Self-propelled robot and related operating method

Abstract

A self-propelled robot comprising: a motion unit (2) supporting a body (3); detection sensors (4), mounted on the body (3) and configured to sense parameters of interest and to emit corresponding detection signals (sd); position sensors (5), mounted on the body (3) and configured to detect the position of the robot (1) with respect to objects that may be present in the environment and emit corresponding position signals (sp); a vision unit (6), mounted on the body (3), comprising at least one LiDAR-type sensor (61), configured to emit a corresponding scanning signal (ss) of the environment surrounding the robot (1); a data control and processing unit (7), mounted in the body (3) and operatively connected to the detection sensors (4), position sensors (5), vision unit (6) and motion unit (2); a power supply unit (8), connected to and configured to power the motion unit (2), the sensors (4), the position sensors (5), the vision unit (6) and the data control and processing unit (7). The data control and processing unit (7) comprises: - a first data control and processing board (71), operatively connected to the position sensors (5) and configured to receive and process position signals (sp), obtaining information on the presence of any obstacles along the path; - a second data control and processing board (72), separate from the first board (71), operatively connected to the sensors (4) and configured to: receive the respective detection signals (sd), process them, thus obtaining the respective values of the parameters of interest, and output respective signals (so); - a third data control and processing board (73), separate from the first board (71) and the second board (72) and operatively connected both to the first board (71) and to the LiDAR-type sensor (61) of the vision unit (6) and configured to receive and pre-process the scanning signals (ss) sent by the latter, and to transmit in response to the first (71), the corresponding pre-processed scanning signals (pss) wherein the first board (71), the second board (72) and the third board (73) are configured to operate in a synchronised and coordinated manner with each other without the use of a shared clock, wherein the first board (71) is configured to: determine, on the basis of these pre-processed scanning signals (pss) and processed information on the presence of any obstacles along the path, whether or not there are obstacles in a predefined robot (1) movement space, calculate the possible path variant for circumventing these obstacles, and emit corresponding movement control signals (sc) to said motion unit (2).

Description

[0001] SELF-PROPELLED ROBOT AND RELATED OPERATING METHOD

[0002] ***

[0003] The present invention relates to a self-propelled robot configured to move within an environment, along a predetermined and remote-controlled path, which is more cost-effective and performs better than similar robots of the prior art. The present invention also relates to an operating method. In the present description and the following claims, specific reference will be made to self-propelled robots. In any case, a person skilled in the art will have no difficulty understanding how the present invention can be applied to any self-propelled machine, not necessarily a robot, configured to be moved or to move along a path in an environment.

[0004] Nowadays, various self-propelled robots are available on the market, capable of moving within an environment, along a predetermined and remote-controlled path, in order to monitor, by means of special environmental sensors mounted thereon the conditions of that environment, e.g. the levels of magnetic field, smoke, CO, CO2, TVOC, methane, formaldehyde, butane, benzene, ammonia, LPG, alcohol, propane, hydrogen, flammable gases and natural gas, or other parameters of interest.

[0005] Similarly, there are various self-propelled robots on the market that are capable of moving within an environment, along a predetermined and remote-controlled path, in order to monitor, by means of special physiological sensors mounted thereon, the vital parameters of a person present in that environment, e.g. heart rate, blood oxygenation, body temperature, blood sugar, etc., to name but a few.

[0006] Both of these types of robots comprise a processor board, operatively connected to the aforementioned environmental or physiological sensors, configured to receive the environmental or physiological detection signals transmitted by them and to process them by obtaining the corresponding values of the parameters of interest, and to remotely transmit the values of the parameters of interest thus obtained, optionally also together with other signals, such as alarm signals, etc.

[0007] These robots are also equipped with one or more position sensors, configured to detect the robot's distance from any bodies in the environment as well as any obstacles in its path, as well as a 360° vision unit, usually mounted on top of the robot, configured to take 360° images of the robot's environment.

[0008] Both the position sensors and the 360° vision unit are operatively connected to the aforementioned processor board, which is configured to also receive the position signals and the 360° images transmitted by them and to process them in order to obtain the correct detection of obstacles along the robot's path and to determine an alternative route to circumvent them.

[0009] The aforementioned self-propelled robots are also equipped with a motion unit, comprising a motor operatively connected, in a known way in the wheel and / or track sector, to the processor board, which processor board is configured to activate the motor and provide appropriate movement signals to thus control the movement of the self-propelled robot in the environment, along its path, also depending on the obstacles detected along the path itself.

[0010] The self-propelled robots currently on the market also comprise a power supply unit, e.g. a battery, connected to the processor board, to all the sensors, to the 360° vision unit and to the motion unit, and configured to power them for operation.

