AUTONOMOUS INDOOR ROBOT WITH OPERATIONAL INDICATOR

Abstract

The invention relates to a robot specifically designed and equipped with a communication system configured to indicate, in addition to its status, the operation to be performed to resolve the problem. To achieve this, we spaced the action buttons (power button, emergency stop button, freewheel button, BMS reset button, etc.) apart and used sets of individually controllable LEDs mounted on a strip to indicate the action and the location of the manipulation to be performed.

Description

Title of the invention: AUTONOMOUS INDOOR ROBOT WITH OPERATIONAL INDICATOR Technical field of the invention

[0001] The technical field of the invention is that of autonomous indoor mobile vehicles, in particular vehicles which can be deployed within infrastructures such as factories, logistics centers, hospitals or public places without imposing substantial modifications to these infrastructures. Technological background

[0002] Autonomous mobile vehicles, better known by the English acronym AIV for Autonomous Intelligent Vehicles or AMR for Autonomous Mobile Robot, are robots designed to move freely within warehouses, production centers, logistics centers, etc., without guidance elements or piloting. These robots thus make it possible to transport goods from one point to another within the warehouse, without external intervention or supervision.

[0003] Most AIVs use LEDs to indicate their status to those nearby. In some cases, animations or colors indicate the malfunction more precisely. However, the user manual should still be consulted to determine the correct procedure for resolving the problem.

[0004] If the robot is equipped with an interactive screen, it is sometimes used to show the operation to be performed.

[0005] It is also possible to use buttons equipped with light signals, and to light them up to signal a necessary operation. Objective of the invention

[0006] The objective of the invention is to overcome the disadvantages of prior solutions. Description of the invention

[0007] To this end, the invention relates to a robot specifically designed and equipped with a communication system configured to indicate, in addition to its status, the operation to be performed to resolve the problem. For this purpose, we have spaced the action buttons (power button, emergency stop button, freewheel button, BMS reset button, etc.) apart and used sets of individually controllable LEDs mounted on a strip to indicate the action and the location of the manipulation to be performed.

[0008] We use an LED strip that goes all the way around the robot.

[0009] We use a color code indicating the vehicle's condition, for example: - Red = emergency stop - Orange = not operational - Yellow = location required - Cyan = mapping in progress - Violet = autonomous navigation - Green = in charge - Blue-white-red = awaiting order

[0010] We change the colors of some LEDs near the interaction buttons to indicate the operation to be performed and the location where the operation can be performed:

[0011] The LEDs highlight the emergency stop button when it is engaged.

[0012] The LEDs highlight the freewheel button when the vehicle needs to be reset.

[0013] The LEDs highlight the BMS reset button when the battery needs to be woken up.

[0014] The LEDs highlight the power switch for a vehicle restart.

[0015] We also use the corners of the vehicle to indicate particular modes: - white = maintenance mode - orange = obstacle detected - White and red = remote control or operator mode to indicate the direction of movement

[0016] To complement the visual information present, the robot emits specific sounds at each change of state to notify its environment.

[0017] The main feature of the invention is the use of configurable LEDs around the robot allowing simplified interaction with the user by indicating both the error condition, the operation to be performed and the location of the operation to be performed in order to make the robot operational.

Claims

Claims

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