Mobile Robot

Abstract

A mobile robot including a robot body, a drive system supporting the robot body, and a controller in communication with the drive system. The robot also includes an actuator moving a portion of the robot body through a volume of space adjacent the mobile robot and a sensor pod in communication with the controller. The sensor pod includes a collar rotatably supported and having a curved wall formed at least partially as a surface of revolution about a vertical axis. The sensor pod also includes a volumetric point cloud sensor housed by the collar and observing the volume of space adjacent the robot from within the collar along an observation axis extending through the curved wall. A collar actuator rotates the collar and the volumetric point cloud sensor together about the collar axis.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A mobile robot comprising:
 a robot body;   a drive system supporting the robot body and configured to maneuver the robot over a floor surface, the drive system having a forward drive direction;   a controller in communication with the drive system;   an actuator moving a portion of the robot body through a volume of space adjacent the robot; and   a sensor pod in communication with the controller, the sensor pod comprising:
 a collar rotatably supported by the robot body and having a curved wall formed at least partially as a surface of revolution about a vertical axis of rotation with respect to the floor surface; 
 an infrared range sensor housed by the collar and observing the volume of space adjacent the robot from within the collar along an observation axis extending through the curved wall, the infrared range sensor generating range value data representative of obstacles within the observed volume of space; 
 a presence sensor observing the volume of space adjacent the robot from within the collar along an axis parallel to the observation axis extending through the curved wall, the presence sensor generating presence value data representative of obstacles within the observed volume of space; and 
 a collar actuator rotating the collar, the infrared range sensor, and the presence sensor about the collar axis of rotation; 
 wherein all rotating portions of the infrared range sensor and the presence sensor extend a lesser distance from the collar axis of rotation than an outermost point of the collar. 
   
     
     
         2 . The mobile robot of  claim 1 , wherein the infrared range sensor comprises at east one of a structured-light three dimensional scanner, a time of flight camera, a three-dimensional light detection and ranging sensor, or one or more triangulation ranging sensors. 
     
     
         3 . The mobile robot of  claim 1 , wherein the presence sensor comprises at least one of a sonar sensor, ultrasonic ranging sensor, a radar sensor, a pyrometer, or a non-infrared sensor. 
     
     
         4 . The mobile robot of  claim 1 , wherein the presence sensor senses at least one of acoustics, radiofrequency, visible wavelength light, or invisible wavelength light. 
     
     
         5 . The mobile robot of  claim 1 , wherein the presence sensor detects a presence of an obstacle within a deadband of the infrared range sensor substantially immediately adjacent the infrared range sensor. 
     
     
         6 . A mobile robot comprising:
 a drive system configured to maneuver the robot over a floor surface, the drive system having a forward drive direction;   a controller in communication with the drive system;   a torso body defining a curved forward face supported above the drive system; and   an array of sensors disposed on the curved forward face of the torso body, the array of sensors comprising first, second, and third sensors in communication with the controller, the first sensor arranged to aim downward and away from the robot body, the second sensor arranged to aim away from the robot body substantially parallel with the floor surface, and the third sensor arranged to aim upward and away from the robot body.   
     
     
         7 . The mobile robot of  claim 6 , wherein at least one sensor comprises a volumetric point cloud imaging device capable of obtaining a point cloud from a volume of space adjacent the robot. 
     
     
         8 . The mobile robot of  claim 6 , wherein at least one sensor comprises a sonar proximity sensor or an infrared proximity sensor. 
     
     
         9 . The mobile robot of  claim 6 , wherein the array of sensors comprises first and second imaging sensors disposed on the torso body and in communication with the controller, the first imaging sensor arranged to aim downward and away from the robot body, and the second imaging sensor arranged to aim away from the robot body substantially parallel with the floor surface. 
     
     
         10 . The mobile robot of  claim 9 , wherein the array of sensors comprises a third imaging sensors disposed on the torso body and in communication with the controller, the third imaging sensor arranged to aim upward and away from the robot body. 
     
     
         11 . The mobile robot of  claim 6 , wherein the array of sensors comprises first, second, and third proximity sensors disposed on the torso body, the first proximity sensor arranged to aim downward and away from the robot body, the second proximity sensor arranged to aim away from the robot substantially parallel to the floor surface, and the third proximity sensor arranged to aim upward and away from the robot. 
     
     
         12 . The mobile robot of  claim 6 , wherein at least one sensor scans side-to-side to increase a field of view of the sensor. 
     
     
         13 . A mobile robot comprising:
 a robot body;   a drive system supporting the robot body and configured to maneuver the robot over a floor surface, the drive system having a forward drive direction;   a controller in communication with the drive system; and   first, second, and third imaging devices disposed on the robot body and in communication with the controller, the first imaging sensor arranged to aim downward and away from the robot body, the second imaging sensor arranged to aim away from the robot body substantially parallel with the floor surface, and the third imaging sensor arranged to aim upward and away from the robot body.   
     
     
         14 . The mobile robot of  claim 13 , wherein the imaging sensors are disposed in a recess defined by the robot body while maintaining corresponding fields of view unobstructed by the robot body. 
     
     
         15 . The mobile robot of  claim 13 , wherein at least one imaging sensor comprises a volumetric point cloud imaging device capable of obtaining a point cloud from a volume of space adjacent the robot. 
     
     
         16 . The mobile robot of  claim 13 , wherein at least one imaging sensor scans side-to-side with respect to the forward drive direction to increase a lateral field of view of the imaging sensor. 
     
     
         17 . The mobile robot of  claim 13 , further comprising first, second, and third proximity sensors disposed on the robot body, the first proximity sensor having a sensing axis arranged substantially parallel with an imaging axis of the first imaging sensor, the second proximity sensor having a sensing axis arranged substantially parallel with an imaging axis of the second imaging sensor, and the third proximity sensor having a sensing axis arranged substantially parallel with an imaging axis of the third imaging sensor. 
     
     
         18 . The mobile robot of  claim 17 , wherein the first, second, and third proximity sensors comprise a sonar sensor or an infrared sensor and are each disposed adjacent the corresponding first, second, and third imaging sensors.