US 12,449,822 B2
Ground clutter avoidance for a mobile robot
Adam Komoroski, Westwood, MA (US); Brian Yamauchi, Boston, MA (US); and Matthew Klingensmith, Somerville, MA (US)
Assigned to Boston Dynamics, Inc., Waltham, MA (US)
Filed by Boston Dynamics, Inc., Waltham, MA (US)
Filed on Jun. 20, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/337,933.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/354,763, filed on Jun. 23, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0418297 A1, Dec. 28, 2023
Int. Cl. G05D 1/622 (2024.01); B62D 57/032 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2024.01); G05D 1/43 (2024.01); G05D 1/617 (2024.01); G05D 1/628 (2024.01); G06T 7/10 (2017.01)
CPC G05D 1/622 (2024.01) [B62D 57/032 (2013.01); G05D 1/0214 (2013.01); G05D 1/0238 (2013.01); G05D 1/0274 (2013.01); G05D 1/43 (2024.01); G05D 1/617 (2024.01); G05D 1/628 (2024.01); G06T 7/10 (2017.01); G06T 2207/10028 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30261 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of navigating a robot along a route through an environment, the route being associated with a mission, the method comprising:
identifying, based on sensor data received by one or more sensors of the robot, a set of potential obstacles in the environment;
determining, based at least in part on stored data indicating a set of footfall locations of the robot during a previous execution of the mission, that at least one of the potential obstacles in the set is an obstacle;
wherein determining, based at least in part on the stored data indicating the set of footfall locations of the robot during the previous execution of the mission, that at least one of the potential obstacles in the set is an obstacle comprises, for each of the potential obstacles in the set comprises:
determining, based on the set of footfall locations, whether the robot stepped on the potential obstacle during the previous execution of the mission; and
determining that the potential obstacle is an obstacle when it is determined that the robot did not step on the potential obstacle during the previous execution of the mission; and
navigating the robot to avoid stepping on the obstacle.