Ai Incorporated

Sebastian Schweigert

Chen Zhang

Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi

Lukas Fath

Soroush Mehrnia

Hao Yuan

Lukas Robinson

Provided is a method including: capturing, with at least one sensor of a robot, first data indicative of the position of the robot in relation to objects within the workspace and second data indicative of movement of the robot; recognizing, with a processor of the robot, a first area of the workspace based on observing at least one of: a first part of the first data and a first part of the second data; generating, with the processor of the robot, at least part of a map of the workspace based on at least one of: the first part of the first data and the first part of the second data; generating, with the processor of the robot, a first movement path covering at least part of the first recognized area; actuating, with the processor of the robot, the robot to move along the first movement path.

Method for constructing a map while performing work

Provided is a robot, including: a chassis; a set of wheels coupled to the chassis; at least one motor for driving the set of wheels; at least one motor controller; a range finding system coupled to the robot; a plurality of sensors; a processor; and a tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuates operations including: obtaining, with the processor, distances to obstacles measured by the range finding system as the robot moves relative to the obstacles; monitoring, with the processor, the distance measurements; identifying, with the processor, outlier distance measurements in otherwise steadily fitting distance measurements; determining, with the processor, a depth of an obstacle based on the distance measurements; and determining, with the processor, a position of the obstacle based on the distance measurements.

Method and apparatus for improving range finding system readings

Provided is a medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors effectuate operations including: obtaining a stream of spatial data indicative of a robot's position in a workspace; obtaining a stream of movement data indicative of the robot's displacement in the workspace; navigating along a path of the robot in the workspace based on the stream of spatial data; while navigating, mapping at least part of the workspace based on the stream of spatial data to form or update a spatial map in memory; wherein the spatial map expands as new areas of the workspace are covered by the robot and spatial data of the new areas of the workspace are obtained and used by the one or more processors to update the spatial map; and wherein the spatial map of the workspace is segmented into two or more zones.

Methods for finding the perimeter of a place using observed coordinates

A robot configured to perceive a model of an environment, including: a chassis; a set of wheels; a plurality of sensors; a processor; and memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuates operations including: capturing a plurality of data while the robot moves within the environment; perceiving the model of the environment based on at least a portion of the plurality of data, the model being a top view of the environment; storing the model of the environment in a memory accessible to the processor; and transmitting the model of the environment and a status of the robot to an application of a smartphone previously paired with the robot.

Method and apparatus for combining data to construct a floor plan

Provided is a process that includes: obtaining a first version of a map of a workspace; selecting a first undiscovered area of the workspace; in response to selecting the first undiscovered area, causing the robot to move to a position and orientation to sense data in at least part of the first undiscovered area; and obtaining an updated version of the map mapping a larger area of the workspace than the first version.

Discovering and plotting the boundary of an enclosure

Provided is a process executed by a robot, including: traversing, to a first position, a first distance in a backward direction; after traversing the first distance, rotating in a first rotation; after the first rotation, traversing, to a second position, a second distance in a third direction; after traversing the second distance, rotating 180 degrees in a second rotation such that the field of view of the sensor points in a fourth direction; after the second rotation, traversing, to a third position, a third distance in the fourth direction; after traversing the second distance, rotating 180 degrees in a third rotation such that the field of view of the sensor points in the third direction; and after the third rotation, traversing, to a fourth position, a fourth distance in the third direction.

A robot adapted to capture a plurality of data; perceive a model of the environment based on the plurality of data; determine areas within which work was performed and areas within which work is yet to be performed; store the model of the environment in a memory accessible to the processor; and transmit the model of the environment and a status of the robot to an application of a smartphone previously paired with the robot.

Provided are operations including: receiving, with one or more processors of a robot, an image of an environment from an imaging device separate from the robot; obtaining, with the one or more processors, raw pixel intensity values of the image; extracting, with the one or more processors, objects and features in the image by grouping pixels with similar raw pixel intensity values, and by identifying areas in the image with greatest change in raw pixel intensity values; determining, with the one or more processors, an area within a map of the environment corresponding with the image by comparing the objects and features of the image with objects and features of the map; and, inferring, with the one or more processors, one or more locations captured in the image based on the location of the area of the map corresponding with the image.

