Device for Influencing Navigation of an Autonomous Vehicle

a technology for autonomous vehicles and devices, applied in the direction of process and machine control, distance measurement, instruments, etc., can solve the problems of inability to detect cliffs, inappropriate halting or reversing of autonomous devices, and potential interferen

Inactive Publication Date: 2010-11-18
IROBOT CORP
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]The present teachings further provide a docking station having at least one inclined, reflective surface configured to control the reflection of incident beams, the surface influencing navigation of a robotic cleaning device having a navigation sensor comprising a beam emitter

Problems solved by technology

Because the cliff sensor works on the notion that a “cliff” exists when no reflection of the IR-LED beam is received, there can be occasions when no cliff exists, but the environment, surface composition, or surface geometry interferes with reflection of the IR-LED beam back to the receiver, causing false detection of a cliff and inappropriate halting or reversing of the autonomous device.
While such inclined surfaces may not always interfere with accurate cliff sensor detection, they have the potential to interfere therewith.
Thus, the controller may inappropriately halt or reverse the device, believing that a cliff

Method used

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  • Device for Influencing Navigation of an Autonomous Vehicle
  • Device for Influencing Navigation of an Autonomous Vehicle
  • Device for Influencing Navigation of an Autonomous Vehicle

Examples

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Embodiment Construction

[0023]Reference will now be made in detail to various exemplary embodiments of the present teachings, one or more of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0024]As autonomous devices such as robotic cleaning devices navigate an area such as a floor to be cleaned, their path can be substantially randomly generated and controlled by input from various sensors on the autonomous device such as, for example, cliff sensors. The cliff sensor's primary purpose is to prevent the autonomous device from driving off of a “cliff,” The cliff sensor can also be utilized, however, to control navigation of the autonomous device when reflection or the direction of a reflection of a beam emitted from the cliff sensor is controlled to influence navigational behavior of the vehicle. This can be done, for example, by (1) preventing proper reflection of the emitted cliff sensor beam to the cliff sensor detector to keep the autonomous device from entering an area, or by (2) causing reflection ...

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Abstract

A device for controlling the reflection of incident beams to influence navigation of an autonomous device having a navigation sensor comprising a beam emitter and a beam detector for detecting reflected emitted beams. The device comprises at least one surface having a geometry configured to direct a reflection from the emitted beam in a predetermined direction so that a suitable amount of the reflected beam can be detected by the detector.

Description

INTRODUCTION[0001]The present teachings relate to devices and methods for controlling the reflection of emitted beams to influence navigation of an autonomous device having a navigation sensor utilizing reflected emitted beams to influence navigation, for example by ensuring that a reflection is obtained from an encountered surface that is inclined with respect to a surface on which the autonomous device is traveling. In certain embodiments, the present teachings relate more specifically to providing a surface configured to facilitate refection of emissions at an angle that allows proper operation of a cliff sensor of an autonomous device such as a robotic cleaning device encountering a surface that is inclined with respect to a surface on which the autonomous device is traveling.BACKGROUND[0002]Many autonomous devices that move around an area in a random or planned coverage path include navigation sensors such as cliff sensors that prevent the device from driving over a ledge such ...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): G05D1/00B25J5/00B25J19/02
CPCG05D1/0225G05D2201/0203G05D1/0242
Inventor NEUMANN, ROGELIO MANFREDROY, ROBERT PAUL
Owner IROBOT CORP
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