[0011] The self-propelled robots of the prior art made in this way suffer from certain drawbacks. First of all, since they have a large number of sensors mounted on them, they require very powerful power supply units and processor boards, in order to be able to move along a path within the environment and at the same time be able to guarantee the correct power supply of all the components, without undesirable voltage drops, and adequate computational performance, which allows them to monitor the environmental conditions or the physiological conditions of a person (with the monitoring frequency required by the circumstances), handling the permanent and destructive electromagnetic background noise, present in the circuits.

[0012] These self-propelled robots are consequently heavy and very expensive.

[0013] There is therefore a need to improve the state of the art in the field of self-propelled robots for monitoring parameters of interest in an environment, and the main purpose of the present invention is to make available a self-propelled robot that provides similar or superior performance to traditional self-propelled robots but is less heavy, less expensive, and higher performing.

[0014] Specific subject matter of the present invention is a self-propelled robot, configured to move within an environment, along a path, comprising: a motion unit supporting a body; detection sensors, mounted on the body and configured to detect parameters of interest and to emit corresponding detection signals; position sensors, mounted on the body and configured to detect the robot's position with respect to objects that may be present in the environment and to emit corresponding position signals; a vision unit, mounted on the body, comprising at least one LiDAR-type sensor, configured to emit a corresponding scanning signal of the robot's surroundings; a data control and processing unit, mounted in the body and operatively connected to the detection sensors, position sensors, vision unit and motion unit; a power supply unit, connected to and configured to supply power to the motion unit, the detection sensors, the position sensors, the vision unit and the data control and processing unit; wherein: the data control and processing unit comprises: a first data control and processing board, operatively connected to the position sensors and configured to receive and process position signals, obtaining information on the presence of any obstacles along the path; a second data control and processing board, separate from the first data control and processing board, operatively connected to the detection sensors and configured to: receive the respective detection signals (sd), process them, thus obtaining the respective values of the parameters of interest, and output respective signals; a third data control and processing board, separate from the first data control and processing board and the second data control and processing board, and operatively connected to both the first data control and processing board and the LiDAR-type sensor of the vision unit, and configured to receive and pre-process the scanning signals sent by the latter, and to transmit in response to the first data control and processing board, the corresponding pre-processed scanning signals; and wherein the first data control and processing board, the second data control and processing board and the third data control and processing board are configured to operate in a synchronised and coordinated manner with each other without the use of a shared clock, and the first data control and processing board is configured to: determine, on the basis of these pre-processed scanning signals and processed information on the presence of any obstacles along the path, whether or not there are obstacles in a predefined robot movement space, calculate the possible path variant for circumventing these obstacles, and emit corresponding movement control signals to said motion unit.

[0015] According to another aspect of the invention, the LiDAR-type sensor of the vision unit can be configured to perform a limited spatial scan at selected scanning angles, comprised between 0° and 120°, between 130° and 170°, between 190° and 230°, and between 240° and 360°, optionally between 0° and 110°, between 140° and 160°, between 200° and 220°, and between 250° and 360°, and at predetermined distances, optionally comprised between 60 cm and 1 m, from the LiDAR-type sensor (61).

[0016] According to a further aspect of the invention, the LiDAR-type sensor can be configured to perform a spatial scan at a sampling rate comprised between 3.6 KHz and 4.4 KHz.

[0017] According to an additional aspect of the invention, the robot may comprise a load control unit operatively connected, on one side, to the first data control and processing board, the second data control and processing board and the third data control and processing board and, on the other side, connected to the power supply unit, wherein the power supply unit may comprise a main battery and an auxiliary battery, and said load control unit may be configured to: monitor the power consumption required by each data control and processing board, predict possible power peaks required by each data control and processing board and emit corresponding monitoring signals to the power supply unit, based on which, the auxiliary battery can be activated, in order to prevent unwanted voltage drops below a certain threshold, at least on the second data control and processing board.

[0018] According to another aspect of the invention, the first data control and processing board, the second data control and processing board and the third data control and processing board, the supply unit and the motion unit may be covered with an insulating material, selected from insulating liquid tapes, thermoplastic polyurethane plastics, photopolymer resins, 3D printing insulating resins or combinations thereof.

[0019] According to a further aspect of the invention, the parameters of interest may be environmental parameters, optionally including concentration of methane, propane, CO, CO2, H2, smoke concentration, humidity level, pressure, altitude, ambient temperature, or physiological parameters of a person in such an environment, optionally including heart rate, blood oxygenation, body temperature and glycemia.

