Patent Publication Number: US-11648685-B2

Title: Mobile robot providing environmental mapping for household environmental control

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     The present application claims the benefit of and priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/754,319, entitled “Environmental Management Systems Including Mobile Robots And Methods Using Same”, filed Jan. 18, 2013, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/772,940, entitled “Environmental Management Systems Including Mobile Robots And Methods Using Same”, filed Mar. 5, 2013, U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 14/046,940, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,380,922, entitled “Environmental Management Systems including Mobile Robots And Methods Using Same”, filed Oct. 5, 2013, U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 14/160,299, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,233,472, entitled “Mobile Robot Providing Environmental Mapping for Household Environmental Control”, filed Jan. 21, 2014, U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 14/956,523, entitled “Mobile Robot Providing Environmental Mapping for Household Environmental Control”, filed Dec. 2, 2015, U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 15/709,874, filed Sep. 20, 2017, and U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 16/020,313 filed Jun. 27, 2018, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to mobile robots and, more particularly, to systems and methods including the same. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Connectivity (i.e., wireless connection to the Internet and remote clients) has been contemplated for household appliances for some time. 
     Recently, the term “Internet of Things” has come to represent the idea that household articles of all kinds can be connected to the public Internet. Once connected, such articles can report various data to server and client devices. For example, one idea is to connect smart light bulbs to household WAN (Wireless Area Network). Each light bulb would have a processor, memory, some means of detecting or interpreting status, power, and a wireless connection. Using these components, the light bulb can report its status, can be polled, etc. 
     The concept is broad, and generally is only distinct from household connectivity in general (e.g., computers, cable boxes, media devices, and the like) in that the Internet of Things articles are not normally considered to include sufficient computing resources or communications to meaningfully connect to the public Internet. A conventional refrigerator would not connect to the Internet: the same device as an “Internet of Things” article would include computational, sensor, and communications hardware and sufficient software to become an entity addressable remotely and locally; the expectation being that this Internet Fridge could report its various states (power consumption or the like) and respond to remote commands (increase or decrease internal temperature). 
     Household mobile robots may also become “Internet of Things” articles. In some ways, household mobile robots are a distinct species within this set—generally, speaking, the autonomy of the household mobile robot sets it apart from other appliances. No other appliance performs in an unpredictable and variable environment. No other appliance makes a multiplicity of autonomous decisions based on tens or hundreds of sensor inputs in order to achieve mission completion. 
     A dishwasher—even an Internet of Things dishwasher—does not know anything about is contents and runs the equivalent of simple scripts controlling motors and pumps, potentially interrupted by simple clog or other sensors. An iRobot® Roomba® vacuuming robot, during the course of its mission, may detect its own state in numerous ways, and may flexibly escape from challenging situations in the household, as well as engage in predictive and planning activities. 
     There exist many unmet challenges in the integration of the rich and autonomous behavior of a household mobile robot with the core concepts of “Internet of Things” connectivity. 
     SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     In the following Summary of Embodiments of the Invention, certain paragraphs include mention to an invention and/or embodiments of an invention disclosed herein, using an indefinite article with the discussion of “embodiments” or “invention”. This terminology signifies non-necessary, optional features of one or more invention(s) disclosed herein. 
     According to embodiments of the present invention, or according to an invention disclosed herein, a mobile robot includes a processor connected to a memory and a wireless network circuit, for executing routines stored in the memory and commands generated by the routines and received via the wireless network circuit. The mobile robot includes driven wheels commandable by the processor to reach a multiplicity of accessible two dimensional locations within a household, and an end effector, including at least one motorized actuator, commandable by the processor to perform mechanical work in the household, the processor executing a plurality of routines. The plurality of routines include a first routine which monitors a wireless local network by communicating with the wireless network circuit, and detects a presence state of one or more network entities on the wireless local network, a second routine which receives a signal from a sensor, the sensor detecting an action state of one of the network entities, the action state changeable between waiting and active, and a third routine which commands the end effector to change state of performing mechanical work based on the presence and on the action state detected by the first and second routines. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the term “end effector” includes the working payload of a mobile or articulated autonomous or remotely controlled robot, including the customary meaning of manipulators and tools, as well as cleaning head ends. An end effector as recited herein need not be at the end of an arm or mast, but may be directly attached to a mobile robot or via a suspension or other linkage. A working payload performs mechanical work using a powered actuator that moves a tool. One example of a working payload would be a cleaning head (such as a rotating or reciprocating brush or pad and/or a vacuuming tool). A network entity as discussed herein is a machine and/or controller that registers on a network, is assigned a unique address for sending and receiving messages, and is available to other network entity machines and/or controller son the same network or a connected network. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein and/or preceding, the “same network” signifies a set of private addresses on a private IP (Internet Protocol) subnet behind a routing or switching network entity that provides NAT hosting (network address translation from the interact at large to the private subnet, usually using one of the RFC 1918 private address spaces), and each network entity on the private subnet can scan the private IP addresses of the other network entities as well as MAC (media access control) addresses associated with each private IP address. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, a routine running on the processor of a network entity (e.g., the mobile robot) can monitor the private subnet for the MAC address of another network entity (e.g., a mobile handset) and execute some action, as discussed herein, when the MAC address watched for appears at an IP address on the private subnet. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, a “presence state” is the observed state of another network entity (i.e., a scan and detection of another network entity&#39;s IP and MAC addresses, signifying potential proximity to the scanning network entity, and/or a change in that detection from a previous scan, signifying possible arrival and departure from a proximity). In general, this relates to the typical wireless range of a typical household wireless AP (access point), which extends for a limited range, with 10-20 meters being an upper limit consumer equipment. In other words, when a mobile handset travels beyond a 10-20 meter limit from the nearest household wireless AP, the person carrying it may have left the household. Depending on correlations with other factors (e.g., two or more of historical work-time hours, historical patterns of mobile handset movement, speed and pattern of signal decrease leading to departure status, and/or length of time missing from the network) reliability of an assessment of arrival or departure by the analyzing routines (being executed by the mobile robot processor, application resident on the mobile handset, or environmental control panel processor) may be increased. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the first routine detects the presence state of a mobile device on the wireless local network, and the second routine receives a signal from a call state sensor in the mobile device, the sensor detecting the call state of the mobile device as the action state, the call state changeable between call readiness and call received. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the signal received by the second routine is sent from a monitoring application running on the mobile device, in embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the end effector is the cleaning head of the mobile robot. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the third routine commands the cleaning head of the robot to change state of cleaning, based on the presence of the mobile device on the wireless local network and on the call state of the mobile device as the action state. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the term “action state” includes one or more states reflecting transitions between idle and active for an actuator or control system. The action state is a logic or data state applied to actuated mechanical, electrical, signal, or other actuator, and may be stored in a database and/or directly and reactively monitored by a sensor. In addition, there may be an intermediate state during which a decision to act is made by logic in the system. For example, for a call state or call “action state” (e.g., whether a telephone is active for a call), a telephone may be ready for a call, may be ringing a call yet not yet answered, and a call may be in progress. Further, the action state need not be “on” versus “off”, it may be “lower” versus “higher”, or expressed with variable ranges. For example, a state of cleaning or cleaning “action state” (e.g., whether a cleaning head powered by an actuator is active for cleaning), a cleaning head may be idle, may be in a low-power or low-speed mode, and may be in a high-power or high-speed mode. 
     In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, when the mobile device receives a call, the call state changes from waiting to active. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the state of cleaning is changed from the motorized cleaning or floor movement actuator (either or both) being powered to off, and in other embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the state of cleaning is changed from the motorized actuator operating full power to operating at a low power, low decibel state. In embodiments, a full power state represents the motorized actuator operating a vacuum fan or a roller element of the cleaning head at full speed and a lower power state represents the motorized actuator operating the vacuum fan or roller element of the cleaning head a lower speed. 
     In other embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the signal received by the second routine is sent from a sensor on the mobile robot. In some examples, the sensor on the mobile robot is an audio sensor for hearing the call signal, i.e., audible or ultrasonic ring. In other examples, the sensor on the mobile robot is a radio receiver for detecting a radio frequency signal indicative of a phone call, e.g., in the same or similar frequency bands as the cell phone modem of the phone call. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the sensor signaling receipt of a call is a single sensor or a combination of sensors on the mobile device, such as an accelerometer measuring the motion associated with raising a telephonic device to an ear, a proximity sensor for measuring the proximity of the telephonic device to a listener&#39;s head, a vibration actuator or sensor for causing or detecting a vibration indicative of a ring, and a microphone on the phone for audibly detecting a ring. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, decisions that are rendered by routines executed by a mobile robot processor are instead or in the alternative executed by routines executed by a compartmentalized or other application hosted by an operating system running via the smart phone processor, so long as the mobile robot processor and the smart phone are network entities that may communicate with one another. The present disclosure contemplates that such routines may be executed by the partner application on a smart phone, and resulting data, commands, or information used by the mobile robot processor to cause the mobile robot to activate actuators may be transported over a shared network. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the first routine detects the presence state of a mobile device on the wireless local network, and the second routine receives a signal from a cleaning readiness sensor in the mobile robot, the sensor detecting the cleaning readiness state of the mobile robot as the action state, the cleaning readiness state changeable between cleaning readiness and cleaning active. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot executes a monitoring routine for monitoring the cleaning readiness. In some embodiments, cleaning readiness is a battery charge of the mobile robot (the corresponding cleaning readiness sensor relying on electronic coulometry and/or other battery charge state sensor, for example), and in other embodiments, the cleaning readiness is a stasis state of the mobile robot (the corresponding cleaning readiness sensor being a “stasis” sensor relying on one or more odometers, accelerometers, or actuator current measurements to determine whether the robot is able to freely move or is stuck or restricted in movement). In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the end effector is the cleaning head of the mobile robot, the cleaning readiness is a stasis state, and the motorize actuator is stationary in a stasis state. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the third routine commands the cleaning head of the robot to change state of cleaning based on the presence of the mobile device on the wireless local network and on the cleaning readiness state of the mobile robot as the action state. 
     One advantage of a mobile robot receiving a signal indicative of the presence of an occupant, as determined by their mobile device appearing on the local network, is that the mobile robot executes a monitoring routine, and in response to conditions set in the monitoring routine, reactively responds to presence. In some embodiments or in an invention disclosed herein and preceding, the mobile robot independently monitors the local network for the presence of one or more mobile device, and alternatively or in addition, the mobile device enters the network and notifies the mobile robot of its presence through an application, or set of executable commands running on the mobile device processor for wirelessly communicating instructions to the mobile robot. 
     In some embodiments or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a mobile robot&#39;s processor may execute routine(s) that, in response to an initiating signal or measurement being monitored that together signify both that the robot is ready and the household occupant is absent, launch and execute a mission, for example, a cleaning mission, if the mobile device leaves the network and the mobile robot is ready, for example if a mobile robot battery is charged. A “mission” includes a start-to-finish set of mechanical work tasks performed while traveling (where the robot navigates through space) having an initiating criteria (e.g., a user command, a schedule, threshold, or setpoint based command or decision) and a terminating and/or completing criteria. (e.g., a time limit, an area limit, a remaining battery charge limit, a number of times for an area to be covered, and/or a cleanliness score from dirt detection) Missions may be completed in more than one sortie. The mobile robot&#39;s processor will execute routine(s) that, in response to a initiating signal or measurement being monitored that together signify both that the robot is operating normally (and possibly loudly) and the household occupant has requested less noise in their proximity or has a sudden need for additional quietness, drive away from an occupant, quiet itself, or turn off its power supply to quiet the robot when an occupant takes a phone call. The mobile robot therefore behaves in a situationally responsive way by interrupting its mission so that the occupant can hear a caller on the mobile device without background noise interference. 
     In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the mobile robot retreats from an occupant holding or carrying a mobile device or the mobile robot quiets its motorized actuators, such as those for actuating the vacuum fan, those for actuating the drive wheels and/or those for actuating one or more cleaning head rollers or brushes. The mobile robot monitors the call state and, in embodiments, monitors for the radio frequency indicative of a call. When the call has ended, the mobile robot autonomously returns to where it discontinued its mission and completes coverage of that room. The mobile robot, therefore, completes its mission throughout the living space while accommodating for the presence of an occupant and for the receipt of a call on a mobile device. 
     In an embodiment or in an invention herein described or preceding, a change of state of cleaning includes commanding all noise-generating actuators of the mobile robot, including driven wheel actuators, to stop and/or idle pending call completion; or additionally or in the alternative, a change of the state of cleaning includes commanding actuators to restart the cleaning head of the mobile robot following a change in the call state of the mobile device from call-in-progress to call-ended; or additionally or in the alternative, a change of the state of cleaning includes commanding actuators to restart the cleaning head of the mobile robot following a change in the presence of the mobile device on the wireless local network from present to absent. 
     According to an embodiment, or according to an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the mobile robot processor and wireless network circuit monitor a local wireless network of approximately 5-20 meters maximum range for a change from presence to absence of the mobile device as a departure from the household, and once determining the mobile device has departed, wait for a time period to verify departure of the mobile device from the household before restarting a cleaning mission within the household. 
     According to an embodiment, or according to an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the mobile robot processor and wireless network circuit monitor a local wireless network of approximately 5-20 meters maximum range for a unique identity of a handheld and portable mobile device to determine that the handheld an portable mobile device is present in the household. 
     According to an embodiment, or according to an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the mobile robot processor and wireless network circuit monitor a local wireless network of approximately 5-20 meters maximum range for a unique identity of a handheld and portable mobile device to determine that the handheld an portable mobile device is present in the household. In this case, in addition or in an alternative, the mobile robot processor and wireless network adapter scan for a unique media access control address of a handheld and portable mobile device to determine that the handheld and portable mobile device is present in the household. Further alternatively or in addition in this embodiment or invention as preceding, the mobile robot processor and wireless network circuit scan for an internet protocol address on a private internet protocol subnet, and compare medial access control addresses of newly scanned internet protocol addresses to at least one previously stored unique media access control addresses corresponding to known handheld and portable mobile devices to determine that the handheld and portable mobile device has arrived at the household. 
     According to an embodiment, or according to an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the mobile robot processor and wireless network circuit monitor a local wireless network of approximately 5-20 meters maximum range for a target network entity, and once determining a new target network entity has arrived on a private internet protocol subnet, ping the target network entity at a private subnet address and unique media access control address to verify the target network entity has arrived at the household. 
     According to an embodiment, or according to an invention disclosed herein or preceding, further comprising a localization circuit including a localization sensor, and once determining a target network entity has arrived on a private Internet protocol subnet, the mobile robot processor records a location where the state of cleaning is changed and a cleaning mission terminated. In this case, in addition or in the alternative, the mobile robot returns to the location where the state of cleaning was changed to resume a cleaning mission following a re-initiation of the cleaning mission. 
     According to an embodiment, or according to an invention disclosed herein or preceding, wherein the mobile robot processor and wireless network circuit monitor a local wireless network of approximately 5-20 meters maximum range for a change from presence to absence of a known network entity as a departure from the household, and once determining the network entity has departed, waits for a time period to verify departure before initiating a cleaning mission within the household. 
     In some embodiments of an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a mobile robot includes a processor connected to a memory and a wireless network circuit, for executing routines stored in the memory and commands generated by the routines and received via the wireless network circuit. The mobile robot includes driven wheels (i.e., driven by a motor or actuator) commandable by the processor to reach a multiplicity of accessible two dimensional locations within a household, and a cleaning head, including at least one motorized actuator, commandable by the processor to perform mechanical work in the household, the processor executing a plurality of routines. The plurality of routines include a first routine which monitors a wireless local network by communicating with the wireless network circuit, and detects a presence state of one or more mobile devices on the wireless local network, a second routine which receives a signal from a call state sensor in a mobile device, the sensor detecting a call state of the mobile device, the call state changeable between call readiness and call received, and a third routine which commands the motorized actuator of the cleaning head to change state of performing mechanical work based on the presence of the mobile device on the wireless local network and on the call state of the mobile device detected by the first and second routines. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the multiplicity of accessible two dimensional locations is a set of X, Y co-ordinates (a localization or “location”) or X, Y, theta co-ordinates (a “pose”) reflecting a location on the floor not occupied by some obstacle, and/or a set of the accessible locations or poses or location cells recorded in an occupancy grid. In this case, the occupancy grid or free floor space can optionally be used by the microprocessor to conduct path planning, i.e., sequencing different trajectories to avoid obstacles, and command the driven wheels to move about the free floor space. Path planning may be substantially direct (e.g., the shortest or fastest path, optionally using path planning algorithms such as variants of Dijkstra&#39;s A* or D* algorithms); sampling oriented (e.g., taking some number of samples—e.g., 5-20—on a path over a number of minutes, optionally using path planning algorithms where the constraint is a distributed sample set and not the shortest of fastest path, or roaming and/or random): or area coverage oriented (e.g., taking a larger number of samples—e.g. 20-100—in a manner that assigns each sample to a location, optionally topologically or metrically related to one another, or kept as a 3D matrix). 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the signal received by the second routine is sent from a monitoring application running on the mobile device. 
