Autonomous navigational system for floor preparation and maintenance equipment

Abstract

According to embodiments of the present disclosure is an automatic floor preparation or maintenance system. The system uses a laser rangefinder to map a workspace, while a path planning module uses the map to determine a path for the concrete polishing vehicle to travel. A propulsion system moves the vehicle along the determined path. A user interface allows an operator to remotely monitor the autonomous operations.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A floor preparation or maintenance system comprising:
 a sensor arrangement for generating a map of an area to be prepared or maintained;   a device for storing the map and a plan based on the map; and   a floor preparation or maintenance machine for preparing or maintaining a floor in accordance with the plan.   
     
     
         2 . The floor preparation or maintenance system of  claim 1  wherein the machine comprises at least one actuator and encoder connected to each wheel of a floor preparation or maintenance vehicle. 
     
     
         3 . The floor preparation or maintenance system of  claim 1  wherein the system further comprises an operational logic module configured to interact with the sensor arrangement to generate a coverage pattern for the map. 
     
     
         4 . The floor preparation or maintenance system of  claim 1 , wherein the operational logic module is further configured to control the operation and speed of the polishing heads on the machine. 
     
     
         5 . The floor preparation or maintenance system of  claim 3 , wherein the operational module is further configured, through interaction with the sensor arrangement, to detect obstacles in the coverage pattern of the map. 
     
     
         6 . The floor preparation or maintenance system of  claim 3 , wherein the operational module is further configured to interact with status indicator lights and beacons and data outputs on the vehicle.