US 11,703,334 B2
Mobile robots to generate reference maps for localization
Jonathan Salfity, Palo Alto, CA (US); and David Murphy, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Assigned to Hewlett-Packard Development Company. L.P., Spring, TX (US)
Appl. No. 16/754,773
Filed by Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., Spring, TX (US)
PCT Filed Oct. 31, 2017, PCT No. PCT/US2017/059396
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 9, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/089018, PCT Pub. Date May 9, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0300639 A1, Sep. 24, 2020
Int. Cl. G01C 21/32 (2006.01); G06T 7/11 (2017.01); G06T 7/70 (2017.01); G01C 21/14 (2006.01); G01C 21/16 (2006.01); G06V 20/10 (2022.01)
CPC G01C 21/32 (2013.01) [G01C 21/14 (2013.01); G01C 21/165 (2013.01); G06T 7/11 (2017.01); G06T 7/70 (2017.01); G06V 20/10 (2022.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A robot comprising:
a set of image sensors;
a spatial determination resource;
a control system; and
a propulsion mechanism;
wherein the control system:
performs a scan of a given region to obtain image data of the given region using the set of image sensors;
determines, using the spatial determination resource, a location of the robot relative to at least one reference point at a time of the scan;
performs image analysis on the image data to detect a set of undesirable objects that are depicted by the image data, the set of undesirable objects being determined based on permanency classifications for object types detected in the image data, the set of undesirable objects being at least one of a dynamic object or a predetermined category of undesirable objects;
generates a reference map that excludes the set of undesirable objects, the reference map being associated with the location of the robot at the time of the scan, and
performs a localization operation to determine a location of the robot at a time after the time of the scan, the localization operation performed based on the reference map relative to the at least one reference point and a desirable object identified in the reference map,
wherein the desirable object is at a first fixed location and wherein the at least one reference point is at a second fixed location different from the first fixed location and different from the location of the robot at the time of the scan.