Patents by Inventor Paul E. Sandin
Paul E. Sandin has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20170215673Abstract: An autonomous floor-cleaning robot comprising a housing infrastructure including a chassis, a power subsystem; for providing the energy to power the autonomous floor-cleaning robot, a motive subsystem operative to propel the autonomous floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations, a command and control subsystem operative to control the autonomous floor-cleaning robot to effect cleaning operations, and a self-adjusting cleaning head subsystem that includes a deck mounted in pivotal combination with the chassis, a brush assembly mounted in combination with the deck and powered by the motive subsystem to sweep up particulates during cleaning operations, a vacuum assembly disposed in combination with the deck and powered by the motive subsystem to ingest particulates during cleaning operations, and a deck adjusting subassembly mounted in combination with the motive subsystem for the brush assembly, the deck, and the chassis that is automatically operative in response to an increase in brush torque in said brushType: ApplicationFiled: April 14, 2017Publication date: August 3, 2017Inventors: Joseph L. Jones, Newton E. Mack, David M. Nugent, Paul E. Sandin
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Publication number: 20170215666Abstract: A coverage robot including a chassis, multiple drive wheel assemblies disposed on the chassis, and a cleaning assembly carried by the chassis. Each drive wheel assembly including a drive wheel assembly housing, a wheel rotatably coupled to the housing, and a wheel drive motor carried by the drive wheel assembly housing and operable to drive the wheel. The cleaning assembly including a cleaning assembly housing, a cleaning head rotatably coupled to the cleaning assembly housing, and a cleaning drive motor carried by cleaning assembly housing and operable to drive the cleaning head. The wheel assemblies and the cleaning assembly are each separately and independently removable from respective receptacles of the chassis as complete units.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 14, 2017Publication date: August 3, 2017Inventors: Chikyung Won, Scott Thomas Burnett, Stephen A. Hickey, Deepak Ramesh Kapoor, Zivthan A. Dubrovsky, Selma Svendsen, Robert Rizzari, Paul E. Sandin
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Patent number: 9713302Abstract: An autonomous coverage robot system includes an active boundary responder comprising a wire powered with a modulated current placed along a perimeter of a property, at least one passive boundary responder placed on a property interior circumscribed by the active boundary responder, and an autonomous coverage robot. The robot includes a drive system carried by a body and configured to maneuver the robot across the property interior. The robot includes a signal emitter emitting a signal, where the passive boundary responder is responsive to the signal and a boundary responder detection system carried by the body. The boundary responder detector is configured to redirect the robot both in response to the responder detection system detecting an active boundary responder and in response to detecting a passive boundary responder.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2014Date of Patent: July 25, 2017Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Paul E. Sandin, Joseph L. Jones, Daniel N. Ozick, David A. Cohen, David M. Lewis, Jr., Clara Vu, Zivthan A. Dubrovsky, Joshua B. Preneta, Jeffrey W. Mammen, Duane L. Gilbert, Jr., Tony L. Campbell, John Bergman, Mark J. Chiappetta
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Patent number: 9706891Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a transport drive and control system arranged for autonomous movement of the robot over a floor for performing cleaning operations. The robot chassis carries a first cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arranged to suction loose particulates up from the cleaning surface and a second cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arraigned to apply a cleaning fluid onto the surface and to thereafter collect the cleaning fluid up from the surface after it has been used to clean the surface. The robot chassis carries a supply of cleaning fluid and a waste container for storing waste materials collected up from the cleaning surface.Type: GrantFiled: August 16, 2016Date of Patent: July 18, 2017Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Andrew Ziegler, Christopher John Morse, Duane L. Gilbert, Jr., Andrew Jones, Scott Pratt, Paul E. Sandin, Nancy Dussault-Smith
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Publication number: 20170188772Abstract: An autonomous floor-cleaning robot comprising a housing infrastructure including a chassis, a power subsystem; for providing the energy to power the autonomous floor-cleaning robot, a motive subsystem operative to propel the autonomous floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations, a command and control subsystem operative to control.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 7, 2017Publication date: July 6, 2017Inventors: Joseph L. Jones, Newton E. Mack, David M. Nugent, Paul E. Sandin
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Publication number: 20170135543Abstract: A power-saving robot system includes at least one peripheral device and a mobile robot. The peripheral device includes a controller having an active mode and a hibernation mode, and a wireless communication component capable of activation in the hibernation mode. A controller of the robot has an, activating routine that communicates with and temporarily activates the peripheral device, via wireless communication, from the hibernation mode. In another aspect, a robot system includes a network data bridge and a mobile robot. The network data bridge includes a broadband network interface, a wireless command interface, and a data bridge component. The data bridge component extracts serial commands received via the broadband network interface from an Internet protocol, applies a command protocol thereto, and broadcasts the serial commands via the wireless interface. The mobile robot includes a wireless command communication component that receives the serial commands transmitted from the network data bridge.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 27, 2017Publication date: May 18, 2017Inventors: Michael J. Halloran, Jeffrey W. Mammen, Tony L. Campbell, Jason S. Walker, Paul E. Sandin, John N. Billington, JR., Daniel N. Ozick