     In some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a mobile robot includes a processor connected to a memory and a wireless network circuit, for executing routines stored in the memory and commands generated by the routines and received via the wireless network circuit. The mobile robot includes driven wheels commandable by the processor to reach a multiplicity of accessible two dimensional locations within a household, and a cleaning head, including at least one motorized actuator, commandable by the processor to perform mechanical work in the household, the processor executing a plurality of routines. The plurality of routines include a first routine which monitors a wireless local network by communicating with the wireless network circuit, and detects a presence state of a mobile device on the wireless local network, a second routine which receives a signal from a cleaning readiness sensor in the mobile robot, the sensor detecting the cleaning readiness state of the mobile robot, the cleaning readiness state changeable between cleaning readiness and cleaning active, and a third routine which commands the cleaning head of the robot to change state of cleaning based on the presence of the mobile device on the wireless local network and on the cleaning readiness state of the mobile robot as detected by the first and second routines. 
     According to some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a mobile robot includes a processor connected to a memory and a wireless network circuit, for executing routines stored in the memory and commands generated by the routines and received via the wireless network circuit. The mobile robot further includes driven wheels commandable by the processor to reach a multiplicity of accessible two dimensional locations within a household, and an environmental sensor readable by the processor, the processor executing a plurality of routines. The plurality of routines include a first routine which commands the driven wheels to move the robot about the household, a second routine which takes sensor readings at a plurality of the accessible two dimensional locations within the household, and a third routine which, based on the sensor readings throughout the household, sends data to a network entity having a dedicated environmental sensor resulting in the activation of a motorized actuator on the network entity to perform mechanical work in the household, despite the dedicated environmental sensor&#39;s local reading determining otherwise. 
     In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the mobile robot moves about the household on a primary mission and simultaneously collects environmental sensor readings as a secondary mission. In some embodiments the primary mission is a cleaning mission. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the sensor readings taken at the plurality of accessible two dimensional locations within the household are environmental sensor readings. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein in preceding and following sections of this Summary, the network entity includes or is included within a humidifier or a humidifier control panel; an air purifier or air purifier control panel; or a thermostat or thermostat control panel connected via power, signal, or network line or other connection to a corresponding plant (i.e., that performs mechanical work to move fluids, including air, throughout the household to effect a change in an environmental condition) in a working location, e.g., in another room, in a basement, or in an attic. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the sensor readings taken at the plurality of two dimensional locations within the household populate a two dimensional map of sensor readings within the household, the two dimensional map being stored within a memory accessible to network entities, and in particular displayed on a human machine interface device (e.g., a mobile handset smartphone, personal computer, smartwatch, mobile tablet, having a display and/or touchscreen as well as a wireless network interface, processor, and memory for executing routines) in communication with the mobile robot over the network. In some embodiments, or an invention disclosed herein or preceding, sensor readings taken at the plurality of two dimensional locations within the household populate a three-dimensional map of sensor readings within the household. 
     Nearly all network entities other than robots and mobile handsets/tablets/smartwatches, such as thermostats, air purifiers and humidifiers, are stationary appliances and typically located at one or more locations throughout a living space and the stationary sensors therein measure relatively localized characteristics (e.g., an environmental characteristic or an a sensed occupant characteristic like identity, occupancy or traffic) at that particular singular, unchanging location. A particular advantage of a mobile robot is accessing locations distant from the environmental sensor within the same room, or in another compartment or room not immediately adjacent such network entities. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding (on a spectrum between taking one or a few verification readings, through sampling throughout a living space, to mapping a topography of measurements throughout a living space), the mobile robot can determine whether, based on one or a few reading taken in a location relatively remote from the network entity or based on an aggregate of readings taken randomly or systematically throughout the living space, a stationary network entity should be activated to perform its environmental control function. Additionally or in the alternative, the robot can calculate a highest reading of measurements or aggregate reading of measurements to calculate a score (i.e., a representative or assessment value that can be compared to a threshold or thresholds) for the room. Based on a plurality of measurements taken throughout a living space, the mobile robot activates a network entity even when the environmental sensor reading of the network entity indicates otherwise at its singular, unchanging point of location. Alternatively, the network entity (e.g., environmental control panel) is provided with the samples from the mobile robot. The network entity&#39;s dedicated sensor typically measures only the immediate volume adjacent the network entity and fails to account for variations in a volume of air mass spread throughout a living space. Even when additional monitoring is provided, the additional sensors will typically be stationary. By monitoring and measuring temperature, air quality and humidity sampled at remote locations and/or throughout the living space, the mobile robot provides information otherwise inaccessible by the network entity and/or stationary appliance and/or environmental control panel having a local or dedicated environmental sensor. In addition or in the alternative, because the mobile robot may make multiple runs throughout a space and complete a same or similar room coverage mission more than once, covering one or more room or rooms in each run, the mobile robot is able to heuristically compare and aggregate readings over time, correct outlier readings, determine and improve confidence scores, e.g., “learn” how long it takes to clean each room on an individual sortie and how long it takes to clean multiple rooms in the space, including transition times therebetween and battery charging times between multi-sortie missions. 
     According to embodiments of the invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a mobile robot includes a controller in communication with a drive system and a processor, the drive system configured to move the mobile robot about a space comprising a plurality of rooms. The mobile robot further includes a memory accessible by the controller, the memory retaining a unique room identifier associated with a room within the space traversed by the mobile robot and an associated score of at least one measurable characteristic associated with the room, the score being calculated by the processor following at least one traversal of the space, and the processor being capable of modifying the score based on changes to the at least one measurable characteristic between traversals of the space or one or more of the plurality of rooms. 
     According to embodiments of the invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a unique room identifier is one or more data structures stored in the mobile robot&#39;s memory enabling the robot&#39;s processor, and/or a networked mobile handset or networked environmental control panel in communication with the mobile robot, to recognize a room and/or plan a path from an arbitrary position to a targeted room. If the robot includes a localizing circuit that builds a metric, range-based map of walls and obstacles (using, e.g., a laser range finder, sonar, radar, triangulation, time-of-flight, or phase difference calculatins) and/or an occupancy grid of free space, and can localize the robot on this map using techniques such as scan matching, ICP (iterative closest point), and/or RANSAC (RANdom Sample consensus), then the data structure may be a coordinate or set of coordinates (such as an area or boundary) on the map, in addition or in an alternative, if the robot includes a localizing circuit that builds a fingerprinted, feature-based constellation or topological map of features, landmarks, fiducials and/or beacons (using, e.g., a camera or point cloud generating 3D scanner, together with a feature transform to identif, store, and recognize natural or artificial keypoints, features, and/or landmarks), again with an occupancy grid of free space, and can localize the robot on this map using techniques such as VSLAM (vision based simultaneous localization and mapping), the data structure may be fingerprint or distinctive feature or landmark or feature or landmark cluster, again optionally with an area or boundary, on the map. In either case, a unique identity linked to unique rooms or area (e.g., Zone  1 , Zone  2 , Zone  3 ) may be associated by an end user with a household room-type or unique room label (e.g., “Living Room”, “Emily&#39;s Room) via the user interface of any of the network entities. 
     In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the mobile robot further includes an onboard (i.e., carried by the mobile robot) robot sensor configured to measure the at least one measurable characteristic throughout the room or rooms traversed by the mobile robot. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the unique room identifier is a two-dimensional coordinate (e.g., Cartesian or polar) locatable by the robot within the space. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the score is stored in the memory of the mobile robot or in a remote memory storage medium accessible by the processor, such as a cloud storage server or a wirelessly accessible mobile device memory. 
     In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a plurality of scores are associated with a unique room identifier and a plurality of onboard robot sensors for measuring the plurality of measurable characteristics, e.g., environmental measurements or mission related measurements (dirt, floor type via optical or sonar measurement, odometry, area, location, boundaries and boundary types such as fabric, wall, stair, artificial barrier or virtual wall). As discussed herein, and in preceding and following paragraphs within the Summary, etc., a “score” may be a number, array, or quantitative tag or label, having the purpose of comparison to a threshold, boundary, range, band, or other similarly expressed score, in which one score may be higher, lower, equal or nearly equal, substantially similar, a peak, a maximum, a minimum, or an average such as a mean, mode, or median. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein and preceding, the mobile robot receives one or more sensor measurements from a stationary sensor node with the space, the mobile robot and the sensor node being in wireless communication. A stationary sensor node may be a fixture in a household (i.e., a living space, including business, storage, facility and recreational spaces), or may be portable (but stationary during measurement and generally left in one place to measure that place), and may be connected as a network entity and/or by other wired or wireless communication with a network entity. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein and preceding, the mobile robot receives an input parameter related to the measurable characteristic (e.g., using a keyboard or touchscreen, a threshold or target) and determines an order (e.g., a full or partial sequence of rooms, optionally including room-to-room paths or room-to-room gateways, or a priority list in which rooms are addressed by availability—depending on, for example open or closed doors—and suitability—depending on, for example time available in a schedule to clean, or type of floor) of a portion or all of the plurality of rooms to traverse based on the input parameter and a score associated with the measurable characteristic of each room. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the mobile robot further includes at least one localizing sensor that observes sensor readings from objects within the space, for determining a current pose (a “pose” includes an absolute or relative location and optionally an absolute or relative orientation) of the mobile robot with reference to the observed objects (“objects” not only including physical objects including observable features, as well as surface “objects” formed of optically or otherwise detectable surface characteristics such as corners, lines, patterns). Objects may themselves have a pose. The mobile robot associates a robot pose (or location) with a room identifier specifically associated with the observed objects or their poses stationed in the room or observable upon the room&#39;s components (walls, ceiling, lighting, doorway, furniture). 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the at least one measurable characteristic is time to complete cleaning of a room and the sensor is a clock or timer together with mission or sortie/excursion beginning and ending criteria. A time to complete” may be measured per sortie/excursion (bounded by starting and finishing one run, e.g., between charging and evacuation) or mission (bounded by starting and finishing a completion criteria, e.g., all targeted area covered once or twice or sufficiently). In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the at least one measurable characteristic is mission and/or sortie/excursion completion and the sensor is a dirt detect sensor for determining dirtiness of the room (i.e., momentary rate of dirt sensed by an optical or piezoelectric sensor monitoring a cleaning airflow or collection bin, or integrated or accumulated dirt sensed by the same; or a rate or count of threshold crossings, in each case which may be correlated with a unique room identifier, room area and/or boundaries, room-to-room gateways recorded in memory, in order to define which momentary, peak, integrated, accumulated, or cumulative dirt corresponds to which unique room identifier, area, boundary, or gateways) relative to other rooms having unique room identifiers based on the dirt detection measurement in each room. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the at least one measurable characteristic is occupancy status (i.e., occupied, not occupied, and/or number and/or activity of occupants, together with or modified by indirect indicia of occupancy such as learned or accessed schedules and/or projection and/or stochastic models), and the sensor (carried by the robot, or on a stationary network entity, appliance, environmental control panel) is an occupancy sensor (e.g., in embodiments or in an invention disclosed herein and preceding, a passive or active transmissive or reflective infrared sensor, including an infrared remote control sensor; a time-of-flight or triangulating range sensor using light, sonar, or radio frequency; a microphone together with recognition of sounds or sound pressure typical of occupancy; an airflow sensor; a camera; a radio receiver or transceiver monitoring cell phone frequencies and/or wifi frequencies for sufficiently strong receive signal strength; an ambient light sensor observing ambient light according to natural lighting, artificial lighting, changes actively made by persons to the same, and fluctuations caused by persons in the same) emitted from a mobile device/handset or other RF source carried by a person). 
     In an embodiment of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the mobile robot can access the room scores or measured environmental parameters to clean one or more rooms depending on an amount of time available for cleaning within a schedule (including a learned or predicted occupancy schedule or a planned occupancy schedule). The cleaning time can be received in a request to clean, stored in a cleaning schedule or accessed through native calendar integration (e.g., a user&#39;s own to-do list and appointment calendar in standard formats) over the network. The mobile robot therefore compares time available in a schedule and based on the available time, selects which room or rooms to clean from a set of those with an expected cleaning duration less than the time available, in some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein and preceding, based on a score of which room or rooms dirtier than others, including the dirtiest. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein and preceding, the mobile robot measures a time to clean a room (including on more than one occasion, retaining a record of each sortie/excursion or mission duration and determining a representative maximum, minimum, average and the like per room, sortie/excursion type, or mission), an occupancy frequency and the dirtiness of the room as represented by a relative score among all or a subset of the rooms traversed by the robot. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein and preceding, the mobile robot measures, estimates, and/or stochastically models the time or time(s) to clean a room, as well as the occupancy frequency or the dirtiness of the room as represented by a relative score among all the rooms traversed by the robot. By traversing the living space, the mobile robot leads the behaviors of the occupants and may tailors missions to the behavior, conduct, habits, schedule and patterns of the occupants. According to embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein and preceding, the robot access its own occupancy sensor(s) as well as those of one or more network entities within the household to count occupants (i.e., detections near in time at more than one sensor considered representative of multiple occupants) and determines that it should launch a sortie/excursion or mission only when the number of occupants is lower than a threshold (e.g. fewer than two occupants) and/or terminate when the number of occupants exceeds a second threshold (e.g., more than two occupants), which may be a different threshold. 
     According to embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a mobile robot includes a processor connected to a memory and a wireless network circuit, for executing routines stored in the memory and commands generated by the routines and received via the wireless network circuit. The mobile robot includes driven wheels commandable by the processor to reach a multiplicity of accessible two dimensional locations within a household (or array representing a household or rooms within the household). The mobile robot further includes a localizing circuit with at least one localizing sensor that observes sensor readings from objects within the household, for determining a current pose of the mobile robot with reference to the observed objects (e.g., coordinates, features, landmarks, fiducials, and/or beacons), the processor executing a plurality of routines. The plurality of routines include, a navigation routine (e.g., path planning as discussed herein, including one or more of coverage patterns such as boustrophedon rows, perimeter and area discovery patterns such as wall and/or obstacle following or skirting patterns, systematic error safeguards such as random bounce and other randomizations, and point-to-point or zone-to-zone trajectory sequences to travel quickly to/from or among origin/dock/evacuation station/starting position and sortie/excursion or mission destinations) which commands the driven wheels to move the robot about the household, a surface mapping routine that accumulates observations (e.g., range measurements from ranging sensors, occupancy and obstacle determinations from obstacle and proximity sensors, and feature and landmark determinations from cameras and other pattern/image/fiducial observation sensors) from the localizing circuit to record a two dimensional array representing possible locations/poses of the mobile robot, a mission time estimate routine that accumulates timed readings (e.g., timed from start to finish of sortie/excursions and/or missions, and/or collected as a whole-mission time and subsequently divided into time spans or durations according to room boundary or gateway transition or migration) from the localizing circuit and determines at least one estimated completion time span/duration for the mobile robot to substantially cover (i.e., completely pass over with a cleaning head, including but not limited to single-pass or more than one pass, optionally in non-parallel or different directions) a surface area corresponding to a contiguous set of possible locations within the two dimensional array (e.g., a contiguous set may determine a structural or arbitrary “room” determined by walls, doors, and/or arbitrary perimeter segments), and a mission pre-planning routine that compares a target completion time to the at least one estimated completion time span, and commands the driven wheels to begin covering a surface area sufficiently in advance of the target completion time for the at least one estimated completion time to pass, so that the surface area is substantially covered before the target completion time. 
     In embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the mission pre-planning routine further comprising identifying a target completion time and launching the robot according to a launch/returning criteria based on recording and modifying an occupancy schedule of the household and/or individual residents. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the occupancy schedule is wirelessly transmitted to the mobile robot from a remote human machine interface in wireless communication (e.g., an environmental control panel having an occupancy sensor monitoring a zone near the environmental control panel, that is a network entity on the same network or network addressable by the robot) with the robot. In other embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the occupancy schedule is wirelessly transmitted to the mobile robot through native calendar integration. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot monitors and learns one or more occupancy patterns or schedules over a period or periods of time and sets a target completion time based on a learned occupancy schedule, e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,510,255 (incorporated by reference herein in its entirety), augmented by mobile-robot occupancy sensor data and/or other types of occupancy data, analysis, or decisions disclosed herein. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the mobile robot learns the occupancy schedule over a period of time and identifies one or more occupancy patterns and sets the target completion time based on the one or more learned occupancy patterns. 
     According to an embodiment, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a mobile robot includes a processor connected to a memory and a wireless network circuit, for executing routines stored in the memory and commands generated by the routines and received via the wireless network circuit. The mobile robot further includes driven wheels commendable by the processor to reach a multiplicity of accessible two dimensional locations within a household, and an environmental sensor readable by the processor to take current readings of an environmental quality. The mobile robot additionally includes a localizing circuit, with at least one localizing sensor that observes sensor readings from objects within the household, for determining a current pose of the mobile robot with reference to the observed objects, the processor executing a plurality of routines. The plurality of routines include a navigation routine which commands the driven wheels to move the robot about the household, a surface mapping routine that accumulates observations from the localizing circuit to record a two dimensional array representing possible locations of the mobile robot, an environmental mapping routine that takes and accumulates readings from the environmental sensor at a plurality of the accessible two dimensional locations within the household and causes the memory to store a three dimensional array based on the readings and on the two dimensional array representing possible locations of the mobile robot; and a location-responsive environmental control routine. The location-responsive environmental control routine correlates the three dimensional array to locations of a plurality of home environmental control nodes, each home environmental control node having a dedicated environmental sensor and a control channel to actuate a motorized actuator to perform mechanical work within the household, and based on a proximity of at least one control node to an environmental mapping location represented in the three dimensional array, sends data to cause the at least one environmental control node to perform mechanical work in the household. 
