Systems and methods for dock placement for an autonomous mobile robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12306633-B2
Application number	US-202318132592-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2023
Priority date	Dec 28, 2020
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

Described herein are systems, devices, and methods for validating location of a docking station for docking a mobile robot. In an example, a mobile robot system includes a docking station and a mobile cleaning robot. The mobile cleaning robot includes a drive system to move the mobile cleaning robot about an environment including a docking area within a distance of the docking station, and a controller circuit to detect, from an image of the docking area, a presence or absence of one or more obstacles in the docking area. A notification may be generated to inform a user about the detected obstacles. The mobile device may generate a recommendation to the user to clear the docking area or reposition the docking station, or suggest one or more candidate locations for placing the docking station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile robot system, comprising:
a docking station;
a mobile cleaning robot, including a drive system configured to drive the mobile cleaning robot in an environment and to dock the mobile cleaning robot to the docking station; and
a user controller device in operative communication with the mobile cleaning robot, the user controller device configured to:
determine docking failure rates respectively for a plurality of sites in the environment when one or more of said plurality of sites are obstructed by obstacles;
identify at least one candidate dock location in the environment for placing the docking station based on the determined docking failure rates for the plurality of sites;
present the identified at least one candidate dock location on a user interface; and
generate, and display on the user interface, a graphical representation of the determined docking failure rates across the plurality of sites in the environment.

2. The mobile robot system of claim 1 , wherein the user controller device is configured to determine the docking failure rates using docking data from multiple docking instances in the environment by the mobile cleaning robot or one or more mobile robots other than the mobile cleaning robot.

3. The mobile robot system of claim 1 , wherein to determine the docking failure rates includes to determine, for each of the plurality of sites, a differential docking failure rate using a difference between (i) a first docking failure rate when a corresponding site is unobstructed and (ii) a second docking failure rate when the corresponding site is obstructed,
wherein the user controller device is configured to identify the at least one candidate dock location from one or more of the plurality of sites with the corresponding differential docking failure rates falling below a threshold.

4. The mobile robot system of claim 1 , wherein the user controller device is further configured to:
based on the docking failure rates for the plurality of sites, identify one or more subareas in the environment with distinct docking failure risk levels, the one or more subareas each including one or more of the plurality of sites; and
present the identified one or more subareas on the user interface.

5. The mobile robot system of claim 4 , wherein the identified one or more subareas include a dock avoidance area,
wherein the user controller device is configured to generate a recommendation to avoid placing the docking station at the identified dock avoidance area.

6. The mobile robot system of claim 4 , wherein the user controller device is further configured to generate, based on the identified one or more subareas, a recommendation to clear an obstruction in a docking area with respect to the docking station.

7. The mobile robot system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one candidate dock location includes two or more candidate dock locations, and wherein the user controller device is further configured to:
compute docking failure scores respectively for the two or more candidate dock locations based on the docking failure rates for the plurality of sites; and
determine, from the two or more candidate dock locations, a recommended dock location with a corresponding docking failure score satisfying a specific condition.

8. The mobile robot system of claim 1 , wherein the user controller device is configured to:
identify a subarea of the environment based on one or more of an amount of traffic, an occupancy status, a surface condition, or an accessibility; and
determine the candidate dock location in the identified subarea of the environment based on the docking failure rates for the plurality of sites.

9. The mobile robot system of claim 1 ,
wherein the mobile cleaning robot includes a sensor system configured to detect a presence or absence of an obstacle in a docking area with respect to the docking station,
wherein the user controller device is configured to, in response to the detected presence of the obstacle in the docking area, generate a recommendation to reposition the docking station at the candidate dock location.

10. The mobile robot system of claim 9 , wherein the sensor system includes at least one of an imaging sensor, a bump sensor, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, or an obstacle sensor.

11. A mobile robot system, comprising:
a docking station;
a mobile cleaning robot, including a drive system configured to drive the mobile cleaning robot in an environment and to dock the mobile cleaning robot to the docking station; and
a user controller device in operative communication with the mobile cleaning robot, the user controller device configured to:
receive a user input of a designated subarea of the environment;
determine docking failure rates respectively for a plurality of sites in the designated subarea when one or more of said plurality of sites are obstructed by obstacles;
identify at least one candidate dock location in the designated subarea for placing the docking station based on the determined docking failure rates for the plurality of sites; and
present the identified at least one candidate dock location on a user interface.

12. A method of controlling a mobile cleaning robot to dock at a docking station in an environment via a user controller device, the method comprising:
receiving docking data from multiple docking instances in the environment by the mobile cleaning robot or one or more mobile robots other than the mobile cleaning robot;
determine, using the received docking data, docking failure rates respectively for a plurality of sites in the environment when one or more of said plurality of sites are obstructed by obstacles;
identifying, via the user controller device, at least one candidate dock location in the environment for placing the docking station based on the determined docking failure rates for the plurality of sites;
presenting the identified at least one candidate dock location to a user on a user interface of the user controller device;
generating, and displaying on the user interface, a graphical representation of the determined docking failure rates across the plurality of sites in the environment; and
generating a control signal to the mobile cleaning robot to dock at the docking station.

13. The method of claim 12 ,
wherein determining the docking failure rates includes determining, for each of the plurality of sites, a differential docking failure rate using a difference between (i) a first docking failure rate when a corresponding site is unobstructed and (ii) a second docking failure rate when the corresponding site is obstructed,
wherein identifying the at least one candidate dock location includes identifying one or more of the plurality of sites with the corresponding differential docking failure rates falling below a threshold.

14. The method of claim 12 , comprising:
based on the docking failure rates for the plurality of sites, identifying one or more subareas in the environment with distinct docking failure risk levels, the one or more subareas each including one or more of the plurality of sites; and
presenting the identified one or more subareas on the user interface.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the identified one or more subareas include a dock avoidance area, the method further comprising generating a recommendation to avoid placing the docking station at the identified dock avoidance area.

16. The method of claim 12 , comprising generating, and displaying on the user interface, a graphical representation of the determined docking failure rates across th

Assignees

• Irobot Corp

Inventors

• Herlant Laura V
• Hild Brent
• Schneider Ryan
• Glazer Benjamin

Classifications

• G05D1/648

  Performing a task within a working area or space, e.g. cleaning · CPC title

• G05D1/661

  Docking at a base station (delivering or retrieving payloads G05D1/667) · CPC title

• G05D1/0246

  using a video camera in combination with image processing means · CPC title

• G05D1/0227

  using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area · CPC title

• G05D1/0225 Primary

  involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay (parking aids B62D15/027) · CPC title