[0020] An operating method of a robot also forms the subject matter of the invention, comprising, after the robot has been powered up, the following operating steps:

[0021] A. activating the motion unit and position sensors via the first data control and processing board, the detection sensors via the second data control and processing board, and the LiDAR-type sensor of the vision unit via the third data control and processing board;

[0022] B. by means of the LiDAR-type sensor and the third data control and processing board, scanning the predefined robot movement space and transmitting the corresponding pre-processed scanning signals to the first data control and processing board and, by means of the position sensors and the first data control and processing board, obtaining information on the presence of any obstacles present along a path within the environment that the robot is to follow; C. determining the presence or absence of an obstacle in the predefined robot movement space, by the first data control and processing board and, if so, calculating the position of this obstacle, based on the position signals transmitted by the position sensors and the pre-processed scanning signals (pss) received;

[0023] D. if the presence of the obstacle in the predefined robot movement space is confirmed, waiting for a predefined waiting time;

[0024] E. repeating steps B and C; and

[0025] F. if the presence of the obstacle is still confirmed, processing an alternative path by the first data control and processing board and transmitting the corresponding movement signal to the motion unit; otherwise

[0026] G. processing and transmitting by the first data control and processing board, to the motion unit, a corresponding movement signal that causes the robot to continue along the predetermined path and then, returning to step B, until the path is completed.

[0027] According to another aspect of the invention, when the robot comprises the load control unit, the method, prior to step A, may comprise an initial setup step of the robot during which the auxiliary battery of the power supply unit is activated.

[0028] According to a further aspect of the invention, the method may comprise: monitoring continuously or at preset time intervals, by means of the load control unit, the power consumption required by the robot components and, when a limit threshold, optionally a voltage threshold, is exceeded, sending a corresponding monitoring signal from the load control unit to the power supply unit, and activating the auxiliary battery.

[0029] According to an additional aspect of the invention, step B may comprise scanning the predefined robot movement space at a maximum distance from the LiDAR-type sensor comprised between 60 cm and 1 m and according to scanning angles comprised between 0° and 120°, between 130° and 170°, between 190° and 230°, and between 240° and 360°, optionally between 0° and 110°, between 140° and 160°, between 200° and 220°, and between 250° and 360°.

[0030] The present invention will now be described, by way of a non-limiting illustrative example, according to preferred embodiments thereof, with particular reference to the figures in the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0031] Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a self-propelled robot for monitoring parameters of interest in an environment, according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a self-propelled robot for monitoring environmental and physiological parameters of interest of a person in an environment, according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 is a schematic view of the main components of a self-propelled robot according to a first variant of the present invention; and

[0034] Figure 4 shows a schematic view of the main components of a self-propelled robot according to a second variant of the invention; and

[0035] Figure 5 illustrates an operating method of a self-propelled robot according to the present invention. Referring now to the accompanying Figures 1 to 4, it will be noted that a self-propelled robot according to the present invention is indicated by reference number 1 and comprises a motion unit 2 supporting a body 3.

[0036] The motion unit 2 comprises at least one motor, connected in a known manner to wheels and / or tracks, which, when activated, drives the wheels and / or tracks and thus moves the robot within an environment.

[0037] The robot 1, on the body 3 and / or inside it, e.g. in a special environmental monitoring unit not shown in the Figures, also mounts detection sensors 4, configured to sense parameters of interest and to emit corresponding detection signals (sd). According to the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in Figure 1, the detection sensors 4 comprise a gyroscope and an accelerometer, sensors of gases such as methane, propane, CO, CO2, H2, at least one smoke / fire sensor, optionally three to cover a wide field of view, as well as humidity, pressure, altitude and ambient temperature sensors. According to the second embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in Figure 2, the detection sensors 4 comprise a humidity, altitude, pressure and ambient temperature sensor, a gyroscope and an accelerometer, a CO2 sensor, as well as a body temperature sensor, a heart rate sensor and a blood oxygenation sensor. In any event, a person skilled in the art will have no difficulty in understanding how the number of detection sensors 4, their type and their location on the body 3 may also vary depending on the application of the robot 1 of the present invention.

[0038] The robot 1 of the present invention also comprises position sensors 5, optionally ultrasonic and / or infrared, mounted on the body 3 in the vicinity of the motion unit 2, i.e. in the vicinity of the ground on which in use the robot 1 may have to move. These position sensors 5 are configured to detect the position of the robot 1 with respect to objects that may be present in the environment and to emit corresponding position signals (sp). According to the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in Figure 1, the position sensors 5 comprise 5 ultrasonic sensors, mounted on a front portion 31 of the body, and one 8-channel infrared sensor, also mounted on the front portion 31. According to the second embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in Figure 2, the position sensors 5 comprise eight ultrasonic sensors, mounted on a front portion 31, a rear portion and side portions 33 of the body, and one 8-channel infrared sensor, mounted on the front portion 31. In any event, a person skilled in the art will have no difficulty in understanding how the number of position sensors 5, their type and their location on the body 3 may also vary depending on the application of the robot 1 of the present invention.