     In embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a “dedicated environmental sensor” is one that is collocated with the environmental control node, environmental control panel, or environmental control plant. A “control channel” is a wired or wireless connection through which an environmental control panel, a smartphone, tablet, or watch, a personal computer, and/or the mobile robot may send actuation commands. In embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein and preceding, a three dimensional array may include two dimensions of location, and one dimension of magnitude, value, or quality corresponding to an environmental quality sensed by an environmental sensor as discussed herein. The “one dimension” of environmental quality may nonetheless store arrays of values, measurements, averages, estimates, taken or recorded over time or cumulatively, or of different kinds. The dimensions of location may correspond to locations within an occupancy grid and/or floor plan maintained on the robot or at a network entity a manner accessible to the robot over local or remote network. The measurements may be directly recorded at a plurality of locations within the dimensions of location, but in an alternative or additional approach, may be interpolated at locations within the occupancy grid and/or floor plan between adjacent or near measurements. 
     In embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, an environmental controller or control panel (e.g., a thermostat, humidifier controller with humidity sensing, or air purifier with air quality sensing) includes a housing within which are one or more environmental sensors (e.g., electronic thermometer, barometer, humidity or moisture sensor, gas detector such as VOC, CO or CO2, or airborne particulate counter) to provide environmental sensor measurements (e.g., temperature, air pressure, humidity, air quality), and a processor in operative communication with the sensor(s) to receive the environmental sensor measurements. The environmental controller panel is in operative communication with one or more input devices having a user interface (e.g., a local display and input, or a remote user application on a smartphone) for setting or otherwise determining a setpoint environmental quality (e.g., a setpoint temperature, air pressure, humidity, air quality) and an environmental control actuator that performs work (e.g., HVAC, humidity control, and air purifying systems systems which displace fluids, including air, to effect change in a respective environmental quality toward the setpoint). 
     In embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding having the environmental control panel as preceding, based on a comparison of a determined ambient environmental measurement taken by the environmental sensor in or on the housing and the setpoint environmental quality, the processor is configured to sample remote environmental sensor measurements from roaming or otherwise traveling mobile robot within the household, also in operative communication with the processor, where the mobile robot bears a similar or same environmental sensor(s) of same or similar capabilities, determine that the measurement(s) from the housing&#39;s measurement site are displaced from an plurality of, average, selected, or representative measurement taken from a plurality of sites within the ambient environment by the mobile robot, and compensate for the displacement by commanding a respective environmental control actuator to perform work to effect a change in the respective environmental quality toward the setpoint at least in part in accordance with the measurement(s) by the mobile robot. 
     In embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, having the environmental control panel the environmental control panel includes a wireless network interface in operative communication with the processor, and an away-state feature in which the environmental control panel enters into an away-state mode of operation upon a determination by the processor based on remote readings acquired by at least sensor (e.g., active or passive infrared, audible sound and/or ultrasonic sound, camera, RF RSS, capable of sensing a person or a quality indicative of a person, such as clothing colors or local personal handset RF or network presence or traffic, or signals from household devices such as JR remote controls) installed in one or both of (i) a roaming or otherwise traveling mobile robot within the household, or (ii) a mobile handset scanned to be present on a local wireless network by the wireless network interface, that an away-state criterion indicative of a non-occupancy condition for an household in which the environmental control panel has been installed has been satisfied, the away-state mode of operation including an automated setpoint environmental quality setback mode; wherein the processor determines without requiring user input to activate the away-state feature, by receiving the remote readings during atrial period; comparing information derived from the trial period readings to a threshold criterion to establish whether sufficiently true indications of occupancy conditions are satisfied by the remote readings during the trial period; and enabling the away-state feature if it is determined that the sufficiently true indications were sensed during the trial period. 
     In embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding including the environmental control panel and/or mobile robot with occupancy sensing as preceding, a model of occupancy is based in part on information of the household and/or the expected Occupants of the household derived from the remote readings, and an occupancy predictor predicts future occupancy of the household based at least in part on the model and the remote readings. Based on, in particular, mapped environmental, floor coverage, and area provided by the mobile robot readings, the model is an a priori stochastic model of human occupancy, such as a Bayesian Network or Markov Model variant, including one or more statistical profiles, based at least in part on geometrical and structural data about the household provided at least in part by the mobile robot readings taken in untethered free space within the living area (i.e., not in fixed positions along walls or in other stationary installations). 
     In embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, including the environmental control panel, mobile robot, or mobile handset having an environmental quality and/or occupancy sensor, the mobile robot readings and/or mobile handset remote readings are used to verify, validate, or check a decision made by the environmental control panel based on the stationary environmental quality or occupancy sensors attached to one or more environmental control panels. 
     In embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a method of compensating for local errors caused by direct environmental influence on a control panel operating pursuant to feedback based on an attached environmental sensor includes, comparing a determined ambient environmental measurement taken by the environmental sensor in or on the panel and a setpoint environmental quality, sampling a remote environmental sensor measurement from a roaming or otherwise traveling mobile robot within the household, determining that the measurement(s) from the panel&#39;s measurement site are displaced from a similarly representative measurement taken from a plurality of sites within the ambient environment by the mobile robot, and compensating for the displacement by commanding a respective environmental control actuator to perform work to effect a change in the respective environmental quality toward the setpoint at least in part in accordance with the measurement(s) by the mobile robot. 
     In embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a mobile robot in communication with a network includes a controller in communication with a drive system, the drive system configured to move the mobile robot about a living space; and a receiver for a receiving a command from mobile device located in the living space in communication with the network, the mobile device including an interactive application for controlling the state of the mobile robot based on the spatial location of the mobile device relative to the mobile robot and/or based on the operating state of the mobile device. The mobile robot controller alters the status of the drive system in response to the received command. 
     In embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a mobile robot is in communication with a network. The mobile robot includes a controller in communication with a drive system, the drive system configured to move the mobile robot about a living space. The mobile robot further includes an onboard robot sensor for monitoring for the presence and/or state of a mobile device in the living space. The mobile robot controller alters the status of the drive system in response to the spatial location of the mobile device relative to the mobile robot and/or based on the operating state of the mobile device. 
     In embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a mobile robot is in communication with a network. The mobile robot includes a drive system configured to move the mobile robot about a living space and an onboard robot sensor for taking sensor readings throughout the living space and monitoring an environmental condition along a plurality of untethered positions traveled through the living space. The condition is related to the selective activation of a node in communication with the network, and the mobile robot alters the activation status of the node when a measured numerical value of the sensed condition in a defined area adjacent the node falls below or above an activation threshold. In embodiments, or in an invention herein disclosed, the activation threshold is represented by range of numerical values bounded by a threshold high value and a threshold low value. 
     In embodiments of an invention, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a method for automatically altering the activation status of a mobile robot includes receiving at an application operating on a mobile device, input parameters for notifying presence of the mobile device to the mobile robot, the application initiating a plurality of routines calling one or more sets of executable commands stored in the memory of the mobile robot, and executing the set of commands when the mobile device is in the presence of the mobile robot. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile device is present when the mobile device is in communication with the mobile robot over a local area network. The set of commands include a plurality of routines including a first routine which monitors a wireless local network by communicating with a wireless network circuit of the mobile robot, and detects a presence state of one or more mobile devices on the wireless local network, a second routine which receives a signal from a sensor, the sensor detecting an action state of one of the mobile device, the action state changeable between waiting and active, and a third routine which commands an end effector of the mobile robot to change state of performing mechanical work based on the presence of the mobile device and on the action state detected by the first and second routines. 
     In the preceding Summary of Embodiments of the Invention, certain paragraphs include mention to preceding or above embodiments and/or preceding or above inventions disclosed herein. This terminology signifies (non-necessary and optional) multiple dependency on previously discussed invention(s) and embodiments of an invention disclosed herein. The inventors contemplate combining two or more such optional features to achieve the advantages discussed herein, and one of skill in the art will understand how two or more features sequentially or non-sequentially discussed in this section are contemplated and disclosed to be combined to reach one or more advantages discussed herein; and/or any multiply dependent features that are not logically combinable. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic diagram representing an environmental management system according to embodiments of the present invention, or according to an invention disclosed herein. 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic diagram representing a huh forming a part of the environmental management system of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram representing a network-enabled mobile robot forming a part of the environmental management system of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic diagram illustrating a living structure with the environmental management system of  FIG.  1    installed therein. 
         FIGS.  5 - 18    are plan views of a mobile user terminal which may form a part of the environmental management system of  FIG.  1   , illustrating screen displays of the mobile user terminal and related operations according to methods and computer program product embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG.  19    is a schematic diagram of the user terminal of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  20    is a schematic diagram of a household environment mapped and controlled by a mobile robot according to some embodiments or according to an invention disclosed herein. 
         FIG.  21    is a schematic diagram illustrating a living structure with the environmental management system and automation controller system installed therein. 
         FIG.  22    is a schematic diagram illustrating menu and parameter selections according to some embodiments or according to an invention disclosed herein. 
         FIG.  23    is a schematic finite state machine diagram illustrating the state of a mobile robot according to some embodiments or according to an invention disclosed herein. 
         FIG.  24    is a schematic diagram illustrating call diagrams according to some embodiments or according to an invention disclosed herein. 
         FIG.  25    is a schematic diagram illustrating a map of environmental sensor readings taken throughout in a living structure according to some embodiments or according to an invention disclosed herein. 
         FIG.  26    is a schematic diagram illustrating a map of environmental sensor readings taken throughout in a living structure according to some embodiments or according to an invention disclosed herein. 
         FIG.  27    is a schematic diagram illustrating a map of environmental sensor readings in a living structure according to some embodiments or according to an invention disclosed herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     According to embodiments of the present invention, or according to an invention disclosed herein, an environmental management system including a mobile robot is provided for use in monitoring conditions in a living space. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the environmental management system is used for controlling conditions in the living space and/or evaluating and generating recommendations or plans for addressing conditions in the living space. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot has one or more environmental sensors (e.g., electronic thermometer, barometer, humidity or moisture sensor, gas detector such as VOC, CO or CO2, or airborne particulate counter) to provide environmental sensor measurements (e.g., temperature, air pressure, humidity, air quality). In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the environmental management system also includes one or more stationary sensors not mounted on the mobile robot and these stationary sensors are used to monitor the living space to collect data that is used in controlling operation of the mobile robot in the living space. In embodiments, or in the invention disclosed herein, the sensors are mounted in actuatable environmental control nodes, or devices, that operate to control environmental conditions. Such environmental control nodes include, for example, devices such as humidifiers, HVAC, thermostats, and air purifiers. 
     With reference to  FIGS.  1 - 4 ,  21  and  26 - 27   , an environmental management system  100  according to embodiments of an invention disclosed herein, or according to an invention disclosed herein, is shown therein installed in an associated living structure  10 . The structure  10  may be a home or residential dwelling (e.g., a single family home, multi-family dwelling (e.g., a unit of a duplex, apartment, condominium, etc.), or mobile home) or a commercial living space (e.g., an office or studio). The structure  10  defines a living space  20 , or interior space, which may be subdivided (physically, spatially and/or functionally) into one or more defined zones (e.g., zones A-C) and, in embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the zones correspond to rooms in the living structure  10 , such as Zone A being a kitchen, Zone B being a living room and Zone C being a bedroom. The defined zones A-C may be dived by walls or may be open concept areas that blend together without a wall division. The structure  10  has windows  30 , a door  32 , light fixtures  34  (having exhaustable lamps  344 ), a TV  36  (or other electronic equipment), and a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC)  40 . A person P may occupy the living space  20 . 
     With reference to  FIGS.  1 - 4  and  21   , the environmental management system  100  includes nodes including a networked-enabled mobile robot  200 , a networked-enabled environmental management system hub  110 , networked-enabled stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124 , networked-enabled automation controller devices  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 , a robot dock  140  that is also a network-enabled automation controller device, a private network (e.g., a broadband LAN)  160 , and a remote management server or servers (e.g., cloud server)  150 . The private network  160  is enabled by a router  162  and a broadband wireless access point (WAP)  164  having a wireless local area network (WLAN) range  165  at or around the living space  20  bounded by the living structure  10 . The private network  160  is connected to the remote server  150  by a WAN or public network  170  the Internet) through a gateway  1704  (e.g., a broadband modem) and an external connection.  17011  (e.g., an ISP). The router  162 , the WAP  164  and/or the modern  1704  may be integrated in a single device. A local user terminal  142 ,  300  (e.g., a PC, smartphone, or tablet computer) may be connected (wired or wirelessly) to the private network  160 . A remote user terminal  144 ,  300  may be connected to the remote server  150  and/or the private network  160  via the public network  170 . The hub  110 , the robot  200 , the local user terminal  140 ,  300  and the remote user terminal  144 ,  300  may each be configured with an environmental manager access client  152  and a robot manager access client  152 A, which may be the same as the environmental manager access client (e.g., downloadable or pre-installed application software app) enabling communications and control between the nodes  110 ,  200 ,  140 ,  142 ,  144 ,  300  and  150  as described herein. The access client  152 ,  1524  may provide a convenient interface for a user (also referred to herein as “Person P” or “Occupant P” of the living space  20 ). A network entity as discussed herein is a machine and/or controller that registers on a network, is assigned a unique address for sending and receiving messages, and is available to other network entity machines and/or controller s on the same network or a connected network. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein and/or preceding, the “same network” signifies a set of private addresses on a private IP (Internet Protocol) subnet behind a routing or switching network entity that provides NAT hosting (network address translation from the interact at large to the private subnet, usually using one of the RFC 1918 private address spaces), and each network entity on the private subnet can scan the private IP addresses of the other network entities as well as MAC (media access control) addresses associated with each private IP address. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, a routine running on the processor of a network entity (e.g., the mobile robot  200 ) can monitor the private subnet for the MAC address of another network entity (e.g., a mobile device  300 ) and execute some action, as discussed herein, when the MAC address watched for appears at an IP address on the private subnet. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, a “presence” or “presence state” is the observed state of another network entity (i.e., a scan and detection of another network entity&#39;s IP and MAC addresses, signifying potential proximity to the scanning network entity, and/or a change in that detection from a previous scan, sign possible arrival and departure from a proximity). In general, this relates to the typical wireless range of a typical household wireless AP (access point  164 ), which extends for a limited range, with 10-20 meters being an upper limit consumer equipment. In other words, when a mobile handset  300  travels beyond a 10-20 meter limit from the nearest household wireless AP  164 , the person P carrying it may have left the household  20 . Depending on correlations with other factors (e.g., two or more of historical work-time hours, historical patterns of mobile handset movement, speed and pattern of signal decrease leading to departure status, and/or length of time missing from the network) reliability of an assessment of arrival or departure by the analyzing routines (being executed by the mobile robot processor, application resident on the mobile handset, or environmental control panel processor) may be increased. 
       FIGS.  22  and  24    depict the interoperability of nodes of the system  100  such as a mobile robot  200 , a networked-enabled environmental management system hub  110 , networked-enabled stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124 , networked-enabled automation controller devices  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 , a robot dock  140  that is also a network-enabled automation controller device, a private network (e.g., a broadband LAN)  160 , and a remote management server or servers (e.g., cloud server)  150 . The private network  160  is enabled by a router  162  and a broadband wireless access point (WAP)  164  having a wireless local area network (WLAN) range  165  at or around the living space  20  bounded by the living structure  10 .  FIG.  22    depicts an embodiment of the communication components, sensors and applications running on various nodes and exemplary data structures associated with menu items in a menu selection tree.  FIG.  24    depicts embodiments of exemplary communications and data exchanges between nodes of the system according to embodiments of the invention or in an invention herein described. 
     The hub  110  ( FIG.  2   ) be any suitable device configured to provide the functionality described herein. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the hub  110  includes a processor  114 , memory  115 , a Human Machine Interface (HMI)  116 , a wireless communications module (e.g., a Wi-Fi module)  112 , and an associated antenna  1124 . The hub  110  may include connection hardware (e.g., an ethernet connector) for wired connection to the router  162 . In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the hub  110  includes an integral environmental sensor  121  and/or an integral automation controller device  129 . For example, in some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the hub  110  is a networked, intelligent, processor controlled thermostat including an ambient temperature sensor and an HVAC controller integrated with a processor and, in some embodiments, a battery. Suitable hubs for the hub  110  may include the Iris Hub™ available from Lowe&#39;s Home improvement, NEST™ intelligent thermostats available from NEST Labs of Palo Alto, Calif., and devices as disclosed in U.S. Published Application No. 2012/0256009 and U.S. Published Application No. 2012/0066168, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     As illustrated, the hub  110  can be connected to the private network  160  by wiring to the router  162 . Alternatively, the hub  110  may be wirelessly connected to the router  162  via the wireless module  112  and the WAP  164 . 
