US 12,077,229 B2
Stair tracking for modeled and perceived terrain
Eric Cary Whitman, Watertown, MA (US)
Assigned to Boston Dynamics, Inc., Waltham, MA (US)
Filed by Boston Dynamics, Inc., Waltham, MA (US)
Filed on May 19, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/877,749.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/013,707, filed on Apr. 22, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0331754 A1, Oct. 28, 2021
Int. Cl. G05D 1/02 (2020.01); B62D 57/024 (2006.01); B62D 57/032 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2024.01)
CPC B62D 57/024 (2013.01) [B62D 57/032 (2013.01); G05D 1/0214 (2013.01); G05D 1/0238 (2013.01); G05D 1/0251 (2013.01); G05D 1/0274 (2013.01)] 36 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
receiving, at data processing hardware, sensor data of an environment of a robot;
generating, by the data processing hardware, a map of movement limitations for the robot based on the sensor data, the map of movement limitations identifying at least one of an obstacle or a no-step region within the environment;
generating, by the data processing hardware, a stair model of at least one stair within the environment based on the sensor data;
merging, by the data processing hardware, the stair model and the map of movement limitations to generate an enhanced stair map; and
controlling, by the data processing hardware, the robot to traverse a first portion of the environment based on the map of movement limitations and a second portion of the environment based on the enhanced stair map.