[0039] The robot 1 of the present invention also comprises a vision unit 6, comprising a LiDAR-type sensor 61, optionally a RPLiDAR sensor, mounted on the body 3, for example but not necessarily on top of it and configured to emit a corresponding scanning signal (ss) of the surrounding environment, and optionally a rotatable camera 62, also mounted on the body 3, optionally on top of the body 3 and configured to obtain and output a 360° image I of the environment surrounding the robot 1. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rotatable camera 62 is configured to be connected to a WIFI network or to a communication network of any other suitable type and to transmit, via such a network, a 360° image I of the environment surrounding the robot 1, for example to a user device, for example to allow an operator to control the monitored environment, via such a user device (e.g. a mobile phone or a handheld device). According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the rotatable camera 62 is configured to provide sharp 2K resolution with 4x digital zoom and a 110° wide-angle lens and enables advanced night vision, people detection, motion tracking and also integrates microphone and speaker, local storage of captured images via, for example, microSD card or optional cloud storage for further analysis. A person skilled in the art, however, will have no difficulty in understanding how the vision unit 6 can also comprise a rotating camera 62 of a different type, provided it can perform the functions described above in a similar manner.

[0040] The robot 1 of the present invention further comprises a data control and processing unit 7, mounted in the body 3 (not visible in Figures 1 and 2), operatively connected to the detection sensors 4, the position sensors 5, the LiDAR-type sensor 61 and the motion unit 2.

[0041] Advantageously, the data control and processing unit 7 comprises a first data control and processing board 71, according to a particularly preferred embodiment an Arduino Mega 2560 board, e.g. marketed by the company ELEGOO, Inc., operatively connected to the position sensors 5 and configured to receive and process the position signals sp, obtaining information on the presence of any obstacles present along a path within the environment that the robot 1 is desired to follow. The data control and processing unit 7 also comprises a second data control and processing board 72, according to a particularly preferred embodiment an ESP32-WROOM-32 board, for example marketed by the company AZ-DELIVERY VERTRIEBS GMBH, separate from the first data control and processing board 71 and operatively connected to the detection sensors 4 and configured to: receive the respective detection signals (sd), process them, thereby obtaining the respective values of the (environmental and / or physiological) parameters of interest, and emit corresponding output signals (so), e.g. to a remote device or to the cloud, optionally over a WIFI network or any other suitable type, fortheir subsequent analysis / processing.

[0042] The data control and processing unit 7 also comprises a third data control and processing board 73, according to a particularly preferred embodiment another Arduino Mega 2560 model board, for example marketed by the company ELEGOO, Inc, separate from the first data control and processing board 71 and the second data control and processing board 72 and operatively connected to the first data control and processing board 71 and to the LiDAR-type sensor 61 of the vision unit 6 and configured to receive and pre-process the scanning signals (ss) sent by the latter, and to transmit in response to the first data control and processing board 71, the corresponding pre-processed scanning signals (pss).

[0043] According to another particularly advantageous aspect of the invention, the first data control and processing board 71, the second data control and processing board 72 and the third data control and processing board 73 are configured to operate in a synchronised and coordinated manner with each other and the first data control and processing board 71 is, in particular, configured to: determine, on the basis of these pre-processed scanning signals (pss) transmitted by the third data control and processing board 73 and the processed information on the presence of any obstacles along the path, whether or not there are obstacles in a predefined movement space of the robot 1, which will be better defined below, calculate a possible variant of the path to circumvent these obstacles, and emit corresponding movement control signals (sc) to said motion unit (2), in particular to the at least one motor, for the actuation of the wheels and / or tracks driven by it.

[0044] Advantageously, the first data control and processing board 71 and the third data control and processing board 73 operate in a synchronised and coordinated manner without the use of a shared clock. In fact, the first data control and processing board 71 and the third data control and processing board 73 are electrically connected via their respective digital input / output pins and are also configured to operate in a synchronised and coordinated manner according to a specific firmware implementing suitable time detection functions, delay implementation, etc. In this way, when the third data control and processing board 73 receives a scanning signal (ss) from the LiDAR-type sensor 61, it pre-processes it and sends a corresponding pre-processed scanning signal (pss), optionally proportional to the received scanning signal (ss), via its own digital output pins connected to the first data control and processing board 71; only upon arrival of the pre-processed scanning signal (pss), the first data control and processing board 71 proceeds in turn with the processing and generates the movement control signal (sc) to be transmitted to the motion unit 2. Similarly, by implementing time and / or delay calculation functions, the first data control and processing board 71 and the second data control and processing board 72 are configured to operate in a coordinated manner with each other. In fact, by implementing appropriate delays in the implementation of processes, the first data control and processing board 71 can, for example, coordinate the activation of autonomous mode or the stopping of the robot of the invention with related processes performed by the second data control and processing board 72, such as connecting to Wi-Fi or transmitting an acoustic alarm.