     As indicated in the non-exhaustive, exemplary list of  FIG.  22    the stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124  can be any suitable sensors operable to detect a physical condition or phenomena and convert the same to a corresponding data signal. For example, each sensor  120 ,  122 ,  124  may be a temperature sensor, contact sensor, acoustic sensor (e.g., microphone), motion sensor (e.g., passive IR motion sensor), pressure sensor, visible light sensor, moisture sensor, air quality sensor, ultrasonic sensor, or gas composition sensor. Each sensor  120 ,  122 ,  124  may include a wireless transmitter (narrowband or broadband/Wi-Fi) to communicate with the hub  110  and/or the private network  160  via the WAP  164 . The sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124  are stationary in that they remain in one location (e.g., affixed to a wall of the structure  10 ) throughout the process of monitoring and controlling the environment of the living space  20 . In contrast to the mobile robot  200 , the stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124  must be picked up and transported to relocate and typically will not be relocated at all (i.e., they will typically be permanently installed in a given coordinate location relative to the full coordinate grid mapped to the space  20 ). While three stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124  are shown, the system  100  may include more or fewer. 
     As indicated in the non-exhaustive, exemplary list of  FIG.  22    the automation controller devices  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  may be any suitable devices operable to control operation of a device or system associated with the structure  10 . In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the stationary automation controller devices  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124  that can be any suitable sensors operable to detect a environmental condition, physical condition or phenomena and convert the same to a corresponding data signal. For example, each sensor  120 ,  122 ,  124  may be a temperature sensor, contact sensor, acoustic sensor (e.g., microphone), motion sensor (e.g., passive IR motion sensor), pressure sensor, visible light sensor, moisture sensor, air quality sensor, ultrasonic sensor, or gas composition sensor. Each sensor  120 ,  122 ,  124  may include a wireless transmitter (narrowband or broadband/Wi-Fi) to communicate with the hub  110  and/or the private network  160  via the WAP  164 . Examples of automation controller devices include a thermostat to actuate/deactuate/adjust the HVAC system  40  (as illustrated, controller  127 ), a switch device to actuate/deactuate a light (as illustrated, controller  128 ), an audible alarm, a device operative to open and close a window covering (e.g., automatic shades) (as illustrated, controller  126 ), an air quality control device  129 , such as an air purifier, humidifier, or de-humidifier, a network enabled mobile robot evacuation station dock  140 , and an automatic latch or lock device. Each automation controller device  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  may include a wireless transmitter (narrowband or broadband Wi-Fi) to communicate with the hub  110  and/or private network  160  via the WAP  164 . While five automation controller devices  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129   140  are shown, more or fewer may be provided through out one or more Zones (A-C) in the living structure. 
     The robot dock  140  may include or be connected to a power supply and include a charger operative to charge a battery of the mobile robot  200  when the robot  200  is effectively docked at the robot dock  140 . The dock  140  may be an evacuation station including a motorized receptacle actuatable to empty debris from the robot  200 . In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the dock  140  is connected (wired or wirelessly) to the private network  160  to enable or facilitate transmission of data from the robot  200  to the private network  160  and/or from the private network  160  to the robot  200 . The robot dock  140 , therefore, is an example another automation controller device. In embodiments, the robot dock  140  communicates wirelessly directly with the mobile robot  200  through blue tooth, nearfield induction, IR signals or radio. 
     The mobile robot  200  may be any suitable robot and it will be appreciated that not all of the components, features and functionality described herein are required in all embodiments of an invention disclosed herein, or in an invention disclosed herein. With reference to  FIG.  3    and the non-exhaustive list of  FIG.  22   , the exemplary mobile robot  200  includes a chassis  210 , a controller  220 , memory  222 , a battery  224 , a battery charger  226 , a human-machine interface (HMI)  228 , a drive system  230 , a mapping/navigation system  240 , a service operation system  242  (also referred to herein as “the cleaning system” and the “cleaning head”), a wireless communication system  250 , an IR emitter  260 , and environmental sensors  270 A-J, a debris bin  242 A (to store debris collected by a cleaning operation), a bin level sensor  242 B, a dirt extraction sensor  242 C (to detect the density of characteristics of the debris collected by the cleaning operation), an end effector,  242 D an indicator light  274 A, an audio transducer  2748 , and a cleaning mode selection switch (e.g., button)  274 C. The mobile robot  200  may be generally configured in the manner of or include features from the Roomba™ floor cleaning robot and/or robots as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,024,278 and U.S. Published Application No. 2007/0250212, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, with suitable modifications. 
     The controller no may include any suitably configured processor  211  (e.g., microprocessor) or processors. The processor  221  is in communication with the controller  200 , memory  22 , the cleaning system  242  and drive system  230   
     The drive system  230  may include any suitable mechanism or system for actively and controllably transiting the robot  200  through the living space  20 . According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the drive system  230  includes a roller, rollers, track or tracks  232  and one or more onboard (i.e., carried by the mobile robot  200 ) electric motors  234  (also referred to herein as “motorized actuator”) operable by the controller  220  to convey the robot  200  across the floor of the living space  20 . 
     The service operation system  242  may be optional in some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, and is operable to execute a service operation in the living space  20 . According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the service operation system  242  includes a floor cleaning system that cleans a floor surface of the living space  20  as the robot  200  transits through the space  20 . In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the service operation system  242  includes a suction head and an onboard (i.e., carried by the mobile robot  200 ) vacuum generator to vacuum clean the floor. In some embodiments, of in an invention disclosed herein, the service operation system  242  includes an end effector  242 D such as a sweeping or mopping mechanism, such as one or more rotating brushes, rollers, wet or dry stationary or oscillating and/or vibrating cloths or multilayer pad assemblies. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the term “end effector  242 D” includes the working payload of a mobile or articulated autonomous or remotely controlled robot, including the customary meaning of manipulators and tools, as well as cleaning head ends. An end effector as recited herein need not be at the end of an arm or mast, but may be directly attached to a mobile robot  200  or via a suspension or other linkage. A working payload performs mechanical work using a powered actuator that moves a tool. One example of a working payload would be a cleaning head (such as a rotating or reciprocating brush or pad and/or a vacuuming tool). 
     The wireless communication system  250  includes a wireless communication transmitter or module  252  (e.g., a Wi-Fi module) and an associated antenna  254  to enable wireless communication between the robot  200  and the hub  110  and/or the private network  160  (i.e., via the WAP  164 ). Various different network configurations may be employed for the private network  160 , of which the mobile robot  200  constitutes a node. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the robot  200  communicates wirelessly with the hub  110  through the router  162  via the WAP  164 . In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  communicates with the remote management server  150  via the router  162  and the WAP  164 , bypassing the hub  110 . 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the robot  200  may communicate wirelessly directly with the hub  110  using narrowband or broadband (e.g., Wi-Fi) RF communication. For example, if the robot  200  is not equipped with a transmitter compatible with the WAP  164 , the robot  200  may communicate with the hub  110 , which may in turn relay data from the robot  200  to the private network  160  or the remote management server  150 . In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the system  100  includes a network bridge device that receives and converts RF signals from the robot  200  and relays them to the router  162  in a format supported by the router for delivery to the remote management server  150  or another device in the private network  160 . In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the system  100  includes a low power mesh data network employing a mesh topology wherein RF communications signals are relayed from node to node between the mobile robot  200  and the hub  110 . In this case, the stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124 , the controllers  124 ,  126 , 127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  and range extender modules (if any; not shown) may serve as mesh nodes. Likewise, the mobile robot  200  may serve as a node to relay signals between the huh  110  and the other nodes (e.g., network enabled sensor devices  120 ,  122 ,  124 ,  126 , 127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  and range extenders). 
     As indicated above,  FIG.  22    depicts an embodiment of the communication components, sensors and applications running on various nodes and exemplary data structures associated with menu items in a menu selection tree. For example, the mobile mechanical actuator (MA), which is a mobile robot  200  in embodiments or in an invention disclosed herein, includes sensors and data fields such as: Ambient Light sensor (momentary values/history in array). Moisture sensor (momentary values history in array), Air quality sensor (momentary values/history in array), Localization/Mapping (Robot records metric feature constellation, odometry, occupancy grid, and/or perimeter scans in array(s)), Camera (Robot records recognized features and history in array(s), Thermometer (momentary values/history in array), Microphone (momentary values/history in array), Bin level sensor (momentary values/history in array), Dirt sensor (momentary values/history in array), Battery level sensor (momentary values/history in array), PIR Detectors (momentary values/history in array), Air pressure sensor (momentary values/history in array). The mobile mechanical actuator (MA), which is a mobile robot  200  in embodiments or in an invention disclosed herein, includes connectivity sensors and data fields such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and 6LoWPan (application running on the local terminal monitors MAC and IP of network entities including local terminal, Node and sets network entity resident data fields True/False per MA, Node entity). The mobile mechanical actuator (MA), which is a mobile robot  200  in embodiments or in an invention disclosed herein, includes monitoring elements of the MA and associated data fields such as, for example: Battery  224 /Power module  212  (charge state in field), End Effector  242 D—Agitation (on/off/speed in fields), End Effector  242 D—Vacuum (on/off/speed in fields), End Effector  242 D—Dispenser(s) (on/off/rate/remaining capacity in fields), Drive motor(s)  230  (on/off/speed in fields), and Indicator light(s)  274 A (on/off/color/modulation in fields). 
     Similarly, a stationary sensor node  110 ,  120 ,  122 ,  124  (also referred to herein as “stationary sensors” and “networked-enabled stationary sensors”), or stationary mechanical actuator  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  (e.g. HVAC, humidifier, air purifier, and also referred to herein as “automation controller device” and “networked-enabled automation controller devices”) sensors monitor conditions with its sensors and stores associated data such as, for example: Occupancy sensor (momentary values/history in array), Motion sensor (momentary values/history in array), Ambient Light sensor (momentary values/history in array), Moisture sensor (momentary values/history in array), Air quality sensor (momentary values/history in array), Thermometer (momentary values/history in array), Microphone (momentary values/history in array), Air quality (momentary values/history in array), and Battery level sensor (momentary values/history in array). A stationary sensor node  110 ,  120 ,  122 ,  124  or stationary mechanical actuator  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  (e.g. HVAC, humidifier, air purifier) include connectivity sensors and data fields such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and 6LoWPan (hosted application monitors MAC and IP of network entities including local terminal (LT) hosting the application, mobile mechanical actuator (e.g. mobile robot  200 ), stationary sensor node  110 ,  120 ,  122 ,  124 , stationary mechanical actuator  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  and sets network entity resident data fields True/False per MA, Node entity). In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the stationary mechanical actuator  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  monitors the states of its actuators and stores data associated with the monitored actuators in fields such as, for example: Fans (on/off/speed in fields), Pumps (on/off/speed in fields), Condensor (on/off/in fields), Zone Valves or Switches (on/off in fields), and indicator light(s) (on/off/color/modulation in fields). 
     Similarly, a local terminal  142 ,  300  (also referred to herein as “mobile device” and “smartphone” and “LT”) monitors conditions with its sensors and stores associated data such as, for example: Accelerometer/gyroscope (an application running on the LT monitors pickup motion and sets call in progress flag True/False), “Head nearby” optical sensor (application monitors occlusion indicating call picked up and sets call in progress flag True/False), Microphone (application monitors activity indicating call picked up and sets call in progress flag True/False). In embodiments, or in an invention herein disclosed, the local terminal includes connectivity sensors and data fields such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and 6LoWPan (application monitors MAC and IP of network entities including a local terminal (LT) running the application, mobile mechanical actuator (e.g. mobile robot  200 ), stationary sensor node  110 ,  120 ,  122 ,  124 , stationary mechanical actuator  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  and sets network entity resident data fields True/False per MA, Node entity). In embodiments, or in an invention herein disclosed, the local terminal includes connectivity sensors and data fields such as: Radio/phone GSM and/or CDMA etc. (application or operating system monitors call state waiting, ringing, call in-progress and sets call state field value). 
     As indicated in  FIGS.  3  and  22   , the exemplary robot  200  includes the following environmental sensors: an IR radiation detector  270 A, a camera  270 B, an ambient temperature sensor  270 C, an ambient light sensor  270 I), an acoustic sensor  270 E (e.g., microphone), a motion detector  270 F (e.g., a passive IR photodiode), an ultrasonic sensor  270 G, a pressure sensor  270 H, an air quality sensor  270 I, and a moisture sensor  270 J. These sensors are not exhaustive of the types of sensors that may be provided on the robot  200  and certain of the sensors may be omitted depending on the environmental parameters to be detected by the robot  200 . 
     The mapping/navigation system  240  can be used by the mobile robot  200  to map the living space  20  and to determine or register the position of the robot  200  relative to the space  20  (i.e., to localize the robot  200  in the space  20 ). The robot  200  can thus also localize the locations of its onboard (i.e., carried by the mobile robot  200 ) sensors  270 A-J. Any suitable technique and components may be used to localize and register the robot  200 , such as machine vision (e.g., using the camera  270 B and Feature Recognition or Class Recognition software), light beacons, or radiofrequency received signal strength indicator (RSSI) technology. 
     According to some embodiments, or in according to an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  or system  100  can uniquely identify rooms (e.g., Zone A, Zone B, Zone C) by combining (1) identity information (e.g., the IPv6 identity of an “Internet of Things” 6LowPan light bulb or socket transceiver, plug unit, or the like), (2) RSSI (e.g., the signal strength/amplitude of the same nearby IPv6 RF transceiver) and (3) remote control (e.g., the ability to modulate that RF transceiver via the local network or Internet). For example, the autonomous robot  200  (e.g., a Roornha® robot) can navigate a room (e.g., Zone A, Zone B, or Zone C) until it finds a peak signal strength of an IPv6 transceiver, in which case it can be expected to be nearest this transceiver. It can then tag this transceiver with a topological or Cartesian location. Should the transceiver be associated with a room identity by an end user or automatically via any means (e.g., “living room light bulb No. 3”), the robot  200  can use this information in various ways. For example, the robot  200  may be commanded to clean the living room, in which case it can use its mobility and distance-dependent variation in signal strength to home on this room (even without a map). As another example, a robot  200  can be commanded to clean only the living room, in which case one or more transceivers known to be in the living room “anchor” the robot  200  to that room. The robot  200  sets a threshold for signal strength and/or rough localization using multiple signal sources and/or identifiable walls and doorways, and covers the room such that the signal strength of the living room IPv6 6LowPAN light bulb is high. 
     The mobile robot  200  can identify a room or Zone (A-C) in a number of different ways, independent of output from other sensor nodes  110 ,  120 ,  122 ,  124 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129   140  of the system  100 . In an embodiment, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  may visually recognize one or more features located in one room using its camera  270 B mounted to the body  210  of the mobile robot  200 . In an embodiment, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  can identify a room or Zone (A-C) using its mapping and navigation system  240  to identify coordinates within a defined room as defined on a stored map of the living structure  20 . 
     Further methods and operations in accordance with embodiments of an invention disclosed herein, or in accordance with an invention disclosed herein, and utilizing the environmental management system  100  will now be described. 
     According to some methods, the system  100  uses data from one or more of the networked stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124  to control or enhance operation of the mobile robot  200 . In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124 , are occupancy sensors (e.g., passive IR motion detectors). When the sensors  122  detect a person P in a given zone A-C, the system  100  will cause the robot  200  to alter its operation to adapt to the occupancy. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  detects a person P based on a signal from an occupancy sensor, heat sensor, RSSI sensor, or a signal indicating the presence of the person&#39;s local user terminal  142  (also herein referred to as “mobile device  300 ”). For example, the robot  200  may be executing a floor cleaning operation and the system  100  (e.g., via instructions from the hub  110  to the robot  200 ) may instruct the robot  200  to return to the dock  140 , move to a different, unoccupied zone, avoid the occupied zone, or assume a quieter mode of operation. Similarly, before deploying the robot  200 , the system  100  can use the stationary sensors  122  to determine whether an occupant is detectable and, if not, clear the robot  200  to proceed with a mission (e.g., a floor cleaning excursion). 
     Alternatively, one or more of the onboard sensors  270 A-J may detect occupancy and the robot  200  may communicate this information to the hub  110  for further instruction regarding mission completion or truncation. As depicted in  FIG.  21    and the finite state machine of  FIG.  22   , in embodiments, or in the invention, when an away mode is on and the occupancy count is less than a threshold amount, the mobile robot  200  moves from a docked or idle state S 10  to a launch state S 14 . The robot  200  enters a state of designating the next room to cover in the mission with a stored location S 18 , and enters a state of cleaning the current room S 22 . When the current room is completed (e.g. completely traversed and cleaned as determined by routines running on the robot processor and controller), the robot enters the designate next room state S 18  until the emission is completed or until a mobile device  300  identity is detected on the wireless network or occupancy of a person P is detected. 
