US 12,235,652 B2
Terrain aware step planning system
Eric Whitman, Waltham, MA (US); and Gina Christine Fay, Lexington, MA (US)
Assigned to Boston Dynamics, Inc., Waltham, MA (US)
Filed by Boston Dynamics, Inc., Waltham, MA (US)
Filed on Feb. 24, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/652,318.
Application 17/652,318 is a continuation of application No. 16/288,205, filed on Feb. 28, 2019, granted, now 11,287,826.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/744,954, filed on Oct. 12, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0179420 A1, Jun. 9, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G06T 7/593 (2017.01)
CPC G05D 1/024 (2013.01) [G05D 1/0251 (2013.01); G06T 7/593 (2017.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method when executed by data processing hardware of a robot causes the data processing hardware to perform operations, the robot comprising a body and legs coupled to the body, the operations comprising:
obtaining a body-obstacle map identifying body obstacles present in an environment of the robot, each body obstacle representative of a body object in the environment that may collide with the body of the robot;
obtaining a step-obstacle map identifying step obstacles present in the environment, each step obstacle representative of a step object in the environment that may collide with the legs of the robot;
generating, using the body-obstacle map and without using the step-obstacle map, a body path defining a path for movement of the body of the robot from a body path start to a body path destination;
generating, using the body path, a step path defining step positions for the legs of the robot along the body path; and
determining, using the step-obstacle map, an adjusted step path, the adjusted step path avoiding collisions between the legs of the robot and the step obstacles encountered by the robot as the body of the robot travels along the body path.