IP Library Granted Patent US 9,802,318
Granted Patent B2
US 9,802,318 · App. 15/289,313 · Granted Oct 31, 2017

Systems and methods for determining a status of a component of a device

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,802,318
App. No.
15/289,313
Granted
Oct 31, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods and systems for determining a status of a component of a device are provided. An example method includes triggering an action of a component of a device, and responsively receiving information associated with the action of the component from a sensor. The method further includes a computing system having a processor and a memory comparing the information with calibration data and determining a status of the component based on the comparison. In some examples, the calibration data may include information derived from data received from a pool of one or more devices utilizing same or similar components as the component. The determined status may include information associated with a performance of the component with respect to performances of same or similar components of the pool of devices. In one example, the device may self-calibrate the component based on the status.

Claims (37)

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing system, a sensor value for a sensor of a robotic device;

determining, by the computing system, a nominal value based on sensor values received from a pool of one or more robotic devices utilizing same or similar sensors as the sensor of the robotic device;

determining, by the computing system, that an absolute value of a difference between the sensor value for the sensor of the robotic device and the nominal value is greater than a threshold value; and

based on determining that the absolute value of the difference between the sensor value for the sensor of the robotic device and the nominal value is greater than the threshold value, calibrating the sensor of the robotic device by the computing system such that the sensor value for the sensor of the robotic device is substantially consistent with the nominal value.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nominal value comprises a population mean of the sensor values received from the pool of one or more robotic devices.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nominal value comprises a median of the sensor values received from the pool of one or more robotic devices.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nominal value comprises a mode of the sensor values received from the pool of one or more robotic devices.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pool of one or more robotic devices is at or near a same location as the robotic device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor of the robotic device and the same or similar sensors of the pool of one or more robotic devices are each configured to determine a temperature.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pool of one or more robotic devices includes anonymous robotic devices.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor values received from the pool of one or more robotic devices utilizing same or similar sensors comprises real-time data from the pool of one or more robotic devices.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

modifying the threshold based on the real-time data from the pool of one or more robotic devices.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is performed by a server.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing the sensor value and an amount of offset applied to the sensor in a database.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, by the computing system, that the absolute value of the difference between the sensor value for the sensor of the robotic device and the nominal value is greater than a second threshold value; and

responsively sending a communication signal indicating to repair the robotic device.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is performed on a continuous basis so as to calibrate the sensor based on changing conditions in an environment in which the robotic device resides.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is performed upon initialization of the robotic device.

15. A non-transitory computer readable memory having stored therein instructions executable by one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to perform functions comprising:

determining a sensor value for a sensor of a robotic device;

determining a nominal value based on sensor values received from a pool of one or more robotic devices utilizing same or similar sensors as the sensor of the robotic device;

determining that an absolute value of a difference between the sensor value for the sensor of the robotic device and the nominal value is greater than a threshold value; and

based on determining that the absolute value of the difference between the sensor value for the sensor of the robotic device and the nominal value is greater than the threshold value, calibrating the sensor of the robotic device such that the sensor value for the sensor of the robotic device is substantially consistent with the nominal value.

16. The non-transitory computer readable memory of claim 15 , wherein the nominal value comprises a population mean of the sensor values received from the pool of one or more robotic devices.

17. The non-transitory computer readable memory of claim 15 , wherein the pool of one or more robotic devices is at or near a same location as the robotic device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable memory of claim 15 , wherein the sensor values received from the pool of one or more robotic devices utilizing same or similar sensors comprises real-time data from the pool of one or more robotic devices, and the functions further comprise:

modifying the threshold based on the real-time data from the pool of one or more robotic devices.

19. A robotic device comprising:

a control system configured to:

determine a sensor value for a sensor of the robotic device;

determine a nominal value based on sensor values received from a pool of one or more robotic devices utilizing same or similar sensors as the sensor of the robotic device;

determine that an absolute value of a difference between the sensor value for the sensor of the robotic device and the nominal value is greater than a threshold value; and

based on determining that the absolute value of the difference between the sensor value for the sensor of the robotic device and the nominal value is greater than the threshold value, calibrate the sensor of the robotic device such that the sensor value for the sensor of the robotic device is substantially consistent with the nominal value.

20. The robotic device of claim 19 , wherein the nominal value comprises a population mean of the sensor values received from the pool of one or more robotic devices.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 29, 2025
From: GOOGLE LLC
To: GDM HOLDING LLC
Reel/Frame 071109/0342 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 21, 2023
From: X DEVELOPMENT LLC
To: GOOGLE LLC
Reel/Frame 064658/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 15, 2017
From: GOOGLE INC.
To: X DEVELOPMENT LLC
Reel/Frame 044455/0438 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 15, 2017
From: HICKMAN, RYAN; KUFFNER JR, JAMES J
To: GOOGLE INC.
Reel/Frame 044130/0684 →