     When a mobile device  300  enters the network, the mobile robot  200  receives a signal indicating the presence of the person&#39;s mobile device on the WAP  164 . The may be detected by the mobile robot  200  monitoring the wireless local network  160  or a robot manager access client  152 A operating on the mobile device  300  may execute a routine that sends a signal to the mobile robot  200  indicating that the mobile device  300  is on the WLAN  160  and accessing the WAP  164 . In embodiments, or an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  may include a radio receiver capable of detecting a call state of the mobile device  300 , the active call putting the mobile device  300  in an active call state  300 A. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  may detect the strength of the call signal with an RSSI sensor, thereby determining proximity to the mobile device  300 . In embodiments, or in the invention, in response to a mobile device call state changing to an active call state, the mobile robot controller  120  alters the mobile robot cleaning state by returning the mobile robot  200  to the dock  140 , moving the mobile robot  200  to a different, unoccupied zone (A-C), by having the mobile robot  200  avoid the occupied zone (A-C) or assume a quieter mode of operation, which includes turning off all motorized actuators on the mobile robot  200  so that the mobile robot  200  stops in place and goes silent. In embodiments, or an invention disclosed herein, an occupied zone (A-C) is a zone in which a person P or mobile device  300  is present. In embodiments, or an invention disclosed herein, an occupied zone is a zone in which a mobile device  300  is in an active call state  300 A. In one embodiment, or in the invention herein disclosed, when the mobile device  300  is in an active call state  300 A, the action state goes from waiting to active, and the mobile robot controller  120  will alters a cleaning state of the mobile robot  200  to respond to the call signal by entering a state of storing the robot location S 36  (i.e. coordinates) in the household  20  and then changing state to a return to dock or evacuate state S 20  that precedes arriving at the dock and entering a docked or idle state S 10 . 
     Similarly, as indicated in  FIG.  23   , in a manual launch scenario, the robot  200  will go from a docked or idle state S 10  to a launch state S 14 , where the mobile robot  200  launches (i.e. drives) off the dock to start a coverage mission. If the mobile device  300  is not on the network (i.e. its MAC is not on the network), the mobile robot will change state between designate next room state S 18  and clean current room state S 22 , moving room by room through a household to complete a mission. When no rooms remain for cleaning, the robot state changes to a returned to dock or evacuate state S 20  and when the mobile robot  200  arrives at the dock  140 , the robot state changes to docked or idle state S 10 . If the mobile device MAC is on the network and the robot  200  enters a set call quiet mode state S 16  after launching, the mobile robot  200  will alter state between designate next room state S 18  and clean current room state S 22  until the mission is complete and no rooms remain or until a call state change alters the mobile robot cleaning state. When the mobile device receives an incoming call, the mobile robot state changes to quiet mode, call watch S 30 . In the quiet mode, call watch S 30  state, the mobile robot  200  remains in a quite mode S 30  (i.e. turn off motorized actuators, stop in place and go silent) and watches for the call to end before returning to the clean current room state S 22 . 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the term “action state” includes one or more states reflecting transitions between idle and active for an actuator or control system. The action state is a logic or data state applied to actuated mechanical, electrical, signal, or other actuator, and may be stored in a database and/or directly and reactively monitored by a sensor. In addition, there may be an intermediate state during which a decision to act is made by logic in the system. For example, for a call state or call “action state” (e.g., whether a telephone is active for a call), a telephone may be ready for a call, may be ringing a call yet not yet answered, and a call may be in progress. Further, the action state need not be “on” versus “off”, it may be “lower” versus “higher”, or expressed with variable ranges. For example, a state of cleaning or cleaning “action state” (e.g., whether a cleaning head powered by an actuator is active for cleaning), a cleaning head may be idle, may be in a low-power or low-speed mode, and may be in a high-power or high-speed mode. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the system  100  can automatically control devices  120 ,  122 ,  124 ,  126 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  of the structure  10  to facilitate operation of the, robot  200 . For example, the system  100  via instructions from the hub  110 ) can automatically turn on a light fixture  34  using a controller  128  to illuminate a region viewed by the camera  270 B of the robot  200 . The robot manager access client  1524  may instruct the mobile robot  100  to return S 20  to the dock  140  when a person P returns to the living structure  10  after being outside of the WLAN range  165 . The robot manager access client  1524  may instruct the mobile robot  100  to operate in a quiet mode  530  when a person P returns to the living structure  10  after being outside of the WLAN range  165  and the mobile device  300  on the WLAN  164  receives a call and is in an active call state  300 A (also referred to herein as a “call” or “ring”). The active call state  300 A refers to a call ringing on a mobile device  300 A and also to an occupant answering the call  300 A. 
     As indicated in  FIGS.  3 ,  4  and  21   , in one embodiment, or in an invention disclosed herein, the processor  221  of the mobile robot  200  executes a plurality of routines. The plurality of routines include a first routine which monitors the wireless access point (WAP)  164  by communicating with the wireless network circuit  250 , and detects a presence state of one or more mobile devices  300  within the WLAN range  165 . A second routine receives a signal from a sensor, the sensor detecting a call state of the mobile device  300 , the action state changeable between call readiness and call received. A third routine commands a motorized actuator of the service operation system  242  of the mobile robot  200  to change state of performing mechanical work based on the presence of the mobile device  300  on the WLAN and on the call state detected by the first and second routines. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, decisions that are rendered by routines executed by a mobile robot processor  221  are instead or in the alternative executed by routines executed by a compartmentalized or other application hosted by an operating system running via the smart phone  300  processor, so long as the mobile robot processor  221  and the smart phone  300  are network entities that may communicate with one another. The present disclosure contemplates that such routines may be executed by the partner application on a smart phone  300 , and resulting data, commands, or information used by the mobile robot processor to cause the mobile robot  200  to activate actuators may be transported over a shared network. 
     As described above, in some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the state of cleaning is changed from one or more motorized actuators of the service operation system  242  being powered to on or off, and in other embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the state of cleaning is changed from the motorized actuator operating at trial power to operating at a low power, low decibel state. In embodiments, or in an invention herein disclosed, a full power state represents the motorized actuator operating a vacuum fan or a roller element of the service operation system  242  at full speed and a lower power state represents the motorized actuator operating the vacuum fan or roller element of the service operation system  242  a lower speed. 
     In other embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the signal received by the second routine is sent from a sensor  270 A-J on the mobile robot  200 . In some examples, the sensor  270 A-J on the mobile robot  200  is an audio sensor  270 E for hearing the call ring or vibrate  300 A. In other examples, the sensor  270 A-J on the mobile robot  200  is a radio receiver of the wireless communication system  250  for detecting a radio frequency signal indicative of a phone call  300 A, such as, for example, 915 MHz in North America or 868 MHz in Europe. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the sensor signaling receipt of a call  300 A is a single sensor or a combination of sensors on the mobile device  300 , such as an accelerometer measuring the motion associated with raising a telephonic device to an ear, a proximity sensor for measuring the proximity of the telephonic device to a person&#39;s P face or head, a vibration actuator or sensor for causing or detecting a vibration indicative of a ring  300 A, and a microphone on the phone for audibly detecting a ring  300 A. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the first routine detects the presence state of a mobile device  300  on the wireless local network, and the second routine receives a signal from a cleaning readiness sensor in the mobile robot  200 , the sensor detecting the cleaning readiness state of the mobile robot  200 , the cleaning readiness state changeable between cleaning readiness and cleaning active, in embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  executes a monitoring behavior for monitoring the cleaning readiness. In some embodiments, cleaning readiness is a battery charge of the mobile robot  200 , the corresponding cleaning readiness sensor relying on electronic coulometry and/or other battery charge state sensor, for example. In other embodiments, the cleaning readiness is a stasis state of the mobile robot  200 , and the corresponding cleaning readiness sensor is a “stasis” sensor relying on one or more odometers, accelerometers, or actuator current measurements to determine whether the mobile robot  200  is able to freely move or is stuck or restricted in movement. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the end effector  242 D is the cleaning head of the service operation system  242  of the mobile robot  200 , the cleaning readiness is a stasis state, and the motorized actuator is stationary in a stasis state. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the third routine which commands the cleaning head or end effector  242 D of the mobile robot  200  to change state of cleaning based on the presence of the mobile device  300  on the wireless local network and on the cleaning readiness state of the mobile robot  200 . If the mobile robot does not have enough battery charge to power a mission, the mobile robot  200  will not launch even when the occupancy schedule indicates a time interval during which the occupant(s) are away from the living structure  10 . 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the network-enabled mobile device that enables the mobile robot  200  to detect occupancy presences is a wireless transmission enabled sensor tag, such as the Sensed motion cookie. In other embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile device is a smartphone  300 . In some embodiments, the mobile device is a wireless transmission enabled device, such as a portable activity tracker, baby monitor, scale or air quality monitor. Examples of such wired mobile devices are the Withings™ activity monitor, baby monitor, and scale. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  uses an onboard camera  270 B or passive IR sensor  260  to detect the presence of one or more occupants P in one or more rooms (Zones (A-C)) in the living space  20 . 
     One advantage of a mobile robot  200  receiving a signal indicative of the presence of an occupant P, as determined by their mobile device  300  appearing on the WAP  164 , is that the mobile robot  200  executes a monitoring routine, and in response to conditions set in the monitoring routine, reactively responds to presence. In some embodiments, the mobile robot independently monitors the local network  160  for the presence of one or more mobile devices  300 , and in other embodiments, the mobile device  300  enters the network and notifies the mobile robot  200  of its presence through an application, such as the robot manager access client  152  or the environmental manager access client  152  running on the mobile device processor for wirelessly communicating instructions to the mobile robot  200 . 
     In some embodiments or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, a mobile robot&#39;s processor  221  may execute routine(s) that, in response to an initiating signal or measurement being monitored that together signify both that the mobile robot  200  is ready and the household occupant P is absent, launch and execute a mission, for example, a cleaning mission, if the mobile device  300  leaves the network and the mobile robot  200  is ready, for example if a mobile robot battery  244  is charged. A “mission” includes a start-to-finish set of mechanical work tasks performed while traveling (where the robot navigates through space  20 ) having an initiating criteria (e.g., a user command, a schedule, threshold, setpoint based command or decision) and a terminating and/or completing criteria (e.g., a time limit, an area limit, a remaining battery charge limit, a number of times for an area to be covered, and/or a cleanliness score from dirt detection) Missions may be completed in more than one sortie. The mobile robot&#39;s processor  221  will execute routine(s) that, in response to a initiating signal or measurement being monitored that together signify both that the mobile robot  200  is operating normally (and possibly loudly) and the household occupant P has requested less noise in their proximity or has a sudden need for additional quietness, drive away from an occupant P, quiet itself, or turn off its power supply to quiet the robot when an occupant takes a phone call  300 A. The mobile robot  200  therefore behaves in a situationally responsive way by interrupting its mission so that the occupant P can hear a caller on the mobile device  300  without background noise interference. 
     In embodiments, the mobile robot retreats from an occupant P holding a mobile device  300  that is in an active call state  300 A or the mobile robot quiets its motorized actuators, such as those for actuating the vacuum fan, the motor or motors of the drive system  230  for actuating the drive wheels  232  and those for actuating one or more end effectors  242 D, or cleaning head members (e.g. rollers, cloths, sprayers), of the service operation system  242 . The mobile robot  200  monitors the call state and, in embodiments, monitors for the radio frequency indicative of and active call state  300 A, in embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, when a call has ended, the mobile robot  200  returns to where it discontinued its mission and returns to an active mission state. The mobile robot  200 , therefore, completes its mission throughout the living space  20  while accommodating for the presence of an occupant P and for the answering of a call  300 A on a mobile device  300 . According to some embodiments, or in according to an invention disclosed herein, the system  100  uses data collected by the environmental sensors of the mobile robot  200  to enable or enhance the monitoring and/or control functions and processes of the system  100 . The robot environmental sensors  270 A-J (which are networked to the hub  110  and/or the remote management server  150 ) can thereby be used in place of or in addition to the stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124  to provide input data and instructions to the hub  110 , the mobile device  300 , the networked-enabled stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124 , the networked-enabled automation controller devices  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  and/or the remote management server  1150 . As discussed above, the locations of the robot environmental sensors  270 A-I in the living space  20  can be determined and registered so that the readings from the robot environmental sensors  270 A-J can be correspondingly registered with respect to the space  20 . 
     The ambient light sensor  270 D or camera  270 B, for example, can be used to detect the light level in a zone and/or entering through a window  30 . Based on the data from this sensor robot or sensors, the system  100  may use a controller  126  to close a shade  30 A on the window or notify a user that the shade should be closed. 
     Similarly, the camera  270 B or other sensors on the robot  200  can be used to detect open windows  30  or doors  32 . In this manner, the robot  200  can monitor portals to and zones of the living space for security or other purposes. 
     As indicated in  FIGS.  3 ,  22 ,  25 ,  26  and  27    the temperature sensor  270 C can be used to detect an ambient temperature at a location in the space  20  other than the location(s) of the stationary temperature sensor(s)  110 . In this way, the mobile robot  200  obtains a temperature data set that more accurately reflects the temperature distribution in the space  20 . The system  100  may respond by modifying operation of the HVAC system  40  or other devices (e.g., automatically opening or closing thermal shades) or reporting the temperature distribution to a user. As indicated in  FIGS.  25  and  26   , the mapping and navigation routine enables the mobile robot  200  to measure and store sensor temperature readings  605  throughout the living space  20  to create 2 dimensional or 3 dimensional map of temperature readings  605  throughout the living space  20 . As indicated in  FIG.  25   , the temperature readings  605  taken by the mobile robot  200  may be mapped to rooms in a household  20  and across individual rooms in household  20  to yield a mapped temperature gradient comparable to a stationary temperature reading  121  of a stationary node  110 ,  120 . The robot generated map of temperature readings indicates variability undetected by the stationary sensor  110 ,  120  which captures only a single output. Similarly, in embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  measures and stores air quality readings  610  with its onboard air quality sensor  270 I as the mobile robot  200  drives along a robot path  620  throughout the living space  20 . The air quality readings  610  are mapped to a 2 dimensional or 3 dimensional map of air quality readings throughout the living space  20 . In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the air quality readings  610  may measure commonly detected air quality values, such as those for Common air pollutants, particulate matter (PM), sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO) and ammonia (NH3), ground-level ozone (O3), pollen, dust, or other particulate matter. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the air quality readings measure humidity. As indicated in  FIGS.  25  and  26   , in embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the map  600  of sensor readings  121 ,  605 ,  610  displays to the HMI of a local user terminal  142 ,  300  or a remote user terminal  144 ,  300  for active management of the networked-enabled stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124  and the networked-enabled automation controller devices  40 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140 . In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  processes the mapped sensor readings  605 ,  610  to send operational instructions the networked-enabled stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124  and the networked-enabled automation controller devices  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140 . As indicated in  FIGS.  25 ,  26  and  27   , the system  100  therefore uses a mapping mobile robot  200  to collect thermal/humidity/air quality data and assemble a dynamically updated two dimensional map  600  or three dimensional map  700  which can be used for home environmental control. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, such as those shown in  FIGS.  25  and  26   , the sensor readings taken at the plurality of two dimensional locations within the household  20  populate a two dimensional map of sensor readings within the household  20 , the two dimensional map being stored within a memory accessible to network entities, and in particular displayed on a human machine interface device (e.g., a mobile handset smartphone  300 , personal computer, smartwatch, mobile tablet, having a display and/or touchscreen as well as a wireless network interface, processor, and memory for executing routines) in communication with the mobile robot  200  over the network. 
     In some embodiments and according to a first aspect, or according to an invention disclosed herein, a household mobile robot  200  for “coverage” missions (sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, spreading fluid, and/or any combination of these) uses a suitable technique or techniques, in some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, “Simultaneous Localization and Mapping” (SLAM) techniques, to generate a map of the surface being, for example, vacuumed. There are various techniques, and various maps that may be generated. Maps may be topological, Cartesian, polar, representational, probabilistic, or other; and/or may track Avails, obstacles, open spaces, fiducials, natural features, “occupancy”, or other map features. In some techniques, many maps, each of some degree of probable correctness, are recorded. 
     According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, substantive processing of the environmental sensor data collected by the robot  200  as described herein is conducted entirely or primarily by the processor  221  of the robot  200 . According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, substantive processing of the environmental sensor data collected by the robot  200  as described herein is conducted entirely or primarily remotely from the robot  200 . In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, said processing is conducted entirely or primarily at the cloud or remote management server  150 . In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, said processing is conducted entirely or primarily at the remote user terminal  144 ,  300  or local user terminal  142 ,  300 . However, in other embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, all or a portion of the processing of the robot sensor data may occur in the hub  110 . 
