Robot system

• US 8,761,931 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2013
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Halloran, Michael J., Mammen, Jeffrey W., Campbell, Tony L., Walker, Jason S., Sandin, Paul E., Billington, John N. Jr., Ozick, Daniel N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US13/893,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20130253701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/264, 318/568.12, 455/39, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/227, 709/229, 709/230, 709/249, 709/250, 370/338, 370/389, 370/392, 370/395.5, 370/395.52, 370/400, 370/401
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/40 Parts or details of machines not provided for in groups A47L11/02 - A47L11/38, or not restricted to one of these groups, e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4072 Arrangement of castors or wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0466 Rotating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/12 Dry filters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/30 Arrangement of illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2036 Electric differentials, e.g. for supporting steering vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 : Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 : characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 : Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 : involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 : using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 : using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 : using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 : using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 : comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 : using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/028 : using a RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 : in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 : Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/50 : Miscellaneous

Abstract

A power-saving robot system includes at least one peripheral device and a mobile robot. The peripheral device includes a controller having an active mode and a hibernation mode, and a wireless communication component capable of activation in the hibernation mode. A controller of the robot has an activating routine that communicates with and temporarily activates the peripheral device, via wireless communication, from the hibernation mode. In another aspect, a robot system includes a network data bridge and a mobile robot. The network data bridge includes a broadband network interface, a wireless command interface, and a data bridge component. The data bridge component extracts serial commands received via the broadband network interface from an internet protocol, applies a command protocol thereto, and broadcasts the serial commands via the wireless interface. The mobile robot includes a wireless command communication component that receives the serial commands transmitted from the network data bridge.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a mobile robot;

a network data bridge configured to create a communications bridge between a broadband network and a meshable network; and

a plurality of peripheral devices configured to communicate with the network data bridge and the mobile robot using the meshable network, wherein the peripheral devices are configured to act as a relay network by relaying one or more commands from a first peripheral device to a second peripheral device and then to the mobile robot, wherein the plurality of peripheral devices includes;

a first peripheral device configured to receive, by a first communication link of the meshable network, a first command from the network data bridge; and

a second peripheral device configured to receive, by a second communication link of the meshable network, the first command from the first peripheral device and to relay the first command to the mobile robot by a third communication link when the mobile robot is not in range of the first communication link and the network data bridge.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network data bridge is configured to bridge a broadband communication in compliance with 802.11 from the broadband network to a local communication in compliance with 802.15.4 on the relay network of peripheral devices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the peripherals are battery powered and configured to transmit one or more navigational beams, and wherein the mobile robot is configured to detect the navigational beams and use the detected navigational beams to navigate.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the network data bridge is configured to operate using power supplied by the broadband network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile robot is configured to autonomously modify robot performance by one or more learned effects of a customer home.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein autonomously modifying robot performance comprises altering a parameter of a robot behavior, altering the robot behavior directly, or disabling or activating the robot behavior based on analysis of usage information or information from one or more sensors on the robot.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the wherein the mobile robot is configured to transmit robot-generated data to a manufacturer server and in response, receive from the manufacturer server one or more robot behavioral changes to be implemented based on the robot-generated data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the mobile robot, the network data bridge, and the peripheral devices are configured to use one or more static network addresses for the broadband network.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the mobile robot and the peripheral devices are configured to hibernate in a low-power mode.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the network data bridge is a portable device configured to communicate with the mobile robot by a wireless, wired, or direct physical connection.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the network data bridge is configured to detachably connect to an Ethernet hub.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile robot is configured to receive a public key know to a user and to store a private key from a manufacturer of the mobile robot.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a computer system configured to perform operations comprising:

purchasing content authoring software from the manufacturer; and

watermarking output content from the content authoring software with the private key such that the mobile robot can play back the output content.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile robot is configured to collect data regarding one or more of:

battery use, recharging frequency, amount of time spent performing a primary task, amount of time spend idle, and the frequency with which the mobile robot becomes stuck.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the mobile robot is configured to periodically transmit the collected data to a manufacturer'"'"'s server using the network data bridge.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile robot is configured to receive, by the network data bridge, a command from a user generated by a mobile robot interaction website provided by a mobile robot manufacturer.

17. The system of claim 6, wherein the network data bridge is configured to convert data from the mobile robot interaction website into the command and transmit the command wirelessly to the mobile robot for execution.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile robot is configured to measure instantaneous signal strength or signal strength over time from one or more of the peripheral devices to navigate or correct peripheral-based navigation.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the mobile robot is configured to join the relay network using a channel that does not interfere with the relay network.