Method and system for multi-mode coverage for an autonomous robot
First Claim
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1. A mobile robot comprising:
- a drive mechanism that both drives the robot forward in a drive direction and turns the robot to change the drive direction;
a floor cleaner disposed on a first lateral side of the robot, transverse to the drive direction;
a forward obstacle sensor system responsive to objects encountered by the robot while moving in the drive direction, the forward obstacle sensor system comprising first and second obstacle sensors disposed on a forward portion of the robot, wherein the first obstacle sensor is disposed on the first lateral side of the robot and the second obstacle sensor is disposed on an opposite, second lateral side of the robot with respect to the drive direction;
a side sensor positioned to detect proximity of objects on the first lateral side of the robot, transverse to the drive direction; and
a drive controller that controls the drive mechanism to turn the robot;
wherein the drive controller is configured to, in response to detecting an object by the forward obstacle sensor system proximate the forward portion of the robot, determine an approximate angle at which the detected object was encountered by the robot, and when the angle is on the second lateral side of the robot with respect to the drive direction, turn the robot to position the floor cleaner substantially adjacent the detected object while monitoring with the side sensor proximity of the object on the first lateral side of the robot, and then drive the robot in the drive direction to follow the detected object proximate the first lateral side with the floor cleaner substantially adjacent the detected object.
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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.
929 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A mobile robot comprising:
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a drive mechanism that both drives the robot forward in a drive direction and turns the robot to change the drive direction; a floor cleaner disposed on a first lateral side of the robot, transverse to the drive direction; a forward obstacle sensor system responsive to objects encountered by the robot while moving in the drive direction, the forward obstacle sensor system comprising first and second obstacle sensors disposed on a forward portion of the robot, wherein the first obstacle sensor is disposed on the first lateral side of the robot and the second obstacle sensor is disposed on an opposite, second lateral side of the robot with respect to the drive direction; a side sensor positioned to detect proximity of objects on the first lateral side of the robot, transverse to the drive direction; and a drive controller that controls the drive mechanism to turn the robot; wherein the drive controller is configured to, in response to detecting an object by the forward obstacle sensor system proximate the forward portion of the robot, determine an approximate angle at which the detected object was encountered by the robot, and when the angle is on the second lateral side of the robot with respect to the drive direction, turn the robot to position the floor cleaner substantially adjacent the detected object while monitoring with the side sensor proximity of the object on the first lateral side of the robot, and then drive the robot in the drive direction to follow the detected object proximate the first lateral side with the floor cleaner substantially adjacent the detected object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A mobile robot comprising:
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a drive mechanism that both drives the robot forward across a floor in a drive direction and turns the robot to change the drive direction; a proximity sensor responsive to proximity of an object to be followed on a lateral side of the robot; a drive controller that controls the drive mechanism to turn the robot to follow the object on the lateral side of the robot, by changing a robot turning radius to maintain continuous detection of the object by the sensor, including turning the robot toward the lateral side in response to cessation of detection of the object proximate the lateral side; and a drive controller that controls the drive mechanism to turn the robot to follow the object on the lateral side of the robot, by changing a robot turning radius to maintain continuous detection of the object by the sensor, including turning the robot toward the lateral side in response to cessation of detection of the object proximate the lateral side; wherein the proximity sensor is configured to detect the proximity of an object located at an expected position approximately three inches ahead of a drive wheel of the drive mechanism in the drive direction, the proximity sensor comprising an emitter and a detector collimated so that a finite volume of intersection occurs at the expected position. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification