface of a building, the method comprising spraying an expandable foam material onto the surface and allowing the foam material to solidify whereby to form a covering of the surface.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the foam material is a polyurethane foam.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, further comprising shaping the foam material after application to the surface whereby to provide a desired shape of the covering.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the foam material is shaped by applying a mould to the surface and spraying the foam material into the mould.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the foam material is shaped by machining the solidified foam material to remove excess foam material and form a desired shape of the covering.

6. A method as claimed in any preceding claim comprising applying a surface coating to the solidified foam material.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the surface coating comprises polyurea.

8. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the surface is an external surface of the building.

9. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the surface is an internal surface of the building.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the surface is the underside of the floor of a building.

11. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the foam material is sprayed by a robotic device carrying a spray nozzle and coupled to a source of the foam material.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the robotic device comprises a cutting tool for machining the solidified foam material to remove excess foam material and form a desired shape of the covering.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the cutting tool replaces the spray nozzle during machining of the solidified foam material.

14. A method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the robotic device comprises a sensing device configured to monitor the thickness of the covering applied to the surface.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the robotic device is configured to apply the foam material autonomously to the surface in order to achieve a required thickness of the covering.

16. A method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the robotic device comprises a robotic arm configured to move the spray nozzle over the surface.

17. A robotic device configured for carrying out the method of any of claims 11 to 16.

18. A method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 17 or a robotic device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the robotic device is a robotic vehicle comprising a propulsion system configured to move the robotic vehicle relative to the surface.

19. A method or a robotic vehicle as claimed in claim 18, wherein the propulsion system comprises at least one driven wheel.

20. A method or a robotic vehicle as claimed in claim 19, wherein the robotic vehicle comprises a chassis having a length and the at least one wheel is mounted so as to have two positions relative to the chassis:

a first position where the wheel is positioned so as to be able to drive the robot in the direction of the length of the chassis and a second position where the rotational axis of the wheel is aligned with the length, in which the maximum cross-sectional area of the robot in a plane perpendicular to the length is less in the second position than in the first position.

22. A method or a robotic vehicle as claimed in claim 20 or 21 comprising a pair of wheels mounted on a wheel mounting member, with the wheel mounting member spacing the wheels apart and the wheel mounting member being pivotally mounted on the chassis, rotation of the wheel mounting member relative to the chassis causing the wheels to move between the first and second positions.

23. A method or a robotic vehicle as claimed in claim 22, wherein each wheel of the pair is pivotally mounted to the wheel mounting member, whereby each wheel has a third position in which the wheel mounting member is aligned with the length of the chassis and the wheel is positioned so as to be able to drive the robot in the direction of the length of the chassis.

24. A method or a robotic vehicle as claimed in claim 19 comprising a pair of wheels mounted on a wheel mounting member, with the wheel mounting member spacing the wheels apart, wherein the wheel mounting member is configured to vary the relative spacing of the wheels of the pair.

25. A method or a robotic vehicle as claimed in claim 24, wherein the wheel mounting member is telescopic.

26. A method or a robotic vehicle as claimed in claim 24, wherein the wheel mounting member comprises a scissor mechanism.

27. A method or a robotic device as claimed in any of claims 11 to 26, wherein the robotic device comprises an optical sensor and at least one air nozzle, the air nozzle being arranged to direct an air stream across a surface of the optical sensor, whereby to prevent deposition of debris on the optical sensor.

29. A method, a robotic device or an optical sensor as claimed in claim 27 or 28, wherein the air stream forms an air curtain in front of the optical sensor.

21. A robotic vehicle comprising a chassis having a length, a propulsion system configured to move the robotic vehicle relative to a surface, the propulsion system comprising at least one driven wheel, wherein the wheel is mounted so as to have two positions relative to the chassis:

a first position where the wheel is positioned so as to be able to drive the robot in the direction of the length of the chassis and a second position where the rotational axis of the wheel is aligned with the length, in which the maximum cross-sectional area of the robot in a plane perpendicular to the length is less in the second position than in the first position.

28. An optical sensor for a robotic device, the optical sensor having at least one air nozzle arranged to direct an air stream across the surface of the optical sensor, whereby to prevent deposition of debris on the optical sensor.