     As indicated in  FIGS.  3 , and  21  through  27    according to embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  includes a processor  221  connected to a memory  222  and a wireless network circuit  160 , for executing routines stored in the memory  222  and commands generated by the routines and received via the wireless network circuit  160 . The mobile robot  200  further includes driven wheels  232  commandable by the processor  221  to reach a multiplicity of accessible two dimensional locations within an living space,  20 , or household, and an environmental sensor  270 C,  270 I,  270 J readable by the processor  221 , the processor  221  executing a plurality of routines. The plurality of routines include a first routine which commands the driven wheels  232  to move the mobile robot  200  about the household  20 , a second routine which takes sensor readings  605 ,  610  at a plurality of the accessible two dimensional locations within the household  20 , as indicated in the exemplary map  600  of  FIG.  25   , and a third routine which, based on the sensor readings  605 ,  610  throughout the household  20 , sends data to a the networked-enabled automation controller devices  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  having a dedicated environmental sensor  120  resulting in the activation of a motorized actuator  41  on the networked-enabled automation controller devices  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  to perform mechanical work in the household  20 , despite the dedicated environmental sensor alone determining otherwise. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein or preceding, the multiplicity of accessible two dimensional locations is a set of X, Y co-ordinates (a localization or “location”) or X, Y, theta co-ordinates (a “pose”) reflecting a location on the floor of a household  20  not occupied by some obstacle, and/or a set of the accessible locations or poses or location cells recorded in an occupancy grid. In this case, the occupancy grid or free floor space can optionally be used by the processor  221  to conduct path planning, i.e., sequencing different trajectories to avoid obstacles, and command the driven wheels  232  to move about the free floor space. Path planning may be substantially direct (e.g., the shortest or fastest path, optionally using path planning algorithms such as variants of Dijkstra&#39;s, A* or D* algorithms); sampling oriented (e.g., taking some number of samples—e.g., 5-20—on a path over a number of minutes, optionally using path planning algorithms where the constraint is a distributed sample set and not the shortest of fastest path, or roaming and/or random); or area coverage oriented (e.g., taking a larger number of samples—e.g. 20-100—in a manner that assigns each sample to a location, optionally topologically or metrically related to one another, or kept as a 3D matrix). 
     In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot moves about the household  20  on a primary mission and simultaneously collects environmental sensor readings  605 ,  610  as a secondary mission. In some embodiments, the mobile robot  200  is a vacuum and the primary mission is a cleaning mission. While the mobile robot  200  moves about the household  20  vacuuming, it also measures and maps environmental sensor readings  605 ,  610 . The environmental sensor readings are mapped to a 2-Dimensional or 3-dimensional layout map of the household  20 . 
     In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the sensor readings  605 ,  610  taken at the plurality of accessible two dimensional locations within the household  20  are environmental sensor readings. In some embodiments, the environmental sensor is an air quality sensor  270 I, and in other embodiments, the environmental sensor is a humidity sensor  270 J. In some embodiments, the environmental senor is a temperature sensor  270 C. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the networked-enabled automation controller device  129  is a humidifier with a dedicated humidity sensor  120 . In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the networked-enabled automation controller device  129  is an air purifier with a dedicated air quality control sensor  120 . In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the networked-enabled automation controller device  129  is a thermostat  110  for controlling automation elements such as HVAC  40  and automated window shades  30 A. 
     Networked-enabled automation controller devices  110 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 , 129 ,  140  such as thermostats, air purifiers and humidifiers, are stationary and typically located at One or two locations throughout an living space  20 , and the stationary sensors therein measure relatively localized air currents at that particular singular, unchanging location. The primary advantage of the mobile robot  200  is accessing locations distant from or in another room or Zone (A-C) not immediately adjacent the stationary networked-enabled automation controller devices  110 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  By mapping measurements throughout an living space  20 , the mobile robot  200  determines whether, based on a single reading  605 ,  610  taken in a location remote from the stationary networked-enabled automation controller devices  110 ,  126 ,  127 , 128 ,  129 ,  140  or based on an aggregate of readings taken randomly or systematically throughout the living space  20 , a stationary networked-enabled automation controller device  110 ,  126 ,  127 , 128 ,  129 ,  140  should be activated. 
     Based on a plurality of measurements taken throughout an living space  20 , the mobile robot  200  activates a networked-enabled automation controller device  110 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  even when the environmental sensor  120  reading of the networked-enabled automation controller device  110 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  indicates otherwise at its singular, unchanging point of location on the map  600 . The network entity&#39;s dedicated senor  120  measures only the immediate volume adjacent the networked-enabled automation controller device HO,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  and fails to account for variations in a volume of air mass spread throughout an living space  20 . By monitoring and measuring temperature, air quality and humidity throughout the living space  20 , the mobile robot  200  provides information otherwise inaccessible by the stationary networked-enabled automation controller device  110 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140 . As shown in the exemplary maps  600  of  FIGS.  25  and  26   , the mobile robot  200  can measure temperature variations in different zones (A-C) of an living space  20 , identifying on the map  600  hot spots and high pollen readings (i.e. low air quality) near a drafty window, for example. As shown in the exemplary map  700  of  FIG.  27   , the mobile robot  200  can measure temperature variations in different zones (A-C) of an living space  20 , identifying on the map  700  temperature ranges in a topographical presentation. 
     If the mobile robot  200  is on a sensor reading mission as the primary mission and is not conducting a secondary mission, such as a cleaning mission, the mobile robot  200  may send a command signal to a stationary networked-enabled automation controller device  110 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  at different stages of the robot mission. In one embodiment, or in an invention disclosed herein, once the mobile robot  200  takes a single sensor reading falling above or below an acceptable threshold level or range for temperature, humidity or air quality, the mobile robot  200  instructs the corresponding stationary networked-enabled thermostat  110  or air purifier or humidifier  129  to operate even if the dedicated sensor  120  on the stationary networked-enabled automation controller device  110 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  falls within the acceptable threshold measurement or range of measurements. In one embodiment, or in an invention disclosed herein, once the mobile robot  200  finishes its mission, it averages its sensor readings. If the average sensor reading for a room or Zone (A-C) falls above or below an acceptable threshold level or range for temperature, humidity or air quality, the mobile robot  200  instructs the corresponding stationary networked-enabled thermostat  110  or air purifier or humidifier  129  to operate even if the dedicated sensor  120  on the stationary networked-enabled automation controller device  110 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  falls within the acceptable threshold measurement or range of measurements. In one embodiment, or in an invention disclosed herein, once the mobile robot  200  takes a single sensor reading falling above or below an acceptable threshold level or range for temperature, humidity or air quality, the mobile robot  200  finishes its mission (e.g. cleaning mission) and then instructs the corresponding stationary networked-enabled thermostat  110  or air purifier or humidifier  129  to operate even if the dedicated sensor  120  on the stationary networked-enabled automation controller device  110 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140  falls within the acceptable threshold measurement or range of measurements. 
     As indicated in  FIGS.  25 ,  26  and  27   , according to an embodiment, or in an invention disclosed herein, a mobile robot  200  includes an environmental sensor readable by the processor  221  to take current readings of an environmental quality. The mobile robot  200  additionally includes a localizing circuit, with at least one localizing sensor, such as a camera  2709 , laser scanner, or time of flight sensor, that observes sensor readings from objects within the household  200 , for determining a current pose of the mobile robot  200  with reference to the observed objects. The processor executes a plurality of routines including a navigation routine which commands the driven wheels  232  to move the robot  200  about the household  20 , a surface mapping routine that accumulates observations from the localizing circuit to record a two dimensional array representing possible locations of the mobile robot  200 , an environmental mapping routine that takes and accumulates readings from the environmental sensor at a plurality of the accessible two dimensional locations within the household and causes the memory  222  to store a three dimensional array based on the readings and on the two dimensional array representing possible locations of the mobile robot and a location-responsive environmental control routine. The location-responsive environmental control routine correlates the three dimensional array to locations of a plurality of control nodes, such as the networked-enabled automation controller devices  110 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140 . Each control node, or networked-enabled automation controller device  110 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140 , has a dedicated environmental sensor  120  and a control channel to actuate a motorized actuator  41  to perform mechanical work within the household  20 . Based on a proximity of at least one control node, or networked-enabled automation controller device  110 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140 , to an environmental mapping location represented in the three dimensional array, the mobile robot  200  sends data to cause the at least one environmental control node, or networked-enabled automation controller device  110 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  129 ,  140 , to perform mechanical work in the household  20 . 
     One or more of the robot sensors  270 A-J may be used to sense an occupant in the living space  20 . The mobile robot  200  can significantly improve the occupancy detection capability of the system  100  by providing occupancy data at a location or locations that are not available to the stationary sensors  110 ,  120 ,  122 ,  124 . The occupancy information collected by the robot  200  may be used alone or to supplement occupancy information collected by one or more of the stationary sensors  110 ,  120 ,  122 ,  124 . Sensors on the robot  200  can be used to detect environmental conditions and collect occupancy data. In support of occupancy sensing systems as disclosed in US. Published Application No. 2012/0066168 (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference), for example. 
     According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  determines whether an electronic device is turned on and, if so, automatically turns off the electronic device. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the robot  200  detects that the TV  36  is on using the camera  270 B or a radiation sensor  270 A,  270 D) and responds thereto by turning the TV  36  off (e.g., using the IR modulator  260 ) or notifying the hub  110 , which turns the TV  36  off (e.g., using controller  126 ). 
     According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the system  100  uses environmental information collected by the robot sensors  270 A-J for energy management execution, planning and/or reporting. The system  100 , using sensor data from the robot  200 , can determine that an automated control response is needed and initiate the response. The system  100  using sensor data from the robot  200  therefore monitors human occupancy behaviors and make suggestions for improving energy efficiency. 
     For example, the system  100  may determine from data acquired by the camera  270 B that the window shade  30 A should be closed to block out light and actuate the controller  126  to close the shade  30 A. By way of further example, the robot  200  can detect that a light  34  is on at a time or under conditions when it should not be and the system  100  can respond thereto by actuating a controller  126  to turn off the light  34 . In some configurations, the system  100  may notify the user (e.g., via the terminal  142  or the terminal  144 ) that action may be needed (e.g., close the shade or turn off the light) rather than automatically executing the action. In this case, the system  100  may be configured to enable the user (e.g., via the terminal  142 ,  144 ) to instruct the system  100  to execute the desired action. Regardless of how the action is executed, directly by a user or indirectly via the system  100 , the robot  200  uses the sensors  270 A-J to confirm (e.g. visual confirmation with an onboard camera) that a desired action is completed (e.g. light turned off, shades drawn, door shut, storm window lowered, etc.). 
     According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the system  100  is configured to evaluate the data from the environmental sensors (including the robot sensors), generate a usage report, energy management plan, proposal or recommendation based on the data, and report the report, plan, proposal or recommendation to a user (e.g., at the terminal  142 , the remote terminal  144 , the hub  110 , the robot  200  or otherwise). 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the system  100  collects device usage data, determines a pattern of device usage, generates a recommendation plan for operating or deploying energy management equipment, and reports the recommendation or plan to the user. For example, the system  100  may monitor the statuses (on or off) of the light bulbs and recommend to the user that the user program the system  100  or purchase and install certain home automation equipment (e.g., light controllers or IP addressed light bulbs (e.g., IPv6 addressed LED light bulbs available from Greenwave Reality) to automatically turn certain of the lights on and off. The system  100  may plan a deployment strategy for networked energy management equipment. The system  100  can report the user&#39;s behavior patterns and suggest priority for adding different automated elements to the network. 
     The system  100  may provide the user with Internet URL links to webpages describing equipment recommended for addition to the system and/or to webpages for purchasing such equipment. 
     The robot  200  can use an onboard sensor (e.g., the IR detector  270 A or a photodiode) to assess whether a lamp (e.g., an incandescent light bulb) has burned out or is near its end of life and will soon burn out and, if so, the system  100  can send the user a message reporting the same. The message may include an Internet link to a webpage where a replacement lamp can be purchased. For example, in one embodiment, or in an invention disclosed herein, the robot  200  includes a photodiode for sensing the frequency component of light. 
     The mobile robot  200  may be used to charge (in some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, wirelessly (inductively)) a battery  120 A of one or more of the stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124 , the controllers  126  and the hub  110  using the charger  226 . One or more of the components  120 ,  122 ,  124 , 126 ,  110  may be configured and used to charge (e.g., wirelessly) the battery  224  of the robot  200  and/or the robot  200  may be charged by the dock  140 . 
     In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  monitors human occupancy behaviors and autonomously makes decisions about operating such as when to operate and for how long, which may depend on user preferences. The mobile robot  200  can leant the layout of an living space  200  and the amount of time it takes to complete coverage of each room or Zone (A-C) in the living space  20  and use that stored information to plan full coverage missions or mini missions of one or more rooms whose coverage times, alone or in combination, fall within a scheduled run time. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  can access an occupancy schedule to determine a launch time. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the occupancy schedule may be directly input to the mobile robot  200  thought an HMI  228  on the mobile robot  200  or wirelessly accessed through the LAN  160 . In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the occupancy scheduled may be wirelessly downloaded to the memory  222  of the mobile robot  200  through native calendar integration (e.g., a user&#39;s/occupant&#39;s P own to-do list and appointment calendar in standard formats). In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  222  therefore plans a complete mission or mini mission that ends before occupants arrive. In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  22  therefore plans when to preheat an oven or turn the thermostat up or down to achieve even heating or cooling throughout the living space when occupants are away or by the time they are scheduled to return. 
     In one embodiment, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  moves about the living space  20  through a multiplicity of accessible two dimensional locations within a the living space  20  (also referred to herein as “household”). The mobile robot  200  includes a localizing circuit, with at least one localizing sensor that observes sensor readings from objects within the household  20 , for determining a current pose of the mobile robot  200  with reference to the observed objects, the processor  221  executing a plurality of routines. The plurality of routines include, a navigation routine which commands the driven wheels  232  to move the mobile robot  200  about the household  20 , a surface mapping routine that accumulates observations from the localizing circuit to record a two dimensional array representing possible locations of the mobile robot  200 , a mission time estimate routine that accumulates timed readings from the localizing circuit and determines at least one estimated completion time span for the mobile robot  200  to substantially cover a surface area of the household  20  corresponding to a contiguous set of possible locations within the two dimensional array, and a mission pre-planning routine that compares a target completion time to the at least one estimate completion time span, and commands the driven wheels  232  to begin covering a the surface area sufficiently in advance of the target completion time for the at least one estimated completion time to pass, so that the surface area is substantially covered before the target completion time. 
     In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mission pre-planning routine further comprising identifying a target completion time and launching the robot  200  based on knowing an occupancy schedule of the household  20 . In embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  monitors and learns the occupancy schedule over a period or periods of time and sets the target completion time based on the learned occupancy schedule. In some embodiments, the mobile robot learns the occupancy schedule over a period of time and identifies one or more occupancy patterns and sets the target completion time based on the one or more learned occupancy patterns. 
     In some embodiments and according to a first aspect, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the mobile robot  200  for “coverage” missions (sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, spreading fluid, and/or any combination of these) uses a suitable technique or techniques, in some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, “Simultaneous Localization and Mapping” (SLAM) techniques, to generate a map of the surface being, for example, vacuumed. There are various techniques, and various maps that may be generated. Maps may be topological, Cartesian, polar, representational, probabilistic, or other; and/or may track walls, obstacles, open spaces, fiducials, natural features, “occupancy”, or other map features. In some techniques, many maps, each of some degree of probable correctness, are recorded. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the environmental sensor data from the robot sensors  270 A-J is sent to the hub  110 , which in turn forwards the robot sensor information, or information derived from the robot sensor information, to the remote management server  150  for computation. The remote management server  150  will then send a report or recommendation to the user (e.g., at a terminal  142 ,  144 ,  300 ) based on the computation. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, different types or modes of processing are executed on different components of the system. For example, 1) the robot  200  may detect that the TV  36  is turned on and determine that it should be turned off, 2) while the hub  110  may assess and process the sensor data from the stationary sensors  120 ,  122 ,  124  and the robot sensors to determine whether a zone is occupied, 3) while the remote management server  150  is used to evaluate usage pattern data to generate an energy management strategy. It will be appreciated that, in accordance with embodiments of an invention disclosed herein, or in accordance with an invention disclosed herein, other system architectures may be used that distribute processing response and reporting duties differently than those described above. 
     According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the system  100  will deploy the mobile robot  200  to collect environmental data in response to data collected by a stationary sensor  120 ,  122 ,  124  or in response to instructions from a user (e.g., via a remote terminal  144 ). For example, when the system  100  is in a security mode and the huh  110  or remote management server  150  receives data from a stationary sensor  120 ,  122 ,  124  indicating the presence of an occupant or opening of a door or window, the system  100  may respond by launching the mobile robot  200  to patrol or investigate a selected zone or zones or the space  20  generally. The robot  200  may send images (e.g., still photos or a live video feed) from the camera  270 B or other environmental sensor data to enable the system  100  or user to confirm or better assess the nature of the intrusion or occupancy. 
     Turning now to the connectivity of household appliances, in accordance with  FIGS.  5 - 13   , several embodiments of the present invention include, or an invention disclosed herein, includes, a mobile robot  200  communicating with an end user terminal  142 ,  144 ,  300  via a networked hub  110 , or via a wireless access point  164 . 