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Patent number: 9622635Abstract: An autonomous floor-cleaning robot comprising a housing infrastructure including a chassis, a power subsystem; for providing the energy to power the autonomous floor-cleaning robot, a motive subsystem operative to propel the autonomous floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations, a command and control subsystem operative to control the autonomous floor-cleaning robot to effect cleaning operations, and a self-adjusting cleaning head subsystem that includes a deck mounted in pivotal combination with the chassis, a brush assembly mounted in combination with the deck and powered by the motive subsystem to sweep up particulates during cleaning operations, a vacuum assembly disposed in combination with the deck and powered by the motive subsystem to ingest particulates during cleaning operations, and a deck adjusting subassembly mounted in combination with the motive subsystem for the brush assembly, the deck, and the chassis that is automatically operative in response to an increase in brush torque in said brushType: GrantFiled: May 21, 2014Date of Patent: April 18, 2017Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Joseph L. Jones, Newton E. Mack, David M. Nugent, Paul E. Sandin
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Patent number: 9599990Abstract: A power-saving robot system includes at least one peripheral device and a mobile robot. The peripheral device includes a controller having an active mode and a hibernation mode, and a wireless communication component capable of activation in the hibernation mode. A controller of the robot has an activating routine that communicates with and temporarily activates the peripheral device, via wireless communication, from the hibernation mode. In another aspect, a robot system includes a network data bridge and a mobile robot. The network data bridge includes a broadband network interface, a wireless command interface, and a data bridge component. The data bridge component extracts serial commands received via the broadband network interface from an internet protocol, applies a command protocol thereto, and broadcasts the serial commands via the wireless interface. The mobile robot includes a wireless command communication component that receives the serial command; transmitted from the network data bridge.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2016Date of Patent: March 21, 2017Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Michael J. Halloran, Jeffrey W. Mammen, Tony L. Campbell, Jason S. Walker, Paul E. Sandin, John N. Billington, Jr., Daniel N. Ozick
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Publication number: 20170049286Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a transport drive and control system arranged for autonomous movement of the robot over a floor for performing cleaning operations. The robot chassis carries a first cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arranged to suction loose particulates up from the cleaning surface and a second cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arraigned to apply a cleaning fluid onto the surface and to thereafter collect the cleaning fluid up from the surface after it has been used to clean the surface. The robot chassis carries a supply of cleaning fluid and a waste container for storing waste materials collected up from the cleaning surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 16, 2016Publication date: February 23, 2017Inventors: Andrew Ziegler, Christopher John Morse, Duane L. Gilbert, JR., Andrew Jones, Scott Pratt, Paul E. Sandin, Nancy Dussault-Smith
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Patent number: 9568917Abstract: An automated system for transporting items between variable endpoints includes a guidance system for identifying the endpoints and at least one autonomous mobile robot interacting with the guidance system for automatically moving items between the endpoints. The at least one robot is configured to (a) collect an item to be transported at a source end point, (b) travel to a destination endpoint utilizing the guidance system to locate the destination endpoint, (c) deliver the item to the destination endpoint, and (d) repeat (a) through (c) for a given set of items. The guidance system is dynamically reconfigurable to identify new endpoints.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 2015Date of Patent: February 14, 2017Assignee: Harvest Automation, Inc.Inventors: Joseph L. Jones, Clara Vu, Paul E. Sandin, Charles M. Grinnell
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Publication number: 20160291595Abstract: A power-saving robot system includes at least one peripheral device and a mobile robot. The peripheral device includes a controller having an active mode and a hibernation mode, and a wireless communication component capable of activation in the hibernation mode. A controller of the robot has an activating routine that communicates with and temporarily activates the peripheral device, via wireless communication, from the hibernation mode. In another aspect, a robot system includes a network data bridge and a mobile robot. The network data bridge includes a broadband network interface, a wireless command interface, and a data bridge component. The data bridge component extracts serial commands received via the broadband network interface from an internet protocol, applies a command protocol thereto, and broadcasts the serial commands via the wireless interface. The mobile robot includes a wireless command communication component that receives the serial command; transmitted from the network data bridge.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 15, 2016Publication date: October 6, 2016Inventors: Michael J. Halloran, Jeffrey W. Mammen, Tony L. Campbell, Jason S. Walker, Paul E. Sandin, John N. Billington, JR., Daniel N. Ozick
