Autonomous coverage robot

• US 9,483,055 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, Joseph M, Williams, Marcus R, Morse, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEEKS, MARTIN A
• Application Number:
  US13/729,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20140188325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 700258-259, 901/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/87 Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A mobile robot that includes a robot body having a forward drive direction, a drive system supporting the robot body above a cleaning surface for maneuvering the robot across the cleaning surface, and a robot controller in communication with the drive system. The robot also includes a bumper movably supported by a forward portion of the robot body and a obstacle sensor system disposed on the bumper. The obstacle sensor system includes at least one contact sensor disposed on the bumper, at least one proximity sensor disposed on the bumper and a auxiliary circuit board disposed on the bumper and in communication with the at least one contact sensor, the at least one proximity sensor, and the robot controller.

Claims

1. A mobile robot comprising:

a robot body having a forward drive direction;

a drive system supporting the robot body above a floor surface for maneuvering the robot across the floor surface;

a main circuit board in communication with the drive system;

a bumper frame defining a shape complementary of a front periphery of the robot body, the bumper frame supported by the robot body; and

an obstacle sensor system disposed on the bumper frame, the obstacle sensor system comprising;

a multiplexing auxiliary circuit board supported by the bumper frame, the multiplexing auxiliary circuit board including a computing processor and non-transitory memory, the computing processor capable of executing instructions stored on the non-transitory memory;

an array of proximity sensors distributed along the bumper frame, each proximity sensor having at least two wires collected in at least one wire collector, the at least one wire collector connected to the auxiliary circuit board, the array of proximity sensors comprising an array of wall proximity sensors disposed along a forward perimeter of the bumper frame, each wall proximity sensor directed outward substantially parallel to the floor surface; and

a communication line connecting the auxiliary circuit board to the main circuit board, the communication line having fewer than half the wires connecting the array of proximity sensors to the auxiliary circuit board;

wherein the multiplexing auxiliary circuit board is configured to;

receive, at the computing processor, sensor signals from the array of proximity sensors;

process the received sensor signals using the computing processor;

package the processed sensor signals into a data packet recognizable by the main circuit board; and

send the data packet from the computing processor to the main circuit board.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein at least one proximity sensor comprises a pair of converging infrared emitter-sensor elements, a sonar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a three-dimensional volumetric point cloud imaging device, or a contact sensor.

3. The robot of claim 1, wherein each proximity sensor comprises:

an infrared emitter having an emission field; and

an infrared detector having a detection field;

wherein the infrared emitter and the infrared detector are arranged so that the emission field overlaps with the detection field.

4. The robot of claim 1, wherein the obstacle sensor system further comprises an array of cliff proximity sensors distributed along the bumper frame and disposed forward of wheels of the drive system, each cliff proximity sensor directed downward at the floor surface for detecting a falling edge of the floor surface, each cliff proximity sensor having at least two wires collected in at least one wire collector, the at least one wire collector connected to the auxiliary circuit board.

5. The robot of claim 1, wherein the obstacle sensor system further comprises at least one optical confinement sensor disposed on the bumper frame and having a horizontal field of view of between 45°

and 270°

, the at least one optical confinement sensor having at least two wires collected in at least one wire collector, the at least one wire collector connected to the auxiliary circuit board.

6. The robot of claim 1, wherein the array of proximity sensors comprises an array of at least four discrete proximity sensors.

7. The robot of claim 1, wherein the array of proximity sensors comprises:

a first sensor array having three or more proximity sensors of a first sensor type; and

a second sensor array having three or more sensors of a second sensor type distinct from the first sensor type.

8. The robot of claim 7, wherein the first sensor array is disposed vertically above the second sensor array on the bumper frame with respect to the floor surface.

9. The robot of claim 7, wherein the first sensor array or the second sensor array comprises an array of wall proximity sensors disposed evenly along a forward perimeter of the bumper frame, each wall proximity sensor directed outward substantially parallel to the floor surface.

10. The robot of claim 9, wherein the other sensor array of the first sensor array or the second sensor array comprises an array of cliff proximity sensors distributed along the bumper frame and disposed forward of wheels of the drive system, each cliff proximity sensor directed downward at the floor surface for detecting a falling edge of the floor surface, each cliff proximity sensor having at least two wires collected in at least one wire collector, the at least one wire collector connected to the auxiliary circuit board.

11. The robot of claim 1, wherein the sensor data processing comprises at least one of analog-to-digital conversion, signal filtering, or signal conditioning.

12. The robot of claim 1, further comprising a bumper body housing and sealing the bumper frame and the obstacle sensor system against fluid infiltration, wherein the bumper body defines an orifice sized to receive the communication line, the communication line having a sealed fit with the orifice.

