Granted Patent B2

US 12,306,856 · App. 16/850,263 · Granted May 20, 2025

Inventors: Paul Chambers (San Jose, CA); Justin H. Kearns (Los Angeles, CA); Orjeta Taka (Los Angeles, CA); Michael J. Dooley (Pasadena, CA); Nikolai Romanov (Oak Park, CA); Gary Ellis Hall (Malden, MA)

Assignee: iRobot Corporation

G06F16/29G05D1/0246G05D1/0274G05D1/0285G06Q30/0261H04W4/70H04W24/08H04W4/02H04W4/33H04W4/80

Abstract

Claims (51)

1. A user terminal, comprising:

a receiver;

a user interface;

a processor coupled to the receiver and the user interface; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable program code therein that is executable by the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, via the receiver of the user terminal, localization data detected by a localization sensor of at least one mobile robot in an operating environment thereof and signal coverage data of wireless communication signals transmitted by at least one electronic device in the operating environment and acquired by a wireless receiver of the at least one mobile robot in the operating environment responsive to navigation of the at least one mobile robot in the operating environment;

correlating the localization data detected by the localization sensor with the signal coverage data of the wireless communication signals, and generating a composite map based on the correlation; and

displaying, via the user interface of the user terminal, one or more visual representations of map information including the composite map, the one or more visual representations comprising an occupancy map that identifies the at least one electronic device as mobile or stationary.

2. The user terminal of claim 1 , wherein the one or more visual representations comprise:

a signal coverage map indicating electrical characteristics of the operating environment including respective signal strengths of the wireless communication signals acquired by the wireless receiver of the at least one mobile robot at respective locations in the operating environment.

3. The user terminal of claim 2 , wherein the signal coverage map comprises a two-dimensional representation indicating the respective signal strengths of the wireless communication signals by colors or brightness levels that vary at the respective locations in the operating environment, or a three-dimensional topological representation indicating the respective signal strengths of the wireless communication signals at the respective locations in the operating environment relative to an axis and changes in slope of the respective signal strengths between the respective locations.

4. The user terminal of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying, via the user interface of the user terminal, an indication of one or more suggested positions in the operating environment for repositioning of the at least one electronic device, based on the wireless communication signals acquired by the wireless receiver of the at least one mobile robot.

5. The user terminal of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying, via the user interface of the user terminal, an indication of one or more suggested frequencies or channels for communication by the at least one electronic device, based on signal interference indicated by the wireless communication signals acquired by the wireless receiver of the at least one mobile robot.

6. The user terminal of claim 1 , wherein the one or more visual representations of the map information indicates areas in the operating environment in which signal coverage by the wireless communication signals is weak or absent, and wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying, via the user interface, a suggestion for improvement of the signal coverage.

7. The user terminal of claim 1 , wherein correlating the localization data with the signal coverage data includes filtering a combination of the localization data and the signal coverage data and converting the filtered data into a spatial representation indicating signal characteristics at respective positions in the operating environment.

8. The user terminal of claim 1 , wherein the occupancy map further indicates an identity comprising type, manufacturer, or model of the at least one electronic device.

9. A user terminal, comprising:

a receiver;

a user interface;

a processor coupled to the receiver and the user interface; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable program code therein that is executable by the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, via the receiver of the user terminal, localization data detected by a localization sensor of at least one mobile robot in an operating environment thereof and signal coverage data of wireless communication signals transmitted by at least one electronic device in the operating environment and acquired by a wireless receiver of the at least one mobile robot in the operating environment responsive to navigation of the at least one mobile robot in the operating environment;

correlating the localization data detected by the localization sensor with the signal coverage data of the wireless communication signals, and generating a composite map based on the correlation;

displaying, via the user interface of the user terminal, one or more visual representations of map information including the composite map, the one or more visual representations comprising an occupancy map indicating a location of the at least one electronic device in the operating environment and a graphical representation of the wireless communication signals emitted from the at least one electronic device; and

receiving an indication of a current location of the at least one mobile robot in the operating environment, wherein the graphical representation of the wireless communication signals emitted from the at least one electronic device is varied based on a proximity of the current location of the at least one mobile robot to the location of the at least one electronic device.

10. The user terminal of claim 9 , wherein the graphical representation of the wireless communication signals is varied in color, brightness level, or distance between displayed bands or rings.

11. The user terminal of claim 9 , wherein the location of the at least one electronic device in the operating environment is a most recent location from which the wireless communication signals were received from the at least one electronic device, and wherein the operations further comprise:

providing, via the user interface of the user terminal, an audio or visual indication of the most recent location.

12. A method of operating a user terminal, comprising:

performing, by a processor of the user terminal, operations comprising:

receiving, via a receiver of the user terminal, information indicating an absence of wireless router signal coverage in respective locations of an operating environment of a mobile robot based on wireless communication signals transmitted by at least one electronic device local to the operating environment and acquired by a wireless receiver of the mobile robot responsive to navigation in the operating environment; and

displaying, via a user interface of the user terminal, a message prompting a user to purchase a wireless router device based on the information indicating the absence of the wireless router signal coverage.

13. A method of operating a user terminal, the method comprising:

performing, by a processor of the user terminal, operations comprising:

receiving, via a receiver of the user terminal, localization data detected by a localization sensor of at least one mobile robot in an operating environment thereof and signal coverage data of wireless communication signals transmitted by at least one electronic device in the operating environment and acquired by a wireless receiver of the at least one mobile robot in the operating environment responsive to navigation of the at least one mobile robot in the operating environment;

correlating the localization data detected by the localization sensor with the signal coverage data of the wireless communication signals, and generating a composite map based on the correlation; and

displaying, via a user interface of the user terminal, one or more visual representations of map information including the composite map, the one or more visual representations comprising an occupancy map that identifies the at least one electronic device as mobile or stationary.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the occupancy map further indicates an identity comprising type, manufacturer, or model of the at least one electronic device.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the occupancy map further indicates a location of the at least one electronic device in the operating environment and a graphical representation of the wireless communication signals emitted from the at least one electronic device.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the one or more visual representations comprise:

a signal coverage map indicating electrical characteristics of the operating environment including respective signal strengths of the wireless communication signals acquired by the wireless receiver of the at least one mobile robot at respective locations in the operating environment.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the signal coverage map comprises a two-dimensional representation indicating the respective signal strengths of the wireless communication signals by colors or brightness levels that vary at the respective locations in the operating environment, or a three-dimensional topological representation indicating the respective signal strengths of the wireless communication signals at the respective locations in the operating environment relative to an axis and changes in slope of the respective signal strengths between the respective locations.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying, via the user interface of the user terminal, an indication of one or more suggested positions in the operating environment for repositioning of the at least one electronic device, based on the wireless communication signals acquired by the wireless receiver of the at least one mobile robot.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying, via the user interface of the user terminal, an indication of one or more suggested frequencies or channels for communication by the at least one electronic device, based on signal interference indicated by the wireless communication signals acquired by the wireless receiver of the at least one mobile robot.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the one or more visual representations of the map information indicates areas in the operating environment in which signal coverage by the wireless communication signals is weak or absent, and wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying, via the user interface, a suggestion for repositioning of a wireless router to improve signal coverage, or a message prompting a user to purchase a wireless router.

Assignments (5)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (105)