Celestial navigation system for an autonomous robot
AssigneeiRobot Corporation
InventorsMark J. Chiappetta, James Paul Frankel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An autonomous robot system including a transmitter disposed within a working area and a mobile robot operating within the working area. The transmitter includes an emitter for emitting at least one signal onto a remote surface above the working area. The mobile robot includes a robot body, a drive system configured to maneuver the robot over a surface within the working area, and a navigation system in communication with the drive system. The navigation system includes a receiver responsive to the emitted signal as reflected off of the remote surface and a processor connected to the receiver and configured to determine a relative location of the robot within the working area in response to the receiver responding to the reflected signal.
Claims20
An autonomous robot system comprising:
- a transmitter disposed within a working area and comprising first and second emitters for emitting respective first and second signals onto a ceiling above the working area;
- and
- a mobile robot moving within the working area relative to the transmitter, the mobile robot comprising:
- a robot body;
- a drive system disposed on the robot body and configured to maneuver the robot over a surface within the working area;
- and
- a navigation system in communication with the drive system, the navigation system comprising:
- a receiver responsive to reflections of the first and second emitted signals from the ceiling;
- and
- a processor connected to the receiver and configured to determine a relative location of the robot within the working area in response to the receiver responding to the reflections of the first and second emitted signals;
- wherein the first and second emitted signals are directable onto the ceiling.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.