[0045] It is therefore quite clear that with such a configuration, after switching the robot 1 on, the data control and processing boards are advantageously configured to communicate with each other and align their respective activities in a coordinated and synchronised manner using the above-described methods, with the resulting advantage of preventing negative consequence and possible signal interferences.

[0046] In fact, it is well known that in the control boards of conventional self-propelled robots, there is usually a single clock source that acts as a timer for the entire system. This clock source generates timing signals necessary for the operation of the microcontroller and any other components on the board, whereby all processing units (such as CPUs, timers, peripherals, etc.) within the microcontroller operate in synchrony with each other based on the shared clock signal. However, having an internal clock shared between several data control and processing boards, as in the case of the present invention, can have several drawbacks. For example, if the data control and processing boards are not perfectly synchronised with the shared internal clock, time discrepancies may occur resulting in data corruption and loss of signals and / or other synchronisation problems. In addition, sharing a single internal clock may limit the flexibility of each data control and processing board, as all these boards may have to operate at the same frequency or in close synchronisation, which may not be optimal for performing certain tasks that do not require coordination with the system's other data control and processing boards. For example, in the present invention, while the LiDAR-type sensor 61 of the vision unit 6 requires a data transmission rate (baud rate) greater than or equal to 115200 bps to send the scanning signals (ss), other components such as ultrasonic position sensors 5 can operate with a transmission rate less than or equal to 9600 bps. Not only that, sharing an internal clock between data control and processing boards can introduce interference and crosstalk between different system components, that may compromise the integrity of transmitted signals and affect overall system performance. Again, if the shared internal clock fails or experiences problems, all the data control and processing boards may be adversely affected at the same time. This creates a single point of failure that can compromise the reliability of the entire system. Thus, from a power consumption point of view, the operation of several data control and processing boards with a single shared internal clock may result in higher power consumption than with independent clock sources. This can be particularly significant in battery-powered or energy-efficient systems. Finally, the design and debugging of systems with shared internal clocks is more complex, as ensuring proper synchronisation between boards and their components may require a higher level of effort and expertise.

[0047] Now, with the configuration of the data control and processing unit 7 described above (comprising three separate data control and processing boards 71-73) and with the coordinated and synchronised operation by means of electrical connections between the first data control and processing board 71 and the third data control and processing board 73 and the specific control firmware, thus without the use of a shared clock, it is possible to reduce the overall computational load of the robot 1 by as much as 50%, and significantly increase the stability of the robot's performance, reducing all of the aforementioned drawbacks associated with the coordinated operation of multiple data control and processing boards through the traditional use of a shared clock and improving functionality in terms of power and processing speed.

[0048] According to a further advantageous aspect of the invention, the LiDAR-type sensor 61 of the vision unit 6, in contrast to the 360° vision units of the prior art which operate by scanning the 360° field of view at high speed and for various distances up to their maximum detection distance, is advantageously configured to perform spatially limited scanning at selected scanning angles and at predetermined distances necessary to cover the predefined movement space of the robot. More particularly, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the predefined movement space of the robot 1 is defined by a volume around the robot, optionally a substantially cylindrical volume with an oval base, in which the LiDAR sensor 61 is located with its vertical axis z-z aligned with the vertical axis of symmetry of said cylindrical volume with an oval base. According to a particularly advantageous aspect of the invention, the oval base of the cylindrical volume has a major diameter, optionally equal to 1 metre, and a minor diameter, optionally equal to 60 cm, wherein the major diameter is arranged along an axis x-x passing through a sagittal plane of the LiDAR-type sensor 61, and the minor diameter is arranged along a transverse axis y-y passing through a transverse plane of the LiDAR-type sensor 61.

[0049] As mentioned above, the scanning of the LiDAR-type sensor 61 is only performed within this volume, with selected scanning angles, which are comprised between 0° and 120°, between 130° and 170°, between 190° and 230°, and between 240° and 360°, optionally between 0° and 110°, between 140° and 160°, between 200° and 220°, and between 250° and 360°, where the scanning angles are measured from the axis x-x passing through the sagittal plane of the LiDAR-type sensor 61 and rotating around the vertical axis z-z in a clockwise direction (from a top-down view - see arrows in Figures 1 and 2). It should be noted that the intervals of the scanning angles were selected by means of special tests, being the angles that allow the presence of obstacles along the path of robot 1 to bed accurately detected and, at the same time, to reduce / minimise the computing power required both by the third data control and processing board 73 to capture the corresponding scanning signals and pre-process them, and by the first data control and processing board 71 to process the pre- processed scanning pss signals to obtain the corresponding movement control signals (sc) towards the motion unit 2.