13. A mobile robot comprising:

a main circuit board;

an array of proximity sensors distributed along a front periphery of the mobile robot, each proximity sensor including at least one infrared emitter and at least one infrared detector, each proximity sensor having a sensor length defined between the infrared emitter and the infrared detector of the proximity sensor, a cumulative total of individual sensor lengths in the array is greater than a length of the array taken along the front periphery of the mobile robot, and each proximity sensor in the array corresponding to a predetermined proximity sensor position along the front periphery of the mobile robot;

a multiplexing auxiliary circuit board supported by the front periphery of the mobile robot, the multiplexing auxiliary circuit board including a computing processor and non-transitory memory, the computing processor configured to;

execute instructions stored on the memory;

receive sensor signals from the array of proximity sensors;

execute sensor data processing on the received sensor signals;

package the processed sensor signals into a data packet recognizable by the main circuit board; and

send the data packet to the main circuit board; and

a communication line connecting the auxiliary circuit board to the main circuit board, the communication line having fewer than half a number of wires connecting the array of proximity sensors to the auxiliary circuit board;

wherein each proximity sensor has at least two wires collected in at least one wire collector, the at least one wire collector connected to the auxiliary circuit board; and

wherein at least some of the proximity sensors in the array overlap one another along the front periphery of the mobile robot.

14. The mobile robot of claim 13 wherein at least one proximity sensor comprises a pair of converging infrared emitter-sensor elements, a sonar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a three-dimensional volumetric point cloud imaging device, or a contact sensor.

15. The mobile robot of claim 13, wherein each proximity sensor comprises:

an infrared emitter having an emission field; and

an infrared detector having a detection field;

wherein the infrared emitter and the infrared detector are arranged so that the emission field overlaps with the detection field.

16. The mobile robot of claim 13, wherein the array of proximity sensors comprises an array of at least four discrete proximity sensors.

17. The mobile robot of claim 13, wherein the array of proximity sensors comprises:

a first sensor array having three or more proximity sensors of a first sensor type; and

a second sensor array having three or more sensors of a second sensor type distinct from the first sensor type.

18. The mobile robot of claim 17, wherein the first sensor array is disposed vertically above the second sensor array on the bumper frame with respect to a floor surface supporting the robot.

19. A mobile robot comprising:

a multiplexing auxiliary circuit board;

an array of proximity sensors distributed along a bumper of the mobile robot, each proximity sensor including at least one infrared emitter and at least one infrared detector, each proximity sensor having at least two wires collected in at least one wire collector, the at least one wire collector connected to the multiplexing auxiliary circuit board; and

a communication line connecting the auxiliary circuit board to a main circuit board;

wherein the bumper is a unified encasement including two or more mating concave receptacles, the receptacles mating along a closed rim and sealed along that rim to enclose the array of proximity sensors and the auxiliary circuit board, the unified encasement including the communication line exiting through a single sealed aperture; and

wherein the multiplexing auxiliary circuit board is configured to;

receive sensor signals from the array of proximity sensors;

execute sensor data processing on the received sensor signals;

package the processed sensor signals into a data packet recognizable by the main circuit board; and

send the data packet to the main circuit board.

20. The mobile robot of claim 19, wherein the single sealed aperture defines an area less than one hundredth of a surface area of the unified encasement defined by the mating concave receptacles.

21. The mobile robot of claim 19, wherein the single sealed aperture is an orifice defining area of less than one square centimeter.

22. The mobile robot of claim 19, wherein a unified encasement defined by the mating concave receptacles has a Japanese Industrial Standard water resistance rating of 3 or more.

23. The mobile robot of claim 19, wherein the unified encasement is made of infrared transparent and visible light-blocking plastic.

24. The mobile robot of claim 19, wherein the main circuit board is disposed on a main body of the robot and the auxiliary circuit board is disposed on a bumper movably connected to the main body.

25. A mobile robot comprising:

a robot body having a forward drive direction;

a drive system supporting the robot body above a floor surface for maneuvering the robot across the floor surface;

a main circuit board in communication with the drive system;

a bumper frame defining a shape complementary of a front periphery of the robot body, the bumper frame supported by the robot body; and

an obstacle sensor system disposed on the bumper frame, the obstacle sensor system comprising;

a multiplexing auxiliary circuit board supported by the bumper frame, the auxiliary circuit board including a computing processor and non-transitory memory, the computing processor capable of executing instructions stored on the memory;

an array of proximity sensors distributed along the bumper frame, each proximity sensor having at least two wires collected in at least one wire collector, the at least one wire collector connected to the multiplexing auxiliary circuit board, the array of proximity sensors comprising;

a first sensor array having three or more proximity sensors of a first sensor type; and

a second sensor array having three or more sensors of a second sensor type distinct from the first sensor type, the first sensor array disposed vertically above the second sensor array on the bumper frame with respect to the floor surface; and

a communication line connecting the auxiliary circuit board to the main circuit board, the communication line having fewer than half the wires connecting the proximity sensor array to the auxiliary circuit board;

wherein the multiplexing auxiliary circuit board is configured to;

receive, at the computing processor, sensor signals from the array of proximity sensors;

process the received sensor signals using the computing processor;

package the processed sensor signals into a data packet recognizable by the main circuit board; and

send the data packet from the computing processor to the main circuit board.