     In some embodiments and according to a first aspect, or according to an invention disclosed herein, a household mobile robot  200  for “coverage” missions (sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, spreading fluid, and/or any combination of these) uses a suitable technique or techniques, in some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, “Simultaneous Localization and Mapping” (SLAM) techniques, to generate a map of the surface being, for example, vacuumed. There are various techniques, and various maps that may be generated. Maps may be topological, Cartesian, polar, representational, probabilistic, or other; and/or may track walls, obstacles, open spaces, fiducials, natural features, “occupancy, or other map features. In some techniques, many maps, each of some degree of probable correctness, are recorded. In common, however: 
     1) The surface area in which the robot  200  expects to be able to localize grows over time (i.e., the map” gets bigger as the robot  200  travels); 
     2) A relationship between “the map” recorded by the robot  200  and the actual household floorplan (e.g., Zone A, Zone B and Zone C in  FIGS.  4 ,  21 ,  26 , and  27   ) may be generated or modeled and graphically represented, and at some point the map of navigable area (or a subset of it) is substantially complete; 
     3) For a coverage robot  200 , areas over which the robot  200  has already traveled have been simultaneously covered (usually cleaned or vacuumed); and the covered area may be graphically represented as an irregular area within the complete map; 
     4) A ratio or other comparison between the covered area and the complete map can be calculated as a percentage or other representation of partial completeness; 
     5) Specific physical items, such as a hub or gateway device (e.g., hub  110 ) or a robot dock (dock  140 ) or wirelessly networked automation device  126 ,  128 ,  129 , may be located within and represented within the complete map if the robot  200  or another device hosting the complete map receives a localization for such items within the complete map; and 
     6) Meaningful subdivisions of the complete map may be assigned based on analysis or user input. For example, a leftmost third of the complete map may be designated as corresponding to a kitchen area, a middle section as a living room, and so on. These room identities may be stored as sub-areas or sub-divisions, as transition lines from one subdivision to another, as localized markers within the complete map, or the like. 
     In the first aspect, the autonomous mobile robot  200  may be provided with sufficient SLAM capability to build a progressively improving map at the same time as it covers (e.g., cleans) within this map, as well as sufficient connectivity to transmit map data (e.g., entire sets of map data, simplified representations of map data, or abstractions of map data). For example, this could include: a processor; a set of sensors collecting and/or calculating range and bearing data from environmental features (including natural landmarks, placed landmarks, and/or walls and obstacles); a map database including at least one progressively improving map; a coverage database including data representing the covered area within the progressively improving map; and a wireless transmitter or transceiver. 
     In order to reach the public internet with its data or representations and/or abstractions thereof, the processor and/or wireless transmitter or transceiver (including those with their own embedded processors) would communicate using IP (Internet Protocol) and support conventional addressing and packetizing for the public Internet  170 . 
     Any portion of the map database or coverage database may be transmitted to and stored in a location other than the robot  200 , e.g., a local hub  110  or gateway within the household, a hub, gateway, server or similar on the Internet, or virtualized instances of the same available on the Internet. 
     In some embodiments according to the first aspect, or according to an invention disclosed herein, and as illustrated in  FIGS.  5  and  6   , an application executed by a mobile terminal or device  300  (including but not limited to, for example, a mobile telephone, smart phone or tablet) receives the progressively improving map as well as the covered area within the progressively improving map, compares the two, and displays a representation of the comparison, such as a completion ratio  305  (e.g., percent covered or done by the mobile robot  200 ). The application instantiates and maintains a user interface element  310  for an end user (e.g., the user of the mobile device  300 ) to activate to elect to examine the covered area and/or progressively improving map  315  itself. The mobile device  300  may be the local user terminal  142  including a touchscreen HMI, for example. 
     When the end user activates the user interface element (e.g., the application icon on the touchscreen of the mobile device  300 ), the application executes a graphical representation of the progressively improving map and the same is displayed, and within this graphical representation, a second graphical representation of the covered area is displayed. It should be noted that the first graphical representation may be replaced with an envelope limiting the extent of the second graphical representation. Optionally, physical devices or locations (such as the location of a robot dock, or the location of an internet gateway) may be localized by the robot  200  and displayed by the application in positions relative to the first graphical representation of the progressively improving map. 
     According to  FIG.  7   , in an alternative example, when the user interface element is activated, the application executes a graphical representation of room identity markers  320   a ,  320   b ,  320   c  within the progressively improving map coupled with a completion ratio  325   a ,  325   b ,  325   c  for subdivisions of the complete or progressively improving map  315 . That is, each subdivision may have its own completion ratio  325   a ,  325   b ,  325   c , which may be derived, for example, by comparing the covered area to each subdivision. Optionally, physical devices or locations (such as the location of a robot dock  140 , or the location of an Internet gateway or hub  110 ) may be localized by the robot  200  and displayed by the application in positions corresponding to their subdivision. 
     In accordance with  FIGS.  8  and  9   , according to a second aspect an autonomous mobile robot  200  is provided with the elements noted above, and also interacting tunable parameters  330   a - 330   d  within its cleaning strategy. 
     For example, a mobile cleaning robot  200  is theoretically able to execute substantially single-pass coverage (i.e., clean each portion of surface area one time and one time only), by following a strategy to cover only area within the progressively improving map  315  that has not already been covered. Perfect single-pass coverage is challenging with an unknown map. Substantial single-pass coverage would be, for example, where the areas that needed to be reached within the progressively improving map were separated by already-covered patches. 
     This would seem to be ideal, as single-pass coverage is the fastest way to complete the room. However, depending upon the efficacy of a cleaning, spreading, mopping, vacuuming effector, two-pass coverage, or multi-pass coverage, may be the best way to clean. Many stubborn particulates need multiple pass coverage to be adequately cleaned. 
     Moreover, end users have shown a marked preference for spot cleaning (i.e., cleaning where they can visibly identify a dirt patch themselves, or where dirt is known to be) and also for edge and corner cleaning. Preferences aside, this can also increase overall efficacy, as repeated cleaning of a known dirty area can improve the average level of cleanliness, and corners and edges naturally accumulate dirt with ordinary traffic in any home. 
     However, these goals (single-pass or “quick” cleaning, multi-pass or “deep” cleaning, spot cleaning, and edge and corner cleaning) are to some extent mutually exclusive. If a mobile cleaning robot  200  repeatedly addresses a dirty spot, it cannot achieve substantially single-pass cleaning (because the dirty spot has been passed over) and will take more time to complete the entire room (absent changes in cleaning power or speed). If a robot  200  follows the perimeter of obstacles and walls twice instead of once, similarly, it takes longer than a single pass. 
     As such, these goals are correlated with one another. If a robot  200  is commanded to execute the best possible single-pass coverage as an overriding goal, it will never do spot coverage or address edges more than once, and can only begin to perform multiple passes (two, three or more) once the first pass is complete. 
     Tunable parameters within a cleaning strategy may include time balance (e.g., spend 80 percent of time in single pass mode, entering spot covering mode only 20 percent of opportunities); sensitivity (e.g., enter spot covering mode only when a threshold is crossed, interrupting other modes only upon that threshold event); power output (faster agitation or higher vacuum airflow); and/or forward speed (the traveling speed across a floor). 
     In one implementation, attention among these goals may be balanced by controlling one or more parameters to lower as one or more than one other parameters increase. 
     For example, if a slider control is provided in a user interface to represent single pass or quick cleaning goal orientation—for example, 0-100 points of orientation—then a linked, simultaneously and optionally oppositely moving slider may represent multi-pass or deep cleaning orientation. Should the quick cleaning slider  330   a  be moved to 100 points or percent of attention, such as illustrated in  FIG.  8   , the robot&#39;s  200  cleaning strategy may seek to revisit cleaned areas as little as possible (and the coupled multi-pass slider  330   b  is automatically coupled to decrease to 0 or very few points). Note that the slider controls in this example reflect a parameter available to the robot&#39;s  200  cleaning strategy. 
     Should the slider  330   a  be moved to a 50-50 position (with the multi-pass slider coupled to move there as well), the robot&#39;s  200  cleaning strategy may seek to prioritize exploring uncertain areas, edges, corners, or map frontiers more, or may concentrate on re-covering proximate areas (e.g., in a different direction). 
     Another pair of potentially linked sliders may be spot cleaning  330   d  and edge and corner cleaning  330   c . As noted, there are different ways of having two conflicting goals interact. In this case, one way would be to permit the robot  200  to spot clean and/or edge clean opportunistically (upon sensing either of dirt/spot opportunity with optical or piezo sensing, or edge opportunity with proximity sensing), but should both opportunities be detected simultaneously, to permit the higher setting to win more often. This may show a shift in cleaning strategy at 70 percent versus 30 percent “winning” percentage, for example. It should be noted that the sliders or coupled parameters can be set to change interactive principle at along the attention or orientation range. For example, in more skewed or imbalanced settings. e.g., 90 percent versus 10 percent, the robot  200  could begin to ignore opportunities to, for example, spot clean to pursue more opportunities to edge clean. 
     More than two sliders or tunable parameters may be linked. For example, if all of the quick clean, deep clean, spot clean, and edge clean sliders  330   a - 330   d  were linked, moving any one of them may move the others to less emphasis or more emphasis (e.g., in the corresponding direction of slider and attention parameter). As a specific example, if a spot cleaning attention parameter were increased, the robot&#39;s  200  reactive threshold to dirt detection could be lowered (or frequency of response, or other parameter that translates into increased orientation). In such a case, the robot  200  may be expected to repeatedly cover already covered areas (lowering the quick clean slider  330   a  and a corresponding parameter), to spend less time on edges and corners (lowering that slider  330   c  and corresponding parameter), and to re-cover more areas (increasing the multiple pass slider  330   b  and corresponding parameter). 
     The second aspect may include an application executed by a mobile device (including but not limited to a mobile telephone, smart phone or tablet) the receives the current state of the interactive parameters from the robot  200 , instantiates user interface controls representative of the relative states (such as slider controls  330   a - 330   d ), and displays a representation of the relative states of the parameters using those controls. The application monitors the user interface elements or controls for an end user (e.g., the user of the mobile device  300 ) to activate to change a parameter, or a percentage emphasis on a parameter, or the like. 
     When the end user activates the user interface element, the application on the mobile device  300  executes a graphical representation of the progressively changing parameter, and simultaneously with representing the change in one parameter, alters one or more other controls to display a coupled parameter changing simultaneously with the user-controlled activity in the active control. 
     Turning now to  FIGS.  10 - 12   , in another embodiment according to a third aspect, or according to an invention disclosed herein, an autonomous mobile robot  200  is provided with sufficient timer and scheduling capability to self-initiate cleaning on a schedule or be commanded to initiate remotely, as well as sufficient connectivity to communicate schedules and receive commands. In addition, the robot  200  may include connectivity to a local access point or hub  110  which includes, or is connected to, an occupancy sensor. One example of such an Access Point  110  is the NEST™ thermostat, which in addition to controlling household temperatures is connected to the public Internet  170  and local Internet of Things articles via IEEE 802.11 and 802.14 protocols and hardware and may address and exchange messages with remote clients and local articles. In addition, the NEST thermostat includes occupancy sensors (e.g., a passive infrared monitor which can detect passing human body heat and movement, a microphone which can detect ambient noise, and/or an ambient light sensor which can detect variations in light as passers-by obscure it). 
     In some embodiments, according to the third aspect, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the system of robot  200  and hub  110  (access point acting as a bridge between household Ethernet or 802.11 networks and the robot  200 ), for example, may include: a processor; a set of sensors collecting and/or human occupancy data from environmental electromagnetic, acoustic, or other sensing; an occupancy database including at least one progressively more accurate profile of household traffic and/or presence map; a scheduling database including data representing the intended missions compatible with the occupancy database. 
     In an example of data collection and communications message flow, the hub  110  may, over the course of a week or Ionizer, survey the local household and identify traffic patterns, with the goal of aligning cleaning schedules of the robot  200  with unoccupied household time(s). The data is analyzed (e.g., anomalies removed, etc.) and stored in an occupancy database. 
     The occupancy database may be retained by the hub  110 , or communicated to the mobile robot  200 . In general, it is advantageous to keep small data sets such as this on the mobile robot  200  itself because wireless communications in the home may be interrupted, noisy, or of varying strength throughout a large household. 
     Any portion of the databases discussed herein may be transmitted to and stored in a location other than the robot  200  (e.g., a local hub  110  or gateway within the household, a hub, gateway, server or similar on the Internet  170 , or virtualized instances of the same available on the Internet  170 ). Most advantageously, the scheduling process works interactively with a charging and/or evacuating dock  140 , such that the robot  200  may launch on schedule in a fully charged and/or empty (cleaning bin) state. 
     In another embodiment, or in an invention disclosed herein, an end user, presented with the occupancy opportunities may schedule activity of the robot in different ways, such as the following: 
     (1) Requesting the system (hub  110 , robot  200 , or either) to advantageously schedule household cleaning automatically in the best times available; 
     (2) Selecting times within the presented occupancy, and/or overriding suggestions from the auto-scheduler; 
     (3) Adding schedule elements even when the home is occupied, for other needs; or 
     (4) Tuning room to room coverage, to designate rooms or areas for specific attention on a specific day. 
     This embodiment, or an invention disclosed herein, may use interactive user interface elements in a mobile device application. 
     As depicted in  FIGS.  10  and  11   , when the end user activates the user interface element on a mobile device  300 , the application executes a graphical representation of the occupancy database  400  and displays the same. In a modification within this graphical representation  400 , a second graphical representation of user selected times  405   a - 405   e  within the occupancy database is successively displayed or overlayed. 
     As depicted in the embodiment of  FIG.  12   , or in an invention disclosed herein, an end user may wish to be notified when the robot  200 , hub  110 , or combination of the two intend to launch a cleaning mission, even when the schedule has been approved (or the robot  200  is self-launching according to other criteria). This request notification  410  may be presented to the user on a remote user terminal  144 , such as a remote mobile device  300 . In some cases, the end user may wish to cancel the launch (for example, if the user is in fact at home but has simply been too quiet for occupancy sensing to operate). 
     In other embodiments depicted in  FIGS.  13  and  14   , or in an invention disclosed herein, a user may launch an application via a user interface element on a mobile device  300  to provide calculated information that may be of interest to the user, such as the amount of matter collected by a cleaning robot  200  and/or the location at which the greatest amount of matter was collected. For example, a bin debris sensor maybe used to track the amount of matter entering the robot collection bin. Using a known bin volume, the robot  200  may extrapolate the capacity occupied or remaining in the collection bin based on the amount and/or frequency of matter passing by the debris sensor. Additionally, in embodiments of the robot  200  having mapping capabilities, or in an invention disclosed herein, the robot  200  may track the rate of debris collection and/or the amount of debris collected at various delineated areas or compartments within a floor plan and identify the room containing the largest amount of collected debris. 
     With reference to the flowchart of  FIG.  20   , a computer-implemented method according to some embodiments of the present invention, or according to an invention disclosed herein, for receiving user commands for a remote cleaning robot and sending the user commands to the remote cleaning robot (the remote cleaning robot including a drive motor and a cleaning motor) is represented therein. The method includes displaying a user interface including a control area, and within the control area: a user-manipulable launch control group including a plurality of control elements, the launch control group having a deferred launch control state and an immediate launch control state; at least one user-manipulable cleaning strategy control element having a primary cleaning strategy control state and an alternative cleaning strategy control state; and a physical recall control group including a plurality of control elements, the physical recall control group having an immediate recall control state and a remote audible locator control state (Block  30 ). User input is then received via the user-manipulable control elements (Block  32 ). Responsive to the user inputs, a real-time robot state reflecting a unique combination of control states is displayed simultaneously within the same control area (Block  34 ). Concurrently or thereafter, the remote cleaning robot is commanded to actuate the drive motor and cleaning motor to clean a surface based on the received input and unique combination of control states (Block  36 ). 
     According to further embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, and with reference to  FIGS.  15 - 18   , an application is provided on a mobile device  300  (which may be, for example, the local user terminal  142  having a touchscreen HMI) to provide additional functionality as described below.  FIG.  15    shows an exemplary home screen  500  provided by the application to enable control and monitoring of the robot  200 . The home screen  500  includes a control area  501  (the active input area of the touchscreen display of the device  300 ) and therein user manipulable control or interface elements in the form of a cleaning initiator button  512 , a scheduling button  514 , a cleaning strategy toggle button  516  (which toggles alternatingly between “QUICK” and “STANDARD” (not shown) status indicators when actuated), a dock recall button  520 , a robot locator button  522 , and a drive button  524 . The home screen  500  may further display a robot identification  526  (e.g., a name (“Bruce”) assigned to the robot  200  by the user) as well as one or more operational messages  528  indicating a status of the robot  200  and/or other data. 
     When activated, the cleaning initiator button  512  will cause the device  300  to command (via wireless signal) the robot  200  to begin a prescribed cleaning protocol. 
     The cleaning strategy button  516  can be used to select from a plurality of different available cleaning modes, settings or protocols, examples of which are discussed in more detail below. In particular, the cleaning strategy button has a primary cleaning strategy control state (i.e., “Standard clean” or “Deep clean”) and an alternative cleaning strategy control state (i.e., “Quick clean”). 
     When activated, the scheduling button  514  will initiate a scheduling screen  502  as shown in  FIG.  16   . The user can use the control elements  502 A-F therein to schedule a single cleaning operation/session or a periodic (e.g., weekly) cleaning operation/session by the robot  200 . A cleaning mode (e.g., “Standard” or “Quick”) as described below may be selected for each scheduled cleaning session using the control element  5021 . A deferred command to begin and execute a configured cleaning operation or session can be initiated by actuating the “Save” button  502 F. 
     The cleaning initiator button  512 , the scheduling button  514 , and the scheduling control elements  5024 -F collectively form a user-manipulative launch control group. This launch control group has an immediate launch state (i.e., when the cleaning initiator button  512  is actuated) and a deferred launch control state (i.e., when the “Save” button  502 F is selected). 
