US 9,308,643 B2Granted

Transferable intelligent control device

AssigneeiRobot Corporation

InventorsMichael Dooley, Nikolai Romanov, Paolo Pirjanian

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Abstract

An integrated intelligent system includes a first intelligent electronic device, a second intelligent electronic device, a transferable intelligent control device (TICD) and a cross product bus. The first intelligent electronic device performs a first function and the second intelligent electronic device performs a second function. The cross product bus couples the first intelligent electronic device to the transferable intelligent control device. The TICD partially controls behaviors of the intelligent electronic device by sending commands over the cross product bus to the first intelligent electronic device and the TICD partially controls behaviors of the second intelligent electronic device to perform the second function. The TICD is first attached to the first intelligent electronic device to partially control the behaviors of the first electronic device, then detached from the first electronic device, and then attached to the second intelligent electronic device to perform the second function.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A method of controlling a transferable intelligent control device and a mobile robot, the method comprising:

in the transferable intelligent control device (TICD), having a first complement of sensors configured to detect an environment and a cross-product communications module,
recording information regarding locations where the mobile robot is expected to travel and tracking the locations via a localization system of the TICD as the TICD is transported through the environment,
building maps for the tracked locations within the environment,
learning a layout and location of rooms within the environment,
storing the maps, layout and location of rooms within the environment in a memory addressable via the cross-product communications module or a wireless communications module, and
causing pertinent resources to be transferred, the pertinent resources including the maps, layout and location of rooms within the environment, via the cross-product communications module to the mobile robot having a compatible cross-product communications module;
and
in the mobile robot, having an embedded intelligent control device with a second complement of sensors at least in part different from the first complement of sensors in the transferable intelligent control device,
using the maps, layout, and location of rooms to drive the mobile robot to navigate through the environment.

6 more elements

A method comprising:

in a transferable intelligent control device (TICD), having a first complement of sensors,
configured to detect an environment, and a cross-product communications module,
enabling recording of information regarding locations where a mobile robot is expected to travel via a localization system of the TICD as the TICD is transported through the environment,
enabling building of maps for the locations within the environment and enabling learning a layout and location of rooms within the environment,
wherein the maps, layout and location of rooms within the environment are stored in a memory addressable via the cross-product communications module or a wireless communications module, and
enabling the maps, layout and location of rooms within the environment to be wirelessly transferred to the mobile robot;
and
enabling the mobile robot, having an embedded intelligent control device with a second complement of sensors at least in part different from the first complement of sensors in the transferable intelligent control device, to use the maps, layout, and location of rooms to drive the mobile robot to navigate through the environment.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/255,880Filed 17 Apr 2014 · continuation
Priority: 20 Sep 2007
Published: US 2014/0229004 A114 Aug 2014
Granted: 12 Apr 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

B25J 9/1658
Characterised by programming, planning systems for manipulators: characterised by programming language
B25J 9/0084
Program-controlled manipulators: comprising a plurality of manipulators
G05D 1/0219
With means for defining a desired trajectory: ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
G06N 3/004
Computing arrangements based on biological models: artificial life, i.e. computing arrangements simulating life

Family

Application60/994,651Us provisional application · filed 20 Sep 2007
Application12/234,543Parent of this continuation · filed 19 Sep 2008
US 2014/0229004 A1Pre-grant publication · published 14 Aug 2014
US 2009/0082879 A1Published application
US 9,308,643 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.