[0050] Not only that, the LiDAR-type sensor 61 of the vision unit 6, in contrast to the 360° vision units of the prior art that operate at a sampling rate of 8KHz, is advantageously configured to perform spatial scans at a sampling rate comprised between 3.6 KHz and 4.4 KHz. The reduced sampling rate of the LiDAR-type sensor 61, compared to sensors of the prior art, results in a decrease between 45% and 55% in the amount of data to be processed, which further reduces the required computing power. This approach not only allows the full functionality of the obstacle detection system to be maintained but also improves the reliability and processing speed by removing much of the unnecessary sensor data recorded with conventional systems, which unnecessarily burden the operation of the data control and processing unit.

[0051] The robot 1 according to the present invention also comprises a power supply unit 8, connected to and configured to power the motion unit 2, the detection sensors 4, the position sensors 5, the LiDAR-type sensor 61 and the rotatable camera 62 of the vision unit 6, as well as the data control and processing unit 7.

[0052] According to a first variant of the present invention, the power supply unit 8 comprises a rechargeable battery, e.g. a 24 V, 100 Ah LiFePO4 battery or a 48 V, 50 Ah LiFePO4 battery.

[0053] According to a further variant of the present invention, the robot 1 also comprises a load control unit 9 operatively connected (the connections are not illustrated in the Figures) on one side to the first data control and processing board 71, the second data control and processing board 72 and the third data control and processing board 73 and on the other side connected to the power supply unit 8. This load control unit 9 is configured to monitor the power consumption required by each of the data control and processing boards 71-73, and to predict possible power peaks required by each of these data control and processing boards, and to emit corresponding monitoring signals (sm) to the power supply unit 8.

[0054] According to this variant of the invention, the power supply unit 8 comprises both a main battery 81 and an auxiliary battery 82, and the power supply unit 8 is configured to deliver the required power via the main battery 81 or even the auxiliary battery 82, based on monitoring signals (sm) sent by the load control unit 9. More specifically, the auxiliary battery 82 can be activated, in response to a suitable monitoring signal (sm), to prevent undesired voltage drops, for example, below a certain pre-set threshold, on the second data control and processing board 72, i.e. the one operatively connected to the sensors 4 for sensing the parameters of interest. For example, the auxiliary battery 82 can be activated when the robot 1 is switched on, when the robot setup is performed, or when the robot 1 is moving at maximum speed along the path, optionally between 1.3 and 4.5 m / sec.

[0055] According to this variant of the first embodiment of the present invention, the main battery 81 is a 14.8 V, 10 Ah lithium-polymer type and the auxiliary battery 82 is a 9 V, 1 Ah rechargeable battery. According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the main battery 81 is a 7.4 V, 6 Ah lithium-polymer type and the auxiliary battery 82 is a 9 V, 1 Ah rechargeable battery.

[0056] With this configuration, a person skilled in the art will have no difficulty in understanding how the particular configuration of the data control and processing unit 7, the power supply unit 8 and the load control unit 9 makes it possible to use smaller and cheaper batteries (compared to traditional batteries of the type described above), optimising energy consumption, which is up to 70% lower than that of traditional robots and, at the same time, ensures that all the components of the robot 1 are correctly powered, without power failures and interference in the circuitry of the robot 1, thus reducing wear and tear on power supply unit 8 and significantly increasing the stability of the system. Advantageously, moreover, the main components of the robot 1 of the present invention, thus the data control and processing unit 7 data control and processing board 71-73, the power supply unit 8 and the motion unit 2 can be covered with an insulating material, for example liquid insulating tapes, thermoplastic polyurethane plastics, photopolymer resins, sealing materials of any suitable type, or advantageously, a 3D printing resin developed by the applicant itself and subject matter of international application no. WO2022 / 117544 Al, which makes it possible to further reduce the intensity of the magnetic field propagated by the circuitry of the robot 1 itself, when in use, and thus the possible interference and the probability of malfunctioning, thus resulting in a more reliable robot 1.

[0057] The robot 1 described above, operates in accordance with a method 10 which also forms the subject matter of the present invention and comprises, in particular, the following operating steps:

[0058] A. activating the motion unit 2 and position sensors 5 via the first data control and processing board 71, the detection sensors 4 via the second data control and processing board 72, and the LiDAR-type sensor 61 of the vision unit 6 via the third data control and processing board 73.

