Robot Confinement
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of confining a robot in a work space includes providing a portable barrier signal transmitting device including a primary emitter emitting a confinement beam primarily along an axis defining a directed barrier. A mobile robot including a detector, a drive motor and a control unit controlling the drive motor is caused to avoid the directed barrier upon detection by the detector on the robot. The detector on the robot has an omnidirectional field of view parallel to the plane of movement of the robot. The detector receives confinement light beams substantially in a plane at the height of the field of view while blocking or rejecting confinement light beams substantially above or substantially below the plane at the height of the field of view.
6 Citations
33 Claims
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1-12. -12. (canceled)
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13. A robot system comprising:
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a portable barrier signal device comprising an emitter configured to emit an optical confinement signal primarily along an axis forming a directed barrier; and a mobile robot comprising at least two wheels, two motors, each motor being configured to a wheel of the at least two wheels for moving the mobile robot on a surface, a cleaner configured to clean the surface as the mobile robot moves on the surface, a detector configured to detect the directed barrier formed by the emitted optical confinement signal, and a control unit configured to determine whether the detector detects the directed barrier, and, upon determining that the detector detects the directed barrier, initiate one or more operations such that the robot avoids the directed barrier. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification