US 11,966,232 B2
Systems for setting and programming zoning for use by autonomous modular robots
Gregg Ratanaphanyarat, Palo Alto, CA (US); Dawei Ding, Palo Alto, CA (US); John Lee, Sunnyvale, CA (US); and Darshan Bhanushali, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to ViaBot Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by ViaBot Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 24, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/134,102.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/087,179, filed on Oct. 3, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0107648 A1, Apr. 7, 2022
Int. Cl. G05D 1/02 (2020.01); A47L 9/00 (2006.01); A47L 9/28 (2006.01); A47L 11/24 (2006.01); A47L 11/40 (2006.01); B60P 1/02 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC G05D 1/0225 (2013.01) [A47L 9/009 (2013.01); A47L 9/2852 (2013.01); A47L 11/24 (2013.01); A47L 11/4011 (2013.01); A47L 11/4038 (2013.01); A47L 11/4061 (2013.01); A47L 11/4066 (2013.01); A47L 11/4072 (2013.01); B60P 1/02 (2013.01); G05D 1/0088 (2013.01); G05D 1/0214 (2013.01); G05D 1/0219 (2013.01); G05D 1/0223 (2013.01); G05D 1/0238 (2013.01); G05D 1/0251 (2013.01); G05D 1/0274 (2013.01); G05D 1/0278 (2013.01); G05D 1/028 (2013.01); A47L 2201/022 (2013.01); A47L 2201/04 (2013.01); G05D 2201/0203 (2013.01); G05D 2201/0215 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A modular robot, comprising:
a sweeper module having a container for collecting debris from a surface of a location, the sweeper module is coupled to one or more brushes for sweeping the surface and moving said debris into said container;
a robot module having wheels and configured to couple to the sweeper module, the robot module enabled for autonomous movement and corresponding movement of the sweeper module over the surface; and
a controller integrated with the robot module and interfacing with the sweeper module, the controller is configured to execute instructions for,
assigning of at least two zones at the location;
assigning a work function to be performed using the sweeper module at each of the at least two zones; and
the robot module activates the sweeper module in each of the at least two zones, wherein the assigned work function is set to be performed at each of the at least two zones;
wherein in each of the at least two zones the modular robot is moved along a path defined by waypoints and said waypoints are automatically reduced in separation to reduce diversion from the path when avoiding an obstacle at the location and return to the path, wherein to reduce diversion from the path provides for less area being un-swept along the path and reduces one or more additional passes along the path at a future time;
wherein the work function includes a pattern of traversal for the path.