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Mobile robot and method of operating thereof

  • US 9,146,558 B2
  • Filed: 09/23/2011
  • Issued: 09/29/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method of operating a mobile robot, the method comprising:

  • driving the robot according to a drive direction;

    receiving robot position and movement data comprising;

    gyro data of the robot including a robot angular rate and a robot acceleration;

    drive odometry of the robot; and

    global positioning coordinates of the robot obtained from satellite communications;

    when the robot is at rest, determining a gyro bias based on the gyro data;

    determining a three-dimensional gravity vector of the robot based on the gyro data;

    determining an ego-motion estimate of the robot by;

    subtracting the gyro bias from the gyro data;

    resolving the gyro data relative to the three-dimensional gravity vector; and

    adding angular rates from the resolved gyro data to the drive odometry of the robot;

    when the satellite communications used to obtain the global positioning coordinates of the robot are available, determining a robot global position by combining the ego-motion estimate and the global positioning coordinates of the robot;

    when the satellite communications used to obtain the global positioning coordinates of the robot are unavailable;

    determining the robot global position of the robot based on at least one of the gyro data, the drive odometry, or dead reckoning; and

    upon regaining the satellite communications, obtaining global positioning coordinates of a current location of the robot and determining the robot global position by combining the ego-motion estimate and the global positioning coordinates of the current location of the robot;

    determining a driven path of the robot from an origin based on the robot global position;

    displaying a drive view on a remote operator control unit in communication with the robot, the drive view having the driven path of the robot from the origin; and

    displaying a map in the drive view using the global positioning coordinates, the driven path of the robot displayed on the map.

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