Robot-assisted processing of a surface using a robot

1. A method for processing a surface of an area using a robot, the method comprising:

processing the surface along a path segment of a robot path according to a first process pattern;

breaking down the area to be processed, depending on a current position of the robot into a first subarea that, according to the process pattern, should already have been processed, a second subarea that still is to be processed and a third subarea, that is currently being processed;

continuously testing, while processing the area, whether the first subarea has been completely processed; and

in response to detecting an omitted subarea, which has not been completely processed, immediately deciding whether to process the omitted area.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising;

testing whether the first subarea is completely accessible and can be travelled over by the robot.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1 ,

wherein the robot is configured to save parts of area on a map that have actually been processed.

4. The method in accordance with claim 3 ,

wherein testing whether the first subarea has already been completely processed is carried out based on the map.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1 ,

wherein, in accordance with the first process pattern, the area to be processed is broken down into a number of path segments that are sequentially processed according to a sequence.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising:

testing, during the processing of a certain path segment of the path segments, whether an unprocessed subarea exists in at least one path segment lying before the certain path segment in the sequence, wherein the unprocessed subarea should have already been processed given an unimpeded completion of the processing according to the sequence.

7. The method in accordance claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying an omitted subarea in a first subarea if a test reveals that the first subarea has not been entirely processed; and

interrupting the processing of the area in accordance with the first process pattern and processing the omitted subarea in accordance with a second process pattern.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7 ,

wherein the processing of the omitted subarea comprises:

moving the robot along a border of the omitted subarea up to a first point in the omitted subarea that is at the greatest distance possible to the third subarea, processed before the interruption.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8 ,

wherein the robot recognizes that the robot has reached the first point by determining, while moving along the border of the omitted subarea, that the robot is no longer moving away from the third subarea, nor is the robot moving closer to the third subarea again or that the direction of the robot movement once again predominantly corresponds to a direction of the robot movement before the interruption.

10. The method in accordance with claim 7 ,

wherein the robot plans the processing of the omitted subarea in accordance with the second process pattern such that the processing of the omitted subarea ends in the third subarea, processed before the interruption.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10 ,

wherein the second process pattern is a meandering pattern and a distance between two neighboring, predominantly parallel path segments of the meandering path are adapted such that the robot ends the processing of the omitted subarea in the third subarea and can then continue a previously interrupted processing operation.

12. The method in accordance with claim 1 ,

wherein the test of whether the first subarea has been entirely processed is positive when no continuous unprocessed part of the first subarea is larger than a minimum surface area.

13. The method in accordance with claim 1 ,

wherein, when the area to be processed is broken down, only a subarea of the area is considered, wherein this subarea moves together with the robot.

14. Autonomous robot comprising:

a data processing device that is configured to execute a software program which, when executed by the data processing device, causes the robot to:

perform a method in accordance with claim 1 .

15. A method for the processing of a surface of an area using a robot, the method comprises:

processing the surface along path segments of a robot path in accordance with a first process pattern, wherein the path segments have a sequence;

detecting, during the processing of a certain path segment of the path segments, whether, in a path segment lying before a first the certain path segment in the sequence, an unprocessed subarea exists that should have been processed given an unimpeded execution of processing in accordance with the sequence;

in response to detecting an omitted subarea, which has not been completely processed, immediately deciding whether to process the omitted area.

16. The method in accordance with claim 15 ,

wherein the processing of the path segments is carried out from a starting point of a respective path segment to an ending point of the respective path segment.

17. The method in accordance with claim 16 ,

wherein the ending point is set when the robot detects an obstacle, a border of the area to be processed is reached, or both.

18. The method in accordance with claim 17 ,

wherein, when the robot reaches the ending point of the respective path segment, the robot looks for a starting point on a sequentially next path segment.

19. The method in accordance with claim 15 , further comprising:

saving which subareas of the surface of area have already been processed on a map of the area during processing,

wherein the detection of unprocessed areas is carried out based on data saved on the map.

20. A method for processing a surface of an area using a robot, the method comprising:

controlling the robot to process the area in accordance with a first process pattern;

monitoring a subarea in an environment of the robot, wherein the subarea has a fixed position relative to the robot; and

controlling the robot to process the area in accordance with a second process pattern if an accessible and unprocessed subarea, which should already have been processed, is detected within the monitored subarea.

21. The method in accordance with claim 20 ,

wherein the second process pattern is adapted to process the unprocessed subarea.

22. The method in accordance with claim 20 ,

wherein the robot moves along a robot path, which, in accordance with the first process pattern, comprises nearly parallel path segments.

23. The method in accordance with claim 20 ,

wherein controlling the robot includes avoiding detected obstacles in accordance with specifiable rules.

24. The method in accordance with claim 20 , further comprising:

testing, based on specifiable criteria, whether an ending point of the processing in accordance with the second process pattern has been reached, and

continuing the processing of the area in accordance with the first process pattern.

25. The method in accordance with claim 20 , wherein the subarea in the environment of the robot that is monitored changes as the robot moves across the environment.