Robot system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9599990-B2
Application number	US-201615182849-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2016
Priority date	Dec 2, 2005
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

A power-saving robot system includes at least one peripheral device and a mobile robot. The peripheral device includes a controller having an active mode and a hibernation mode, and a wireless communication component capable of activation in the hibernation mode. A controller of the robot has an activating routine that communicates with and temporarily activates the peripheral device, via wireless communication, from the hibernation mode. In another aspect, a robot system includes a network data bridge and a mobile robot. The network data bridge includes a broadband network interface, a wireless command interface, and a data bridge component. The data bridge component extracts serial commands received via the broadband network interface from an internet protocol, applies a command protocol thereto, and broadcasts the serial commands via the wireless interface. The mobile robot includes a wireless command communication component that receives the serial command; transmitted from the network data bridge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile cleaning robot comprising:
a drive system to move the robot on a floor surface;
a cleaning unit to clean the floor surface;
an audio output device to emit audible content;
a microphone to detect sound;
a camera;
a wireless communicator; and
a controller operable with the wireless communicator to communicate with a remote device, the controller being configured to access audio data and cause the audio output device to emit audible content corresponding to the audio data, and to control an operation of the robot corresponding to the sound detected by the microphone.

2. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the audio output device is configured to emit the audible content when the microphone detects the sound, the audible content corresponding to the detected sound.

3. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1 , further comprising a bump sensor configured to detect a collision of the robot with an obstacle, wherein the audio output device is configured to emit the audible content when the bump sensor detects the collision.

4. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1 , further comprising a bin in communication with the controller, wherein the audible content further includes an audible content corresponding to an amount of content in the bin.

5. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 4 , wherein the bin is a consumable fluid bin, and the audible content further includes an audible content corresponding to an amount of fluid in the bin.

6. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the audible content includes an audible content corresponding to a user-selected setting.

7. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 6 , wherein the audible content corresponding to the user-selected setting corresponds to a theme of audible contents specified by the user-selected setting.

8. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 7 , wherein the audible content corresponding to the user-selected setting includes an instruction in a human language or dialect selected from a plurality of human languages or dialects based on the user-selected setting.

9. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to access the audio data by using the wireless communicator to connect to the Internet to retrieve the audible content from a content provider.

10. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the camera is configured to generate video data, and the wireless communicator is configured to transmit the video data from the robot to a networked destination.

11. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to navigate the robot across the floor surface based on a signals from a sensor, the sensor comprising the camera.

12. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communicator is configured to transmit usage and behavior information to a server periodically.

13. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communicator is configured to measure a signal strength of a signal emitted by a peripheral device, and the controller is configured to determine a distance to the peripheral device based on the measured signal strength.

14. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to prohibit movement of the mobile robot through a particular area based on the measured signal strength or to guide movement of the mobile robot to the particular area based on the measured signal strength.

15. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1 , further comprising a display panel in electrical communication with the controller, the display panel including an illuminable maintenance display substantially mimicking an appearance of the robot.

16. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 15 , wherein the controller is configured to control illumination of indicia on the display panel and emission of audio responses from the audio output device.

17. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to cause the audio output device to emit audible content corresponding to an instruction to a user to interact with the mobile cleaning robot.

18. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the microphone is configured to receive a spoken command corresponding to a functionality performable by the robot, and the controller is configured to identify the functionality from the spoken command using a speech recognition routine and to cause the robot to perform the functionality.

19. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 18 , wherein the controller is configured to identify a movement pattern corresponding to the functionality and to cause the robot to move in accordance with the movement pattern.

20. The mobile cleaning robot of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to provide, using the audio output device, technical support to a user.

Assignees

• Irobot Corp

Inventors

• Halloran Michael J
• Mammen Jeffrey W
• Campbell Tony L
• Walker Jason S
• Sandin Paul E
• Billington Jr John N
• Ozick Daniel N

Classifications

• A47L11/4061

  Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated · CPC title

• A47L9/0477

  Rolls · CPC title

• A47L11/24

  Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven · CPC title

• H04L1/16

  in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals · CPC title

• A47L9/12

  Dry filters · CPC title