Methods for an autonomous robotic device to identify locations captured in an image

Methods and systems for collaboratively constructing a map of an environment. One or more sensory devices installed on an autonomous vehicle take readings within a field of view of the sensory device. As the vehicle moves within the environment, the sensory device continuously takes readings within new fields of view. At the same time, sensory devices installed on other autonomous vehicles operating within the same environment and/or fixed devices monitoring the environment take readings within their respective fields of view. The readings recorded by a processor of each autonomous vehicle may be shared with all other processors of autonomous vehicles operating within the same environment with whom a data transfer channel is established. Processors combine overlapping readings to construct continuously growing segments of the map. Combined readings are taken by the same sensory device or by different sensory devices and are taken at the same time or at different times.

Method and system for collaborative construction of a map

A method for covering a surface by a robotic device including: generating a two-dimensional map of a workspace using data from at least a depth measurement device positioned on the robotic device, dividing the two-dimensional map into a grid of cells, identifying the cells as free, occupied, or unknown, localizing the robotic device within the two-dimensional map, identifying at least one frontier within the map for exploration, generating a spanning tree such that a movement path of the robotic device includes a repetition of movement in a first direction along a straight line, 180 degree rotation over a distance perpendicular to the first direction, movement in a second direction opposite the first direction along a straight line, and 180 degree rotation over a distance perpendicular to the second direction, and recording the number of collisions incurred and the areas covered by the robotic device while executing the movement path.

Surface coverage optimization method for mobile robotic devices

A robot for perceiving a spatial representation of an environment, including: an actuator, at least one sensor, a processor, and memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuates operations including: capturing a plurality of data by the at least one sensor of the robot, wherein: the plurality of data comprises first data comprising pixel characteristics indicative of features of the environment and second data indicative of depth to objects in the environment; the plurality of data is captured from different positions within the environment through which the robot moves, the plurality of data corresponding with respective positions from which the plurality of data was captured; and the plurality of data captured from different respective positions within the environment corresponds to respective fields of view; and aligning the plurality of data as it is captured to more accurately perceive the spatial representation of the environment.

Provided is a robot, including: a chassis; a set of wheels coupled to the chassis; at least one motor; at least one motor controller; a range finding system; a plurality of sensors; a processor; and a medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuates operations including: measuring, with the range finding system, distances to surfaces opposite the range finding system as the robot moves relative to the surfaces; monitoring, with the processor, the distance measurements taken by the range finding system; discarding, with the processor, outlier distance measurements that reflect an interruption in otherwise steadily fitting distance measurements taken as the robot moves towards and away from surrounding obstacles; and determining, with the processor, a position of an obstacle by identifying a position of the range finding system immediately before and after encountering the obstacle, signified by the interruption detected in the distance measurements.

Provided is a method for navigating and mapping a workspace, including: obtaining a stream of spatial data indicative of a robot's position in a workspace, the stream of spatial data being based on at least output of a first sensor; obtaining a stream of movement data indicative of the robot's displacement in the workspace, the stream of movement data being based on at least output of a second sensor of different type than the first sensor; navigating along a path of the robot in the workspace based on the stream of spatial data; while navigating, mapping at least part of the workspace based on the stream of spatial data to form or update a spatial map in memory; and switching to a second mode of operation if the stream of spatial data is unavailable due to the first sensor becoming impaired or inoperative.

Provided is a process, including obtaining, with a robot, raw pixel intensity values of a first image and raw pixel intensity values of a second image, wherein the first image and the second image are taken from different positions; determining, with one or more processors, an overlapping area of a field of view of the first image and of a field of view of the second image by comparing the raw pixel intensity values of the first image to the raw pixel intensity values of the second image; spatially, with one or more processors, aligning values based on sensor readings of the robot based on the overlapping area; and inferring, with one or more processors, features of a working environment of the robot based on the spatially aligned sensor readings.

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Toronto, Canada

Sebastian Schweigert