[0059] B. by means of the LiDAR-type sensor 61 and the third data control and processing board 73, scanning the predefined robot 1 movement space and transmitting the corresponding pre- processed scanning signals (pss) to the first data control and processing board 71 and, by means of the position sensors 5 and the first data control and processing board 71, obtaining information on the presence of any obstacles present along a path within the environment that the robot 1 is to follow;

[0060] C. by the first data control and processing board 71 determining whether or not an obstacle is present in the predefined robot 1 movement space and, if so, calculating the position of that obstacle, based on the position signals (sp) transmitted by the position sensors 5 and the pre- processed scanning signals (pss) received;

[0061] D. if the presence of the obstacle in the predefined robot 1 movement space is confirmed, waiting for a predefined waiting time;

[0062] E. repeating steps B and C; and

[0063] F. if the presence of the obstacle is still confirmed, processing an alternative path by the first data control and processing board 71 and transmitting the corresponding movement signal (sc) to the motion unit 2; otherwise

[0064] G. processing and transmitting by the first data control and processing board 71, to the motion unit 2, a corresponding movement signal (sc) that causes the robot 1 to continue along the predetermined path and then returning to step B, until the path is finished.

[0065] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, prior to step A the method of the invention comprises an initial setup step of the robot 1, performed for example immediately after switching on the robot 1 itself, during which the auxiliary battery 82 of the power supply unit 8, if provided, is activated.

[0066] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method 10 provides for continuously monitoring or at predetermined time intervals, by means of a load control unit 9, the power consumption required by the aforementioned components of the robot 1 and, when a threshold limit is exceeded, optionally voltage for example in conjunction with an acceleration of the robot 1 or the start-up of the robot itself and / or during the activation of the detection sensors 4 (at step A), sending by the load control unit 9 a corresponding monitoring signal (sm) to the power supply unit 8, for the activation of the auxiliary battery 82.

[0067] According to a preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, step B comprises scanning the predefined robot 1 movement space, at a maximum distance from the sensor 61 comprised between 60 cm and 1 me according to scanning angles comprised between 0° and 120°, between 130° and 170°, between 190° and 230°, and between 240° and 360°, optionally between 0° and 110°, between 140° and 160°, between 200° and 220°, and between 250° and 360°.

[0068] In view of the above, it is evident that the self-propelled robot 1 described above solves the problems outlined in the introduction. In fact, it solves the main problems that plague traditional self-propelled robots, namely the ever-increasing computational load, extremely high-power consumption and the presence of permanent and destructive electromagnetic noise in the circuitry, being more stable and efficient than these.

[0069] The preferred embodiments and possible versions of the invention have been outlined above, but it is to be understood that the persons skilled in the art may make modifications and changes without infringing the scope of protection, as defined in the attached claims.

[0070] Thus, for example, the load control and processing unit 9 can be implemented either by hardware or by software, by, for example, any of the data control and processing boards 71-73.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Self-propelled robot (1), configured to move within an environment, along a path, comprising:- a motion unit (2) supporting a body (3);- detection sensors (4), mounted on the body (3) and configured to detect parameters of interest and emit corresponding detection signals (sd);- position sensors (5), mounted on the body (3) and configured to detect the position of the robot (1) with respect to objects that may be present in the environment and emit corresponding position signals (sp);- a vision unit (6), mounted on the body (3), comprising at least one LiDAR-type-type sensor (61), configured to emit a corresponding scanning signal (ss) to scan the surrounding of the robot (1);- a data control and processing unit (7), mounted in the body (3) and operatively connected to the detection sensors (4), position sensors (5), vision unit (6) and motion unit (2);- a power supply unit (8), connected to and configured to power the motion unit (2), the detection sensors (4), the position sensors (5), the vision unit (6) and the data control and processing unit (7); wherein: the data control and processing unit (7) comprises:- a first data control and processing board (71), operatively connected to the position sensors (5) and configured to receive and process position signals (sp), obtaining information on the presence of any obstacles along the path;- a second data control and processing board (72), separate from the first data control and processing board (71), operatively connected to the detection sensors (4) and configured to: receive the respective detection signals (sd), process them, thus obtaining the respective values of the parameters of interest, and output respective signals (so);- a third data control and processing board (73), separate from the first data control and processing board (71) and the second data control and processing board (72) and operatively connected both to the first data control and processing board (71) and to the LiDAR-type-type sensor (61) of the visionunit (6) and configured to receive and pre-process the scanning signals (ss) sent by the latter, and transmit, in response, the corresponding pre-processed scanning signals (pss) to the first data control and processing board (71); and wherein the first data control and processing board (71), the second data control and processing board (72) and the third data control and processing board (73) are configured to operate in a synchronised and coordinated manner with each other without the use of a shared clock, and the first data control and processing board (71) is configured to: determine, based on such pre-processed scanning signals (pss) and processed information on the presence of any obstacles along the path, whether or not there are obstacles in a predefined movement space of the robot (1), calculate a path variant, if any, for circumventing such obstacles, and emit corresponding movement control signals (sc) toward said motion unit (2).

