Method and system for multi-mode coverage for an autonomous robot
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A mobile robot, comprising:
- a controllable drive element operable to move the robot over a surface;
an obstacle detection sensor; and
a control system operatively connected to said obstacle detection sensor and said controllable drive element;
wherein said control system is configured to operate the robot in a plurality of operational modes including an obstacle-following mode in which said robot is controlled to travel adjacent to a detected obstacle for a distance of at least twice a working width of the robot in response to detection of the detected obstacle.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A control system for a mobile robot (10) is provided to effectively cover a given area by operating in a plurality of modes, including an obstacle following mode (51) and a random bounce mode (49). In other embodiments, spot coverage, such as spiraling (45), or other modes are also used to increase effectiveness. In addition, a behavior based architecture is used to implement the control system, and various escape behaviors are used to ensure full coverage.
357 Citations
12 Claims
-
1. A mobile robot, comprising:
-
a controllable drive element operable to move the robot over a surface; an obstacle detection sensor; and a control system operatively connected to said obstacle detection sensor and said controllable drive element; wherein said control system is configured to operate the robot in a plurality of operational modes including an obstacle-following mode in which said robot is controlled to travel adjacent to a detected obstacle for a distance of at least twice a working width of the robot in response to detection of the detected obstacle. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
-
-
2. A mobile robot comprising:
-
a controllable drive element operable to move the robot over a surface; an obstacle encounter sensor; and a control system operatively connected to said obstacle encounter sensor and said controllable drive element; said control system configured to operate the robot in a plurality of operational modes, and to switch between the modes in real time, said plurality of operational modes comprising; a spot-coverage mode whereby the robot operates in an isolated area, an obstacle following mode in which said robot follows a perimeter of an encountered obstacle, and a bounce mode in which the robot travels in a direction away from the perimeters of encountered obstacles; wherein said control system is configured to operate the robot in obstacle-following mode such that an average distance that the robot follows the perimeter of an encountered obstacle per obstacle-following mode initiation is equal to about twice a ratio of a working width (w) of the robot to a probability (p) of entering the obstacle-following mode upon an obstacle encounter. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A mobile robot comprising:
-
a controllable drive element operable to move the robot over a surface; an obstacle detection sensor; and and a control system operatively connected to said obstacle detection sensor and said controllable drive element; wherein said control system is configured to operate the robot in a plurality of operational modes including;
a spot-covering mode in which the robot is controlled to move in a substantially spiral movement, an obstacle-following mode in which the robot is controlled to travel adjacent to a detected obstacle for a distance of at least twice a working width of the robot in response to detection of the detected obstacle, and a bounce mode in which the robot is controlled to travel substantially in a direction away from a detected obstacle;wherein the control system is configured to initiate obstacle-following mode in response to some obstacle detections, and to initiate bounce mode in response to other obstacle detections.
-
Specification