Patent ID: 11960304
Assignee: IROBOT CORPORATION
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  A  B  Y | IPC B  G

Claim 0:
1. An autonomous mobile robot comprising:
a drive system operable to maneuver the autonomous mobile robot about traversable floor space of a room;
a contact sensor configured to generate first data in response to contact between the autonomous mobile robot and a surface defining an edge of the traversable floor space of the room as the autonomous mobile robot operates in a first mode, the first data comprising data indicative of a geometry of a first path segment of a portion of the surface traversed by the autonomous mobile robot as it encounters a landmark in the room when operating in the first mode; and
a controller configured to execute instructions to perform operations comprising:
operating the drive system to maneuver the autonomous mobile robot in a second mode different than the first mode to the surface such that the contact sensor generates second data in response to contact between the autonomous mobile robot and the surface, the second data comprising data indicative of the geometry of a second path segment of the portion of the surface traversed by the autonomous mobile robot as it encounters the landmark when operating in the second mode;
estimating an accumulated drift while the autonomous mobile robot moves about the room using one or more sensors including an accelerometer associated with the autonomous mobile robot, and determining a robot pose confidence level based at least in part on the estimated accumulated drift;
in response to the robot pose confidence level being below a predetermined confidence limit, maneuvering the autonomous mobile robot to a suspected location of the first path segment different than a position where the pose confidence level is determined to be below the predetermined confidence and operating in the first mode therein, and localizing the autonomous mobile robot relative to the room at the suspected location based on a degree of match between the respective geometries of the first path segment and the second path segment; and
right after the localization, maneuvering the autonomous mobile robot to return to the position where the robot pose confidence level being below the predetermined confidence limit based at least on a result of the localization at the suspected location of the first path segment, and resuming the second mode of operation therein.