Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile robot cleaner which can be operated in multiple modes for efficient cleaning.SOLUTION: A mobile robot cleaner to clean a floor comprises moving means to move the mobile robot cleaner on a floor, a cliff sensor to detect a cliff, a controller to control the moving means on the basis of output signals from the cliff sensor. When the cliff sensor has detected a cliff for a predetermined time period continuously, the controller causes the mobile robot cleaner to stop moving by the moving means.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning robot, which performs processing (cleaning) by applying a cleaning liquid on the floor, capable of motor drive and autonomous control.SOLUTION: A cleaning robot has a predetermined cleaning width. The cleaning robot includes: a driving member for moving the robot on a cleaning surface; applying means for applying a liquid on the cleaning surface while moving on the cleaning surface; recovery means for recovering the liquid from the cleaning surface while moving on the cleaning surface; and a tank module, which is attached to the robot in an attachable/detachable manner, including an applying object section for holding the liquid which the applying means applies to the cleaning surface, and a waste object section separated from the applying object section and holding the liquid which the recovery means recovers from the cleaning surface as a waste liquid.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem in which a conventional robot is disturbed due to limited utility, and thus has not functioned as a versatile assistant being welcomed by a human being.SOLUTION: A method to be executed by a robotic system including a moving robot provided with a camera is provided that is configured to include: dividing a map of a house into a plurality of areas having room discrimination information respectively; causing a user to display a plurality of room discrimination markers on a display device. The method is configured to include: with respect to at least two of the room discrimination information, causing the user to display an image photographed by the camera of the moving robot in the area of the house corresponding to the room discrimination information on the display device; and further causing a drive system of the moving robot to avoid an unexpected obstacle on a scheduled route, and advance on the scheduled route to at least one location in the house corresponding to a designation of the room discrimination marker of a destination.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an autonomous coverage robot and a related navigation system.SOLUTION: There is provided an autonomous robot system including a navigation beacon equipped with a beacon emitter which transmits a first emission, and a base station. The base station includes a base which determines a docking direction and a field emitter which radiates a second emission aligned with the docking direction. The autonomous robot includes a nondirectional receiver which detects the first and second emissions, a directional receiver which detects the second emission, a drive system which moves the robot, and a controller which controls the drive system. When the nondirectional receiver detects the first emission, the robot does not pass the first emission while when the nondirectional receiver and the directional receiver detect the second emission, the controller determines the position and direction of the base so that the robot is docked to the base station.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile robot system which selects an audible content according to an event occurring in a robot, an operation of the robot, or a state of the robot and causes a speaker to reproduce the audible content.SOLUTION: Mobile cleaning robots 104a, 104b and 104c comprise drive systems for moving the robot 104a, 104b and 104c on a floor surface; cleaning units for cleaning the floor surface; speakers for reproducing audible contents; and controllers for controlling the reproduction, respectively. The controllers select the audible contents according to events occurring in the robots 104a, 104b and 104c, operations of the robots or states of the robots, and control the speakers to reproduce the contents, respectively.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a robot system capable of optimizing the cleaning capability and efficiency of a cleaning mechanism.SOLUTION: A robot system includes: a virtual wall portion unit configured to emit first and second signals; and an autonomous floor-cleaning robot that includes a wheel assembly, a cleaning assembly, a control part, and a virtual wall portion detection assembly. Further, the control part of the autonomous floor-cleaning robot controls the wheel assembly so that the autonomous floor-cleaning robot does not overrun the virtual wall portion unit in the case of the virtual wall portion detection assembly detecting the first signal, and controls the wheel assembly so that the autonomous floor-cleaning robot does not enter a prohibited zone in the case of the virtual wall portion detection assembly detecting the second signal.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a surface cleaning robot for applying cleaning liquid on a floor for processing (cleaning), which is capable of motor drive, autonomous control, etc.SOLUTION: A surface cleaning robot includes a robot body having a front end and a rear end, right and left drive modules, a scrubbing element coming in contact with a cleaned surface when the surface cleaning robot moves on the cleaned surface, and a ballast weight disposed to move the center of gravity of the surface cleaning robot to a contact line of the right and left drive modules.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide autonomous coverage robots and associated navigation systems.SOLUTION: A cleaning system comprising an autonomous mobile robot 100 and a base station is provided. The autonomous mobile robot 100 comprises a central receiver and two side receivers located at a front portion of a chassis 102 and a controller located within the chassis 102 and configured to direct the mobile robot 100 toward a docked position using the receiver signals received by the receivers 104. The base station comprises three emitters, the three emitters comprising at least two side emitters spaced in opposite directions from a central location of the base station, at least two of the emitters being detectable by the mobile robot from a position proximate the base station when the mobile robot 100 is aligning itself for docking.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow an autonomous mobile robot to move to an adjacent bounded spatial region by a navigation beacon.SOLUTION: The navigation beacon has a gateway beacon emitter comprised so as to transmit gateway marking emission by a navigation beacon placed inside a gateway between a first bounded spatial region and an adjacent second bounded spatial region. An autonomous coverage robot includes beacon emission sensors (104, 106) for responding to the beacon emission and a drive system comprised so as to move the robot around the first bounded spatial region in a cleaning mode in which to change the direction of the robot in response to detection of the gateway marking emission. The drive system moves the robot to the second bounded spatial region through the gateway in a migration mode.
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an autonomous cleaning robot which suitably detects existence of a cliff, such as a set of stairs in a floor surface to prevent the robot from falling down the cliff when the robot meeting with the cliff while moving.SOLUTION: The autonomous cleaning robot includes: a chassis; a drive system mounted on the chassis and having a plurality of wheels configured to maneuver the autonomous cleaning robot; a floor proximity sensor carried by the chassis and configured to detect the cliff in the floor surface; a run off sensor disposed in the proximity of the wheel and detecting a downward displacement of the wheel relative to the chassis; and a verification system for verifying whether the floor proximity sensor is blocked, based on the detection result of the floor proximity sensor, when the run off sensor detects that all the wheels of the drive system run off.