2. Self-propelled robot (1) according to claim 1, wherein the LiDAR-type sensor (61) of the vision unit (6) is configured to perform a spatial scan limited to selected scanning angles, comprised between 0° and 120°, between 130° and 170°, between 190° and 230°, and between 240° and 360°, optionally between 0° and 110°, between 140° and 160°, between 200° and 220°, and between 250° and 360°, and at predetermined distances, optionally between 60 cm and 1 m, from the LiDAR-type sensor (61).

3. Self-propelled robot (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the LiDAR-type sensor (61) is configured to perform a spatial scan at a sampling frequency comprised between 3.6 KHz and 4.4 KHz.

4. A self-propelled robot (1) according to any previous claim, comprising a load control unit (9) operatively connected, on one side, to the first data control and processing board (71), the second data control and processing board (72) and the third data control and processing board (73) and, on the other side, connected to the power supply unit (8), wherein the power supply unit (8) comprisesa main battery (81) and one auxiliary battery (82), and said load control unit (9) is configured to: monitor the power consumption required by each data control and processing board (71; 72;73), predict possible power peaks required by each data control and processing board (71; 72; 73), and emit corresponding monitoring signals (sm) to the power supply unit (8), based on which, the auxiliary battery (82) can be activated, in order to prevent unwanted voltage drops, below a certain threshold, at least on the second data control and processing board (72).

5. A self-propelled robot (1) according to any previous claim, wherein the first data control and processing board (71), the second data control and processing board (72) and the third data control and processing board (73), the power supply unit (8) and the motion unit (2) are covered with an insulating material, selected from insulating liquid tapes, thermoplastic polyurethane plastics, photopolymer resins, insulating resins for 3D printing or combinations thereof.

6. A self-propelled robot (1) according to any previous claim, wherein the parameters of interest are environmental parameters, optionally comprised between concentration of methane, propane, CO, CO2, H2, smoke concentration, humidity level, environmental pressure, altitude, ambient temperature, or physiological parameters of a person who is in that environment, optionally including heart rate, blood oxygenation, body temperature and glycemia.

7. Method (10) of operation of a robot (1) according to any previous claim, comprising, after switching on the robot (1) itself, the following operational steps:A. activating the motion unit (2) and position sensors (5) via the first data control and processing board 71, the detection sensors (4) via the second data control and processing board (72), and the LiDAR-type sensor 61 of the vision unit (6) via the third data control and processing board (73);B. by means of the LiDAR-type sensor (61) and the third data control and processing board (73), scanning the predefined movement space of the robot (1) and transmitting the corresponding pre- processed scanning signals (pss) to the first control and processing board (71) and, by means of theposition sensors (5) and the first data control and processing board (71), obtaining information on the presence of any obstacles along a path within the environment that the robot (1) is to follow;C. determining the presence or absence of an obstacle in the predefined robot (1) movement space, by the first data control and processing board (71) and, in case the presence of an obstacle is determined, calculating the position of that obstacle, based on the position signals (sp) transmitted by the position sensors (5) and the pre-processed scanning signals (pss) received;D. if the presence of the obstacle in the predefined robot (1) movement space is confirmed, waiting for a predefined waiting time;E. repeating steps B and C; andF. if the presence of the obstacle is still confirmed, processing an alternative route by the first data control and processing board (71) and transmitting the corresponding movement control signal (sc) to the motion unit (2); otherwiseG. by the first data control and processing board (71), calculating and transmitting a corresponding movement signal (sc) to the motion unit (2), that will make the robot (1) move along the predetermined path and then, going back to step B, until the path is completed.

8. Method (10) according to claim 7, when the robot (1) is manufactured according to claim 4, comprising, prior to step A an initial setup step for robot (1), during which the auxiliary battery (82) of the power supply unit (8) is activated.

9. Method (10) according to claim 8, comprising: monitoring continuously or at preset time intervals, by means of the load control unit (9), the power consumption required by the robot (1) components and, when a threshold limit, optionally a voltage limit, is exceeded, sending through the load control unit (9) a corresponding monitoring signal (sm) to the power supply unit (8), and activating the auxiliary battery (82).

10. Method (10) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein step B comprises scanning the predefined movement space of the robot (1), at a maximum distance from the sensor (61) comprisedbetween 60 cm and 1 m and according to scanning angles comprised between 0° and 120°, between 130° and 170°, between 190° and 230°, and between 240° and 360°, optionally between 0° and 110°, between 140° and 160°, between 200° and 220°, and between 250° and 360°.

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