US 12,064,880 B2
Clutter-clearing robotic system
Justin David Hamilton, Upper Hutt (NZ); Kalen Fletcher Wolfe, Wellington (NZ); Jack Alexander Bannister-Sutton, Wellington (NZ); and Bryden James Frizzell, Wellington (NZ)
Assigned to CLUTTERBOT INC., Claymont, DE (US)
Filed by Clutterbot Inc., Claymont, DE (US)
Filed on Nov. 30, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/537,798.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/253,867, filed on Oct. 8, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/119,533, filed on Nov. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0168893 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
Int. Cl. B25J 9/00 (2006.01); B25J 9/16 (2006.01); B25J 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC B25J 9/1666 (2013.01) [B25J 11/0085 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
associating each of a plurality of object categories for objects in an environment with corresponding containers situated in the environment;
activating a robot at a base station;
navigating the robot around the environment using cameras to map a type, a size, and a location of the objects;
for each object category:
choosing one or more of the objects to pick up in the category;
performing path planning from a current location of the robot to one or more of the objects to pick up;
navigating to an adjacent point of one or more of the objects to pick up;
actuating manipulators to open and close across a front of a bucket at a front end of the robot to move obstacles out of the way and manipulate the one or more objects onto the bucket,
wherein the manipulators include a first manipulator member coupled to a first manipulator pivot point adjacent to a first front side of the bucket and a second manipulator member coupled to a second manipulator pivot point adjacent to a second front side of the bucket, and
wherein the first manipulator pivot point allows the first manipulator member to open and close across the first front side of the bucket and the second manipulator pivot point allows the second manipulator member to open and close across the second front side of the bucket;
one or both of tilting or raising the bucket and actuating the manipulators to retain the objects in the bucket;
navigating the robot adjacent to the corresponding container for the category;
aligning a back end of the robot with a side of the corresponding container; and
raising the bucket over the robot and toward the back end of the robot to deposit retained objects in the corresponding container.