US 11,938,240 B2
Method and apparatus for planning a disinfection path for an autonomous, mobile robotic device
Alyssa Pierson, Somerville, MA (US); Saman Amarasinghe, Weston, MA (US); Daniela Rus, Weston, MA (US); Marcio Macedo, Cambridge, MA (US); and Youssef Saleh, Arlington, MA (US)
Assigned to AVA ROBOTICS INC., Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed by AVA ROBOTICS INC., Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed on Nov. 6, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/520,651.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/110,784, filed on Nov. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0143237 A1, May 12, 2022
Int. Cl. A61L 2/10 (2006.01); A61L 2/24 (2006.01); B25J 5/00 (2006.01); B25J 15/00 (2006.01); G01C 21/00 (2006.01); G01C 21/34 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G05D 1/02 (2020.01)
CPC A61L 2/10 (2013.01) [A61L 2/24 (2013.01); B25J 15/0019 (2013.01); G01C 21/343 (2013.01); G01C 21/383 (2020.08); G05D 1/0094 (2013.01); G05D 1/0219 (2013.01); G05D 1/0223 (2013.01); G05D 1/0274 (2013.01); A61L 2202/11 (2013.01); A61L 2202/14 (2013.01); A61L 2202/16 (2013.01); B25J 5/007 (2013.01); G05D 2201/0203 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of disinfecting an interior space, comprising:
generating a map of the interior space using information collected by a sensor system comprising an autonomous, mobile, robotic (AMR) device, and determining from the collected sensor information an identity and location of one or more areas for disinfection;
using the map of the interior space, and the location of the one or more areas identified for disinfection, to determine a path for the AMR device to follow through the interior space in order to disinfect each of the one or more areas identified for disinfection, wherein the path comprises a plurality of nodes;
calculating a dosage of disinfectant to be applied by the AMR device to each of the one or more areas identified for disinfection along the path; and
controlling the AMR device to traverse the path while it applies the calculated dosage of disinfectant to each of the one or more areas, wherein a traversal speed corresponds to the disinfection dosage assigned to an edge, as a weight, that corresponds to the path between two adjacent nodes is determined, and wherein the weight comprises at least a speed of the AMR device and the dosage of disinfectant.