Patent application number | Description | Published |
20130035793 | Device For Influencing Navigation Of An Autonomous Vehicle - A device for controlling the reflection of incident beams to influence navigation of an autonomous device having a navigation sensor comprising a beam emitter and a beam detector for detecting reflected emitted beams. The device comprises at least one surface having a geometry configured to direct a reflection from the emitted beam in a predetermined direction so that a suitable amount of the reflected beam can be detected by the detector. | 02-07-2013 |
20130070563 | SONAR SCANNER - Detecting an object using sound waves includes outputting a sound wave from a transducer, receiving an echo after outputting the sound wave, obtaining a threshold value based on the echo and plural other echoes that are within a predetermined range of the echo, and determining if the echo is a result of the sound wave based on the threshold value. | 03-21-2013 |
20130103194 | Robot Confinement - A method of confining a robot in a work space includes providing a portable barrier signal transmitting device including a primary emitter emitting a confinement beam primarily along an axis defining a directed barrier. A mobile robot including a detector, a drive motor and a control unit controlling the drive motor is caused to avoid the directed barrier upon detection by the detector on the robot. The detector on the robot has an omnidirectional field of view parallel to the plane of movement of the robot. The detector receives confinement light beams substantially in a plane at the height of the field of view while blocking or rejecting confinement light beams substantially above or substantially below the plane at the height of the field of view. | 04-25-2013 |
20130117952 | COMPACT AUTONOMOUS COVERAGE ROBOT - An autonomous coverage robot includes a chassis having forward and rearward portions and a drive system carried by the chassis. The forward portion of the chassis defines a substantially rectangular shape. The robot includes a cleaning assembly mounted on the forward portion of the chassis and a bin disposed adjacent the cleaning assembly and configured to receive debris agitated by the cleaning assembly. A bin cover is pivotally attached to a lower portion of the chassis and configured to rotate between a first, closed position providing closure of an opening defined by the bin and a second, open position providing access to the bin opening. The robot includes a body attached to the chassis and a handle disposed on an upper portion of the body. A bin cover release is actuatable from substantially near the handle. | 05-16-2013 |
20130138337 | Digest for Localization or Fingerprinted Overlay - A method for mapping an environment proximal to a vehicle includes obtaining a current location of the vehicle according to a map of the environment, detecting at least one characteristic of the environment at the current location, and storing the at least one characteristic in a characteristic digest. The characteristic digest respectively associates one or more locations in the environment to one or more sets of previously detected characteristics in the environment. The method also includes associating the at least one characteristic with the current location in the characteristic digest. | 05-30-2013 |
20130152724 | Inflatable Robots, Robotic Components and Assemblies and Methods Including Same - A robotic joint assembly includes a first structural member, a second structural member, and a rolling flexure joint joining the first structural member to the second structural member to provide at least one degree of freedom between the first and second structural members. The rolling flexure joint includes first and second flexible hinge members each having one end secured to the first structural member and an opposing end secured to the second structural member. The first and second flexible hinge members cross one another between the first and second structural members. | 06-20-2013 |
20130166107 | Control System for a Remote Vehicle - A hand-held controller for operating a remote vehicle includes a controller body having right and left grips, a first set of input devices are disposed in a left control zone adjacent the left grip, and a second set of input devices are disposed in a right control zone adjacent the right grip. The first set of input devices includes a first analog joystick, a 4-way directional control, and a left rocker control. The second set of input devices includes a second analog joystick, an array of at least four buttons, and a right rocker control. The hand-held controller also includes a mode changer disposed on the controller body and configured to receive an input to change between two or more function modes. Each function mode assigns different functions to one or more of the input devices. | 06-27-2013 |
20130204463 | CELESTIAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE - A navigation control system for an autonomous vehicle comprises a transmitter and an autonomous vehicle. The transmitter comprises an emitter for emitting at least one signal, a power source for powering the emitter, a device for capturing wireless energy to charge the power source, and a printed circuit board for converting the captured wireless energy to a form for charging the power source. The autonomous vehicle operates within a working area and comprises a receiver for detecting the at least one signal emitted by the emitter, and a processor for determining a relative location of the autonomous vehicle within the working area based on the signal emitted by the emitter. | 08-08-2013 |
20130204465 | Autonomous Behaviors For A Remote Vehicle - A method of operating a remote vehicle configured to communicate with an operator control unit (OCU) includes executing a click-to-drive behavior, a cruise control behavior, and a retro-traverse behavior on a computing processor. The click-to-drive behavior includes receiving a picture or a video feed and determining a drive destination in the received picture or video feed. The cruise control behavior includes receiving an absolute heading and velocity commands from the OCU and computing a drive heading and a drive velocity. The a retro-traverse behavior includes generating a return path interconnecting at least two previously-traversed waypoints of a list of time-stamped waypoints, and executing a retro-traverse of the return path by navigating the remote vehicle successively to previous time-stamped waypoints in the waypoints list until a control signal is received from the operator control unit. | 08-08-2013 |