328 results about "Autonomous robot" patented technology

A navigational control system for an autonomous robot includes a transmitter subsystem having a stationary emitter for emitting at least one signal. An autonomous robot operating within a working area utilizes a receiving subsystem to detect the emitted signal. The receiver subsystem has a receiver for detecting the emitted signal emitted by the emitter and a processor for determining a relative location of the robot within the working area upon the receiver detecting the signal.

An agricultural robot system and method of harvesting, pruning, culling, weeding, measuring and managing of agricultural crops. Uses autonomous and semi-autonomous robot(s) comprising machine-vision using cameras that identify and locate the fruit on each tree, points on a vine to prune, etc., or may be utilized in measuring agricultural parameters or aid in managing agricultural resources. The cameras may be coupled with an arm or other implement to allow views from inside the plant when performing the desired agricultural function. A robot moves through a field first to “map” the plant locations, number and size of fruit and approximate positions of fruit or map the cordons and canes of grape vines. Once the map is complete, a robot or server can create an action plan that a robot may implement. An action plan may comprise operations and data specifying the agricultural function to perform.

Some embodiments provide a system for fully autonomous order fulfillment and inventory management within a distribution site or warehouse. The system operates by autonomous robots directly pulling customer order items from distribution site shelves or pulling individual bins from distribution site shelves and dispensing appropriate quantities of items from the bins until all items of a customer order are retrieved without human involvement. The system further involves the robots autonomously monitoring item quantities within the distribution site, identifying and autonomously responding to shortages, and organizing the items within the distribution site for most efficient order fulfillment.

A method of establishing an area of confinement and an autonomous robot for performing a task within the area of confinement. In one aspect, the invention can be a method of defining an area of confinement for an autonomous robot comprising: a) positioning the autonomous robot at a first location point P₁, the autonomous robot comprising a location tracking unit, and recording the first location point P₁ within a memory device; b) moving the autonomous robot from the first location point P₁ to a plurality of location points P_2-N and recording each of the plurality of location points P_2-N within the memory device; and c) defining, with a central processing unit, a first closed-geometry comprising the first location point P₁ and the plurality of location points P_2-N as a perimeter of the area of confinement within the memory device.

An autonomous robot performs maintenance and repair activities in oil and gas wells, and in pipelines. The robot uses the well and pipeline fluids to provide most of the energy required for the its mobility, and to charge a turbine from which it may recharge batteries or power a motor for additional propulsion. A control system of associated systems controls the robot, enabling the robot to share plans and goals, situations, and solution processes with wells, pipelines, and external control systems. The control system includes decision aids in a series of knowledge bases that contain the expertise in appropriate fields to provide intelligent behavior to the control system. The intelligent behavior of the control system enables real time maintenance management of wells and pipelines, through actively collecting information, goal-driven system, reasoning at multiple levels, context sensitive communication, activity performing, and estimation of the operators' intent.

Provided herein are methods and systems for implementing three-dimensional perception in an autonomous robotic system comprising an end-to-end neural network architecture that directly consumes large-scale raw sparse point cloud data and performs such tasks as object localization, boundary estimation, object classification, and segmentation of individual shapes or fused complete point cloud shapes.

An autonomous robot apparatus that is activated to perform a work routine upon detecting the accumulation of precipitation. In one aspect, the invention can be an autonomous robot apparatus comprising: a chassis; a plurality of wheels mounted to the chassis; a drive system mounted to the chassis and operably coupled to the plurality of wheels; a control module operably coupled to the drive system; a precipitation sensing module comprising an accumulation level sensor configured to generate and transmit, to the control module, a first signal upon a predetermined initial accumulation level being detected; and the control module configured to activate the autonomous robot apparatus to perform a first instance of a work routine upon receipt of the first signal.

A system for determining a location of an object. The system includes an object location tracker and a computer system. The object location tracker is configured for attachment to a mobile vehicle and includes an object identification reading device and a position-tracking device. The object identification reading device senses object identification indicia on the object, such as RF ID tags, bar codes, etc., as the mobile vehicle moves around an environment in which the object is situated. The position-tracking device computes the location of the object location tracker as the mobile vehicle moves throughout environment. The computer system associates the sensed object identification indicia of the object, as determined by the reading device, with a location in the environment based on the position of the object location tracker in the environment, as determined by the position-tracking device, when the reading device senses the object identification indicia. The mobile vehicle may include its own mobility system, such as a forklift or an autonomous robotic device, or the mobile vehicle may be, for example, a pushcart that is pushed around the environment.

There is therefore provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a robotic system for systematically moving about an area to be covered. The system includes at least one boundary marker (48) located along the outer edge of the area to be covered, a robot (40) with a navigation system (41) and a sensor unit (43). The navigation system (41) navigates the robot (40) in generally straight, parallel lines from an initial location and turns the robot (40) when the robot (40) encounters one of the boundary markers (48), thereby to systematically move about the area to be covered. The sensor unit (43) senses proximity to one of the at least one boundary marker (48).

A control system for a mobile robot (10) is provided to effectively cover a given area by operating in a plurality of modes, including an obstacle following mode (51) and a random bounce mode (49). In other embodiments, spot coverage, such as spiraling (45), or other modes are also used to increase effectiveness. In addition, a behavior based architecture is used to implement the control system, and various escape behaviors are used to ensure full coverage.

A behavior control system and a behavior control method for a robot apparatus are disclosed. The behavior control system and the behavior control method for a robot apparatus include a function of adaptively switching between a behavior selection standard, taking into account the own state, required of an autonomous robot, and a behavior selection standard, taking into account the state of a counterpart, responsive to a situation. A behavior selection control system in a robot apparatus includes a situation-dependent behavior layer (SBL), capable of selecting a particular behavior from plural behaviors, and outputting the so selected behavior, and an AL calculating unit 120 for calculating the AL (activation level), indicating the priority of execution of the behaviors, for behavior selection. This AL calculating unit 120 includes a self AL calculating unit 122 and a counterpart AL calculating unit 124 for calculating the self AL and the counterpart AL, and an AL integrating unit 125 for summing the self AL and the counterpart AL with weighting by a parameter used for determining whether emphasis is to be placed on the self state or on the counterpart state, to output an ultimate AL. The counterpart is a subject of interaction of the robot apparatus. The self AL and the counterpart AL indicate the priority of execution of the behavior with the self and with the co8unbterpart as a reference, respectively.

A control system for a mobile robot (10) is provided to effectively cover a given area by operating in a plurality of modes, including an obstacle following mode (51) and a random bounce mode (49). In other embodiments, spot coverage, such as spiraling (45), or other modes are also used to increase effectiveness. In addition, a behavior based architecture is used to implement the control system, and various escape behaviors are used to ensure full coverage.

An autonomous wireless mobile network is established between mobile nodes configured as wireless autonomous robotic mobile access points. Each mobile node includes a mobility platform, an executable routing resource, and a standardized interface. The mobility platform is configured for supplying sensor data from attached physical sensors, and responding to motor commands from the standardized interface. The standardized interface is configured for converting each sensor datum into a corresponding sensor object, and converting received movement directives into the respective motor commands. The executable routing resource is configured for maintaining a database of world objects representing attributes within an infosphere established by the wireless mobile network based on the sensor objects and received network objects. The executable routing resource also is configured for generating the received movement directives and executing network decisions based on periodic evaluation of the world database, and exchanging the world objects with other mobile nodes.