The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 13, 2022
Filed:
Apr. 03, 2019
Sharkninja Operating, Llc, Needham, MA (US);
Adam Leech, Newton, MA (US);
Frederick K. Hopke, Medway, MA (US);
Isaku D. Kamada, Brighton, MA (US);
SharkNinja Operating LLC, Needham, MA (US);
Abstract
In general, the present disclosure is directed to a time of flight (ToF) sensor arrangement that may be utilized by a robot (e.g., a robot vacuum) to identify and detect objects in a surrounding environment for mapping and localization purposes. In an embodiment, a robot is disclosed that includes a plurality of ToF sensors disposed about a housing of the robot. Two or more ToF sensors may be angled/aligned to establish overlapping field of views to form redundant detection regions around the robot. Objects that appear therein may then be detected by the robot and utilized to positively identify, e.g., with a high degree of confidence, the presence of the object. The identified objects may then be utilized as data points by the robot to build/update a map. The identified objects may also be utilized during pose routines that allow the robot to orient itself within the map.