Robot confinement

• US 9,713,302 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2014
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Cohen, David A., Lewis, Jr., David M., Gilbert, Jr., Duane L., Vu, Clara, Dubrovsky, Zivthan A., Chiappetta, Mark J., Preneta, Joshua B., Mammen, Jeffrey W., Sandin, Paul E., Jones, Joseph L., Ozick, Daniel N., Campbell, Tony L., Bergman, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): LI, CE LI
• Application Number:
  US14/489,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20150006015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/145 Structure borne vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/62 charged by low-power generators primarily intended to support the batteries, e.g. range extenders
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• 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 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0259 using magnetic or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0265 : using buried wires
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/028 : using a RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• 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 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• 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 901/09 : Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement

Abstract

An autonomous coverage robot system includes an active boundary responder comprising a wire powered with a modulated current placed along a perimeter of a property, at least one passive boundary responder placed on a property interior circumscribed by the active boundary responder, and an autonomous coverage robot. The robot includes a drive system carried by a body and configured to maneuver the robot across the property interior. The robot includes a signal emitter emitting a signal, where the passive boundary responder is responsive to the signal and a boundary responder detection system carried by the body. The boundary responder detector is configured to redirect the robot both in response to the responder detection system detecting an active boundary responder and in response to detecting a passive boundary responder.

Claims

1. A method performed by an autonomous robot lawnmower for cutting grass, the method comprising:

following a path defined by one or more responders, an end of the path being in a second area, thereby crossing a first area between the second area and a third area, to move autonomously from the third area to the second area without cutting grass in the first area;

determining that the autonomous robot lawnmower has reached the end of the path and is inside of a perimeter of the second area based on detecting the one or more responders; and

cutting grass within the second area upon determining that the autonomous robot lawnmower is inside of the perimeter of the second area.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

cutting grass within the third area before following the path.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising disabling a grass cutter of the autonomous robot lawnmower before following the path.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising enabling the grass cutter before cutting grass within the second area.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

enabling the grass cutter while the autonomous robot lawnmower is inside of a perimeter of the third area.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

enabling the grass cutter while the autonomous robot lawnmower is within a prescribed range of at least one of the one or more responders.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, using a stasis detector carried by the autonomous robot lawnmower, stasis of the autonomous robot lawnmower.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the stasis detector comprises an optical sensor.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the optical sensor is a mouse-type sensor.

10. A method performed by an autonomous robot lawnmower for cutting grass, the method comprising:

following one or more responders along a path, the path having an end in the a cuttable area, to cross a non-cuttable area, thereby autonomously moving from a second cuttable area to the first cuttable area while a grass cutter of the autonomous robot lawnmower is disabled;

enabling the grass cutter when the autonomous robot lawnmower reaches the end of the path and is inside of a perimeter of the first cuttable area based on detecting the one or more responders; and

then

cutting grass within the first cuttable area.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

cutting grass within the second cuttable area before autonomously crossing the non-cuttable area.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

autonomously disabling the grass cutter of the autonomous robot lawnmower before autonomously crossing the non-cuttable area.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the grass cutter is enabled when the autonomous robot lawnmower is within a prescribed range of at least one of the one or more responders.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting, using a stasis detector of the autonomous robot lawnmower, stasis of the autonomous robot lawnmower.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the stasis detector comprises an optical sensor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the optical sensor is a mouse-type sensor.