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Robot management systems for determining docking station pose including mobile robots and methods using same

  • US 9,468,349 B2
  • Filed: 11/20/2015
  • Issued: 10/18/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A mobile robot system comprising:

  • a docking station configured to connect to a power supply, including;

    at least two pose-defining fiducial markers positioned on opposing sides of a midline of the docking station, the at least two pose-defining fiducial markers having a predetermined spatial relationship with respect to one another and/or to a reference point on the docking station such that a docking path to the base station can be determined from one or more observations of the at least two pose-defining fiducial markers; and

    a docking port having one or more charging contacts;

    a mobile cleaning robot including;

    a chassis,a motorized drive system connected to the chassis and having motorized tracks configured to move the mobile robot;

    a floor cleaning system configured to clean a floor surface of the space as the robot transits through the space;

    a wireless communication system having a wireless communication transmitter/receiver configured to communicate with a computer network to send and receive information from a remote user terminal, the remote user terminal being configured to communicate with and control the robot;

    a mapping system configured to map a space and to determine a position of the robot relative to the space; and

    a pose sensor assembly comprising a camera configured to output an output signal comprising image data;

    a controller configured to analyze the image data from the pose sensor assembly, the controller having the predetermined spatial relationship of the at least two pose-defining fiducial markers stored in a controller memory,wherein the controller is configured to determine a docking station pose that is based on the spatial relationship of the pose-defining fiducial markers and the signals from the pose sensor assembly, and to locate a docking station pose on a map of the surface traversed by the mobile robot, wherein the docking station pose comprises a position defined by location coordinates on the map, an angular orientation of the docking station on the map, and defines a docking lane on the map comprising outside edges and a central axis that is aligned with a central axis of the docking port, and the controller is configured to store the pose of the docking station on the map of the surface traversed by the mobile robot, andthe controller is further configured to path plan a docking trajectory including a path having a terminal portion aligned with the central axis of the docking lane of the docking station, based on a current robot position on the map of the surface and the docking station pose including the outside edges and the central axis of the docking lane and to provide instructions to the motorized drive to move the mobile robot along the path of the docking trajectory and into the docking lane within the outside edges and along the central axis of the docking lane of the docking station.

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