# US 11,439,286 B2 · Mobile robot and method of controlling mobile robot

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- Number: US 11,439,286 B2
- Document ID: US11439286B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/671,772
- Filed: 2019-11-01
- Published: 2020-02-27
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2017-11-10
- Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Jie Lin; Teruto Hirota; Takayuki Nagata; Yuki Takaoka; Tatsuhiro Kishi; Pinchu Yang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11439286B2

## CPC

- A47L 9/2805: {Parameters or conditions being sensed}
- A47L 9/2852: {Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles}
- A47L 9/28: Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
- B25J 9/0003: {Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use}
- G05D 1/0088: {characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours (using knowledge based models G06N5/00)}
- G05D 1/0225: {involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay (parking aids B62D15/027)}
- G05D 1/024: {in combination with a laser (lasers per se H01S)}
- A47L 2201/022: Recharging of batteries
- A47L 2201/04: Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
- A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08)
- B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50})
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES

## Abstract

A mobile robot that autonomously travels includes a body that has a front surface, a driver that is disposed in the body and that drives travelling of the body, a base that includes a spring and that is connected to the body via the spring, and a distance measurer that is disposed at an upper part of the base. The base is connected to the body in such a way that the base is movable to be in a first state in which the laser range finder is located inside the body and a second state in which the laser range finder is located outside the body. The spring generates a force that pushes the base from a front surface of the body to an outside of the body.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A mobile robot that autonomously travels, the mobile robot comprising:
a body that has a front surface;
a driver that is disposed in the body and that drives travelling of the body;
a base that includes a spring and that is connected to the body via the spring; and
a shaft; and
a laser range finder that is disposed at an upper part of the base,
wherein the base is configured to be movable around the shaft to allow the base to switch between a first state in which the laser range finder is located inside the body and a second state in which the laser range finder is located outside the body,
wherein the spring generates a force that pushes the base from a front surface of the body to an outside of the body,
wherein the mobile robot further includes a control circuit,
wherein the laser range finder includes
a turntable,
a light emitter disposed on the turntable,
a light receiver disposed on the turntable,
a first side surface that is disposed on the turntable so as to surround the light emitter and the light receiver, and
a second side surface that is disposed on the turntable so as to surround the light emitter and the light receiver,
wherein the light emitter emits light to an outside of the laser range finder via the first side surface,
wherein the light receiver receives light that enters the light receiver from the outside of the laser range finder via the first side surface,
wherein the control circuit
stops rotation of the turntable around an axis in the first state, and
rotates the turntable around the axis in the second state, and
wherein the axis is parallel to the shaft.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The mobile robot according to claim 1,
wherein the body has an opening in the front surface,
wherein the laser range finder further includes a sensor that detects a rotation angle of the turntable, and
wherein the control circuit
(a) obtains the rotation angle of the turntable from the sensor in the first state, and
(b) stops the rotation of the turntable at a position where the second side surface is visible from the opening.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The mobile robot according to claim 1,
wherein the base enters the first state when an external object contacts the base or the laser range finder, and
wherein the base enters the second state when the external object is not in contact with the base or the laser range finder.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The mobile robot according to claim 1,
wherein the shaft is perpendicular to travel directions of the mobile robot.

### Claim 5

A mobile robot that autonomously travels, the mobile robot comprising:
a shaft perpendicular to travel directions of the mobile robot;
a body that has a front surface;
a driver that is disposed in the body and that drives travelling of the body;
a base that includes a spring and that is connected to the body via the spring; and
a laser range finder that is disposed at an upper part of the base,
wherein the base is configured to be movable around the shaft to allow the base to switch between a first state in which the laser range finder is located inside the body and a second state in which the laser range finder is located outside the body,
wherein the spring generates a force that pushes the base from a front surface of the body to an outside of the body,
wherein the mobile robot further includes a power source control circuit and a power source,
wherein an external object is a charger, and
wherein the power source control circuit charges the power source by using the charger when the base is in the first state.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The mobile robot according to claim 5,
wherein the base enters the first state when the external object contacts the base or the laser range finder, and
wherein the base enters the second state when the external object is not in contact with the base or the laser range finder.

### Claim 7

A method of controlling a mobile robot that autonomously travels,
the mobile robot including
a body that has a front surface,
a driver that is disposed in the body and that drives travelling of the body,
a base that includes a spring and that is connected to the body via the spring,
a shaft,
a laser range finder that is disposed at an upper part of the base, and
a control circuit,
wherein the spring generates a force that pushes the base from a front surface of the body to an outside of the body,
wherein the laser range finder includes
a turntable,
a light emitter disposed on the turntable,
a light receiver disposed on the turntable,
a first side surface that is disposed on the turntable so as to surround the light emitter and the light receiver, and
a second side surface that is disposed on the turntable so as to surround the light emitter and the light receiver, and
wherein the base is configured to be movable around the shaft to allow the base to switch between a first state in which the laser range finder is located inside the body and a second state in which the laser range finder is located outside the body,
the method comprising:
emitting, by the light emitter, light to an outside of the laser range finder via the first side surface;
receiving, by the light receiver, light that enters the light receiver from the outside of the laser range finder via the first side surface;
stopping, by the control circuit, rotation of the turntable around an axis in the first state; and
rotating, by the control circuit, the turntable around the axis in the second state,
wherein the axis is parallel to the shaft.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7,
wherein the body has an opening in the front surface,
wherein the laser range finder further includes a sensor that detects a rotation angle of the turntable, and
wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining the rotation angle of the turntable from the sensor in the first state, and
stopping the rotation of the turntable at a position where the second side surface is visible from the opening.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The mobile robot according to claim 7,
wherein the shaft is perpendicular to travel directions of the mobile robot.

### Claim 10

A method of controlling a mobile robot that autonomously travels,
the mobile robot including
a shaft perpendicular to travel directions of the mobile robot,
a body that has a front surface,
a driver that is disposed in the body and that drives travelling of the body,
a base that includes a spring and that is connected to the body via the spring,
a laser range finder that is disposed at an upper part of the base,
a power source control circuit, and
a power source,
wherein the spring generates a force that pushes the base from a front surface of the body to an outside of the body,
wherein the base is configured to be movable around the shaft to allow the base to switch between a first state in which the laser range finder is located inside the body and a second state in which the laser range finder is located outside the body, and
wherein an external object is a charger,
the method comprising:
charging, by the power source control circuit, the power source by using the charger when the base is in the first state.