US 12,253,856 B2
Mobile robot clearance systems
Mark Landergan, San Jose, CA (US); and Thomas Fisher, North Logan, UT (US)
Assigned to OMRON Corporation, Kyoto (JP)
Filed by OMRON Corporation, Kyoto (JP)
Filed on Nov. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/060,485.
Prior Publication US 2024/0176351 A1, May 30, 2024
Int. Cl. G05D 1/02 (2020.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC G05D 1/0223 (2013.01) [G05D 1/0066 (2013.01); G05D 1/0214 (2013.01); G05D 1/024 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A mobile robot comprising:
a drive system configured to move the mobile robot;
an environmental sensor configured to identify one or more objects in an environment around the mobile robot;
a safety stop system configured to:
determine a safety zone, wherein the size of the safety zone is based at least in part on a velocity of the mobile robot;
determine whether an object identified by the environmental sensor is in the safety zone; and
engage emergency braking to stop the mobile robot in response to a determination that an object is in the safety zone; and
a safety stop avoidance system configured to:
access trajectory information for a planned path of travel for the mobile robot;
identify an object that is outside a current safety zone;
determine based at least in part on the trajectory information that the object will be inside a predicted future safety zone that would trigger a safety stop event; and
control the drive system to slow the mobile robot to reduce the size of the safety zone to avoid the safety stop event.