     The dock recall button  520  and the robot locator button  522  collectively form a physical recall control group. The physical recall group has an immediate recall control state (by actuating the dock recall button  520 ) and a remote audible locator control state (by actuating the robot locator button  522 ). When activated, the dock recall button  520  will cause the device  300  to command the robot  200  to return to the dock  140 . 
     When activated, the robot locator button  522  will cause the device  300  to command the robot  200  to emit an audible signal (e.g., beeping from an audio transducer or speaker  274 B;  FIG.  3   ). The user can use the audible signal to locate the robot  200 . 
     In use, the application on the device  300  receives user input via the above-described user manipulable control elements. Responsive to the user inputs, the application displays simultaneously on the device  300  within the control area  501  a real-time robot state reflecting the unique combination of the control states. The application further commands the robot  200  to actuate the drive system  230  (including a motive drive motor) and the service operation cleaning system  242  (including a cleaning motor or actuator for an end effector  242 D) of the robot  200  to clean a surface based on the received input and unique combination of control states. 
     When actuated, the drive button  524  will initiate a robot motive control screen (not shown) including user manipulable control elements (e.g., a virtual joystick or control pad) that the user can use to remotely control the movement of the robot  200  about the living space. 
     In some instances, the robot  200  may become immobilized or stuck during a cleaning session. According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the robot  200  is enabled to recognize its immobilized condition and will send an alert signal to the user via the application on the device  300  (e.g., using SMS or email). The application will display an alert screen  504  as shown in  FIG.  17    on the device  300 . Additionally or alternatively, the alert screen  504  may be generated in response to the user actuating the cleaning initiator button  512  or the dock recall button  520  when the robot  200  is immobilized or otherwise unable to execute the commanded operation. The alert screen  504  includes one or more control elements manipulable by the user to perform a remedial, subsequent action. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, a beacon control element such as a “Beep” button  504 A can be actuated to command the robot  200  emit an audible signal from the audio transducer  274 B. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, an escape maneuver control element  504 B can be actuated to command the robot  200  to execute one or more prescribed maneuvers to attempt to disengage or become unstuck. 
     As discussed above, the application may enable the user to select between two or more cleaning strategies or modes (e.g., using the toggle button  516 ). According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the user can (using the toggle button  516 ) instruct the remote robot  200  to perform either: 1) a lower cumulative energy cleaning strategy (also referred to herein as “quick clean”) with the control element  516  in a first or primary cleaning strategy control state; or a higher cumulative energy cleaning strategy (also referred to herein as “standard” or “deep clean”) with the control element  516  in a second or alternative cleaning strategy control state. As used herein, “cleaning energy” may be deployed in various ways; for example, the robot can either go longer or repeat passes, or can increase motor power, or can otherwise do “more” (standard) or “less” (quick) cleaning. Typically, the quick cleaning options (e.g., as described below) are cumulatively less work. For example, in some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the robot  200  passes substantially only a single pass over each portion of the covered area in the quick clean strategy or control state, and passes substantially two passes (e.g., the passes crisscross) over each portion of the covered area in the deep clean strategy or control state. 
     According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the lower cumulative energy cleaning strategy (“quick clean”) includes one or more of the following: 
     a. The robot  200  travels a deterministic, systematic or planned single pass coverage or travel pattern or path. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the travel pattern follows a boustrophedon path. 
     b. The robot  200  travels at faster forward speed (as compared to the deep cleaning control state) across the surface. 
     c. The robot  200  concentrates its cleaning in open areas. 
     d. The cleaning coverage of the robot  200  is configured to cover the most distance from the dock  140 . 
     e. The robot  200  travels at at faster forward speed (as compared to the deep cleaning control state) across the surface combined with a higher vacuum power. 
     f. The robot  200  does not use a discovery process, but instead navigates using a stored map. 
     g. The robot  200  travels primarily only along rows in one direction (i.e., pattern is parallel rows with little or no crossing of rows). 
     h. The robot  200  does not detect the density of the dirt lifted from the surface being cleaned. 
     i. The robot  200  does detect the density of the dirt lifted from the surface being cleaned (e.g., using the dirt sensor  242 C) and controls its path, speed or power in view thereof, but the dirt detection threshold required to trigger such modification to its cleaning operation is set at a higher threshold (as compared to the deep cleaning control state). 
     j. The robot  200  does not evacuate its onboard debris bin  242 B during the cleaning session (i.e., except at the end of the cleaning session). 
     k. The robot  200  spends less time cleaning around time consuming clutter (e.g., table, chairs) (as compared to the deep cleaning control state). 
     l. The robot  200  cleans high traffic areas first. 
     m. The robot  200  avoids cleaning under anything invisible to visitors (e.g., under beds, chairs and couches). 
     u. The robot  200  concentrates its cleaning in a designated area. 
     According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the higher cumulative energy cleaning strategy (“standard clean” or “deep clean”) includes one or more of the following: 
     a. The robot  200  travels a deterministic, systematic or planned multiple pass (two or more) coverage or travel pattern or path. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the travel pattern follows a crisscross path. 
     b. The robot  200  travels at slower forward speed (as compared to the quick cleaning control state) across the surface. 
     c. The robot  200  concentrates its cleaning, at least in part, on edges and corners of the living space. 
     d. The cleaning coverage of the robot  200  is configured to cover the area within a full perimeter circle about the dock  140 . 
     e. The cleaning coverage of the robot  200  is configured to cover the area within a full perimeter circle about the dock  140  twice. 
     f. The robot  200  concentrates its cleaning in the same area it started in. 
     g. The robot  200  travels at a slower forward speed (as compared to the quick cleaning control state) across the surface combined with a higher vacuum power. 
     h. The robot  200  does uses more discovery (as compared to the quick cleaning control state; e.g., the robot  200  probes edges and corners more). 
     i. The robot  200  travels along rows in intersecting directions (e.g., a crisscross pattern). 
     j. The robot  200  detects the density of the dirt lifted from the surface being cleaned (e.g., using the dirt sensor  242 C) and controls its path, speed or power in view thereof. 
     k. The robot  200  detects the density of the dirt lifted from the surface being cleaned and controls its path, speed or power in view thereof, and the dirt detection threshold required to trigger such modification to its cleaning operation is set at a lower threshold (as compared to the quick cleaning control state). 
     l. The robot  200  evacuates its onboard debris bin  242 A during the cleaning session to increase vacuum power. 
     m. The robot  200  executes a two or more stage cleaning pattern including a systematic (one or more passes) cleaning pattern and a random and edge diffusion pattern. 
     n. The robot  200  executes a multi-stage cleaning pattern including alternating systematic and random patterns. 
     o. The robot  200  detects the density of the dirt lifted from the surface being cleaned and cleans more if more dirt is detected. 
     p. The robot  200  cleans hallways more than once. 
     q. The robot  200  cleans using a scrubbing action. 
     r. The robot  200  cleans until its battery runs out (parking on the floor) or until the battery level is very low (and the robot  200  then returns to the dock substantially depleted of battery charge). In this case, the robot  200  may execute a commanded cleaning pattern and then assume an end cleaning mode until the battery charge level is sufficiently low. The end cleaning mode may include, e.g., perimeter cleaning, random pattern cleaning, or cleaning concentrated on prescribed or detected high dirt areas. 
     s. The robot  200  spends more time cleaning around time consuming clutter (e.g., table, chairs) (as compared to the quick cleaning control state). 
     t. The robot  200  spends more time in high traffic areas (as compared to the quick cleaning control state). 
     u. The robot  200  concentrates its cleaning in a designated area. 
     v. The robot  200  spends more time on area rugs (as compared to the quick cleaning control state). 
     w. The robot  200  spends more time on area rug perimeters and edges (as compared to the quick cleaning control state). 
     x. The robot  200  seeks to clean under furniture for completeness (e.g., under beds, chairs and couches). 
     y. The robot  200  detects (e.g., using the dirt sensor  242 C) the character or attributes of the dirt lifted from the surface being cleaned and controls its path, speed or power in view thereof. For example, the robot  200  provides less deep cleaning responsive to detection of fuzzy or fluffy dirt, and more deep cleaning responsive to detection of particulate or sandy dirt. 
     According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the robot  200 , in a given cleaning session, executes a lower cumulative energy cleaning strategy (“quick clean”) in some areas of the coverage area and executes a higher cumulative energy cleaning strategy (“deep clean”) in other areas of the coverage area. According to some embodiments or according to an invention disclosed herein, this multi-mode cleaning strategy includes combinations and permutations of one or more of the following: 
     a. The robot  200  sets the cleaning strategy for each area or region based on selected or prescribed focus criteria. The focus criteria may include the density or character of dirt collected by the robot  200  in the area. 
     b. The user, using the application on the device  300 , sets the cleaning strategy based on selected or prescribed focus criteria. 
     c. The user, using the application on the device  300 , sets the cleaning strategy for selected subregions or subsections of the area to be cleaned (e.g., different zones such as Zone A, Zone B and Zone C). With reference to  FIG.  18   , the application may provide an interface screen  506  including a graphical representation or map  506 A of the area to be cleaned and cleaning strategy control elements (cleaning mode buttons  506 B,  506 C). The user can then use the cleaning mode buttons  506 B,  506 C to select the desired cleaning strategy and then select a region to be cleaned in this manner (e.g., by tracing around a selected area, touching the interior of a designated region  506 D-F, or selecting a designated region from a list or the like). The map  506 A and designated regions  506 D-F may be generated from the map data discussed above and the robot  200  may conduct the cleaning operation with reference to the map and localization with respect thereto. 
     d. The robot  200  may set the cleaning level based on the floor type it detects (e.g., quick cleaning of hard surface and deep cleaning of carpet). 
     e. The robot  200  may identify area rugs and execute a deeper cleaning strategy (e.g., more time) on them. 
     f. The robot  200  may associate bump or other proximity events with detected dirt ingestion events and, in response thereto, execute deeper cleaning. These combined conditions indicate the presence of edges. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the robot  200  is provided with an onboard, user actuatable cleaning mode selection switch  274 C (e.g., a button) that can be used to switch the robot  200  between the quick and deep/standard cleaning modes of operation. The robot  200  may include one or more lights  274 A or other indicators to indicate its cleaning mode status (i.e., quick clean or deep clean). The robot  200  may emit an audible signal or signals (using the audio transducer  274 B) to indicate its cleaning mode status (e.g., a quick beep for quick clean mode and a long beep for deep dean mode). 
     According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the robot  200  or the application on the device  300  is configured to estimate the remaining time required for the robot  200  to complete its cleaning operation and to report the same to the user. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the robot  200  or the application can estimate and report the estimated time required for each cleaning mode in the alternative. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the user can set (using the application on the device  300 , for example) the time available and the area to be cleaned, and the robot  300  or application can determine the appropriate or preferred cleaning mode(s) (quick, deep, or multi-mode) based on these criteria. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the robot  300  or application optimizes the user&#39;s original input settings, and the user can then decide whether to adopt the recommendation or proceed with the original settings. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the recommended new settings are indicated by reconfiguring the control elements on the user interface as discussed above, or new settings learned by the mobile robot  200  collecting and processing occupancy schedule. 
     Some of the determinations discussed above may utilize data derived from sensors that monitor dirt accumulation or extraction from the surface. Examples of such sensors may include instantaneous sensors such as piezoelectric or optical dirt detectors  242 C integrated with the robot  200 . Also, as discussed above, some determinations may utilize the detected fullness level of the debris bin  242 A as detected by the bin level sensor  242 B. 
     The system may further be configured to provide operational messages to the user based on conditions sensed by the robot  200  and/or data collected or derived by the application (e.g., messages  528  and  506 C in  FIGS.  15  and  17   ). The operational messages may include robot status messages and/or inquiry messages. For example, the system may display on the device  300  “You should do a deep clean soon: quick shows that the amount of dirt is higher than average. Would you like to schedule a deep clean? When? You are not normally at home Tuesdays at 11—how about tomorrow at 11?” 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the application on the device  300  enables the user to input designated high traffic areas for corresponding cleaning by the robot  200 . In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the robot  200  is configured to discover or detect and identify high traffic areas automatically and programmatically. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the application on the device  300  enables the user to select a cleaning pattern or patterns (e.g., spirals, back and forth, crosswise, or scrubbing) the user believes or has determined are preferable in some regard (e.g., better, quicker, or deeper). 
     The remote user terminals as disclosed herein (e.g., terminals  142  and  300 ) may be communication terminals configured to communicate over a wireless interface, and may be referred to as “wireless communication terminals” or “wireless terminals.” Examples of wireless terminals include, but are not limited to, a cellular telephone, personal data assistant (PDA), pager, and/or a computer that is configured to communicate data over a wireless communication interface that can include a cellular telephone interface, a Bluetooth interface, a wireless local area network interface (e.g., 802.11), another RF communication interface, and/or an optical/infrared communication interface. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the remote user terminals  142 ,  300  are mobile terminals that are portable. In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the remote user terminals  142 ,  300  are handheld mobile terminals, meaning that the outer dimensions of the mobile terminal are adapted and suitable for use by a typical operator using one hand. According to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the total volume of the handheld mobile terminal is less than about 200 cc and, according to some embodiments, or according to an invention disclosed herein, the total volume of the handheld mobile terminal is less than about 100 cc. 
       FIG.  19    is a schematic illustration of an exemplary user terminal that may be used as the user terminal  142  or  300  as discussed herein. The terminal  300  includes a human-machine interface (HMI)  370 , a communication module, and a circuit or data processing system including a processor  380  and memory  382 . The circuits and/or data processing systems may be incorporated in a digital signal processor. The processor  380  communicates with the HMI  370  and memory  382  via an address/data bus  380 A. The processor  380  can be any commercially available or custom processor. The memory  382  is representative of the overall hierarchy of memory devices containing the software and data used to implement the functionality of the data processing system. The memory  382  can include, but is not limited to, the following types of devices: cache, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, SRAM, and DRAM. 
     The memory  382  may include several categories of software and data used in the data processing system: the operating system  384 ; applications (including the robot control and monitoring application  386 ); and the input/output (I/O) device drivers. The application  386  includes mapping data  386 A (e.g., corresponding to the coverage map and/or representing the positions of objects or boundaries in the living space), configuration data  386 B (e.g., corresponding to the settings and configurations of the application  386  on the terminal  300  and the robot  200 ), a user interface (UI) module  386 C and a robot control module  386 D. The UI module  386 C includes logic for generating the control elements and other displayed components on the display  374  and for receiving inputs from the user via the HMI  370  (e.g., via the touchscreen  372 ). The robot control module  3861 D includes logic for processing the user instructions and issuing commands to the robot  200  and receiving messages from the robot via a wireless communication module  376 . 
     The display  374  may be any suitable display screen assembly. For example, the display screen  374  may be an active matrix organic light emitting diode display (AMOLED) or liquid crystal display (LCD) with or without auxiliary lighting (e.g., a lighting panel). 
     The HMI  370  may include, in addition to or in place of the touchscreen  372 , any other suitable input device(s) including, for example, a touch activated or touch sensitive device, a joystick, a keyboard/keypad, a dial, a directional key or keys, and/or a pointing device (such as a mouse, trackball, touch pad, etc.). 
     The wireless communication module  376  may be configured to communicate data over one or more wireless interfaces as discussed herein to the robot transmitter  252 , the hub wireless communication module  112 , or other desired terminal. The communication module  32  can include a direct point-to-point connection module, a WLAN module, and/or a cellular communication module. A direct point-to-point connection module may include a direct RF communication module or a direct IR communication module. With a WLAN module, the wireless terminal  300  can communicate through a WLAN (e.g., a router) using a suitable communication protocol. 
     In some embodiments, or in an invention disclosed herein, the wireless terminal  300  is a mobile radiotelephone forming a part of a radiotelephone communication system. 
     As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, other configurations may also be utilized while still benefiting from the teachings of the present technology. For example, one or more of the modules may be incorporated into the operating system, the I/O device drivers or other such logical division of the data processing system. Thus, the present technology should not be construed as limited to the configuration of  FIG.  19   , which is intended to encompass any configuration capable of carrying out the operations described herein. 
     As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present disclosure may be illustrated and described herein in any of a number of patentable classes or context including any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof. Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented entirely hardware, entirely software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or combining software and hardware implementation that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module,” “component,” or “system” Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable media having computer readable program code embodied thereon. 
     Any combination of one or more non-transitory computer readable media may be utilized. Non-transitory computer readable media comprises all computer readable media, with the exception of transitory, propagating signals. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an appropriate optical fiber with a repeater, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. 
     Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Scala, Smalltalk, Eiffel, JADE, Emerald, C++, C#, VB.NET, Python or the like, conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language, Visual Basic, Fortran 2003, Perl, COBOL 2002, PHP. ABAP, dynamic programming languages such as Python, Ruby and Groovy, or other programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user&#39;s computer, partly on the user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider) or in a cloud computing environment or offered as a service such as a Software as a Service (SaaS). 
     Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatuses (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure, or according to an invention disclosed herein. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable instruction execution apparatus, create a mechanism for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that when executed can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions when stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which when executed, cause a computer to implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable instruction execution apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatuses or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. 
     The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, or in an invention disclosed herein, and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be included within the scope of an invention disclosed herein.