Mapping an environment around an autonomous vacuum

A method for mapping a home environment around an autonomous vacuum, the method comprising:

• receiving, via a sensor system, visual data about the home environment;
• determining a ground plane of the home environment in the visual data;
• detecting objects within the home environment based on the detected ground plane;
• for each object:
• segmenting a three-dimensional representation of the object out of the visual data,
• determining an object type of the object based on visual data of the object,
• wherein the object type is a classification of different objects found in the home environment,
• applying a descriptor tag to the object indicating the object type of the object,
• determining whether the object is static or dynamic,
• responsive to determining the object is static, mapping the three-dimensional representation to a long-term level of a map of the home environment, and
• responsive to determining the object is dynamic, mapping the three-dimensional representation to an intermediate level of the map of the home environment;
• wherein a first set of objects having a first descriptor tag indicating a first object type is mapped to the long-term level and a second set of objects having the first descriptor tag indicating the first object type is mapped to the intermediate level;
• localizing a current position of an autonomous vacuum in the home environment based on objects mapped to the long-term level of the map of the home environment while excluding objects mapped to the intermediate level of the map;
• determining navigation instructions to navigate the autonomous vacuum along a path from the current position of the autonomous vacuum to a target position where a mess is located, the path being based on the current position of the autonomous vacuum and objects detected within the environment in the long-term level of the map and the intermediate level of the map;
• and
• instructing an actuator assembly to move the autonomous vacuum to vacuum dirt in the home environment using the map of the home environment and the navigation instructions.

A computer system comprising:

• a computer processor;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed cause a computer processor to perform actions comprising:
• receiving, via a sensor system, visual data about a home environment;
• determining a ground plane of the home environment in the visual data;
• detecting objects within the home environment based on the detected ground plane;
• for each object:
• segmenting a three-dimensional representation of the object out of the visual data,
• determining an object type of the object based on visual data of the object, wherein the object type is a classification of different objects found in the home environment,
• applying a descriptor tag to the object indicating the object type of the object,
• determining whether the object is static or dynamic,
• responsive to determining the object is static, mapping the three-dimensional representation to a long-term level of a map of the home environment, and
• responsive to determining the object is dynamic, mapping the three-dimensional representation to an intermediate level of the map of the home environment;
• wherein a first set of objects having a first descriptor tag indicating a first object type is mapped to the long-term level and a second set of objects having the first descriptor tag indicating the first object type is mapped to the intermediate level;
• localizing a current position of an autonomous vacuum in the home environment based on objects mapped to the long-term level of the map of the home environment while excluding objects mapped to the intermediate level of the map;
• determining navigation instructions to navigate the autonomous vacuum based on the position of the autonomous vacuum along a path from the current position of the autonomous vacuum to a target position where a mess is located, the path being based on the current position of the autonomous vacuum and objects detected within the environment in the long-term level of the map and the intermediate level of the map;
• and
• instructing an actuator assembly to move the autonomous vacuum to vacuum dirt in the home environment using the map of the home environment and the navigation instructions.