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Patent number: 9445702Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a transport drive and control system arranged for autonomous movement of the robot over a floor for performing cleaning operations. The robot chassis carries a first cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arranged to suction loose particulates up from the cleaning surface and a second cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arraigned to apply a cleaning fluid onto the surface and to thereafter collect the cleaning fluid up from the surface after it has been used to clean the surface. The robot chassis carries a supply of cleaning fluid and a waste container for storing waste materials collected up from the cleaning surface.Type: GrantFiled: June 11, 2014Date of Patent: September 20, 2016Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Andrew Ziegler, Christopher John Morse, Duane L. Gilbert, Jr., Andrew Jones, Scott Pratt, Paul E. Sandin, Nancy Dussault
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Patent number: 9392920Abstract: A power-saving robot system includes at least one peripheral device and a mobile robot. The peripheral device includes a controller having an active mode and a hibernation mode, and a wireless communication component capable of activation in the hibernation mode. A controller of the robot has an activating routine that communicates with and temporarily activates the peripheral device, via wireless communication, from the hibernation mode. In another aspect, a robot system includes a network data bridge and a mobile robot. The network data bridge includes a broadband network interface, a wireless command interface, and a data bridge component. The data bridge component extracts serial commands received via the broadband network interface from an internet protocol, applies a command protocol thereto, and broadcasts the serial commands via the wireless interface. The mobile robot includes a wireless command communication component that receives the serial commands transmitted from the network data bridge.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2014Date of Patent: July 19, 2016Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Michael J. Halloran, Jeffrey W. Mammen, Tony L. Campbell, Jason S. Walker, Paul E. Sandin, John N. Billington, Jr., Daniel N. Ozick
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Publication number: 20160187886Abstract: An automated system for transporting items between variable endpoints includes a guidance system for identifying the endpoints and at least one autonomous mobile robot interacting with the guidance system for automatically moving items between the endpoints. The at least one robot is configured to (a) collect an item to be transported at a source end point, (b) travel to a destination endpoint utilizing the guidance system to locate the destination endpoint, (c) deliver the item to the destination endpoint, and (d) repeat (a) through (c) for a given set of items. The guidance system is dynamically reconfigurable to identify new endpoints.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 26, 2015Publication date: June 30, 2016Applicant: HARVEST AUTOMATION, INC.Inventors: Joseph L. Jones, Clara Vu, Paul E. Sandin, Charles M. Grinnell
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Publication number: 20160075024Abstract: A method of navigating an autonomous coverage robot between bounded areas includes positioning a navigation beacon in a gateway between adjoining first and second bounded areas. The beacon configured to transmit a gateway marking emission across the gateway. In some example, the navigation beacon may also transmit a proximity emission laterally about the beacon, where the robot avoids cleaning and migration within the proximity emission. The method also includes placing the coverage robot within the first bounded area. The robot autonomously traverses the first bounded area in a cleaning mode and upon encountering the gateway marking emission in the gateway, the robot remains in the first bounded area, thereby avoiding the robot migration into the second area. Upon termination of the cleaning mode in the first area, the robot autonomously initiates a migration mode to move through the gateway, past the beacon, into the second bounded area.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 21, 2015Publication date: March 17, 2016Inventors: Daniel N. Ozick, Andrea M. Okerholm, Jeffrey W. Mammen, Michael J. Halloran, Paul E. Sandin, Chikyung Won
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Patent number: 9167946Abstract: An autonomous floor-cleaning robot comprising a housing infrastructure including a chassis, a power subsystem; for providing the energy to power the autonomous floor-cleaning robot, a motive subsystem operative to propel the autonomous floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations, a command and control subsystem operative to control the autonomous floor-cleaning robot to effect cleaning operations, and a self-adjusting cleaning head subsystem that includes a deck mounted in pivotal combination with the chassis, a brush assembly mounted in combination with the deck and powered by the motive subsystem to sweep up particulates during cleaning operations, a vacuum assembly disposed in combination with the deck and powered by the motive subsystem to ingest particulates during cleaning operations, and a deck adjusting subassembly mounted in combination with the motive subsystem for the brush assembly, the deck, and the chassis that is automatically operative in response to an increase in brush torque in said brushType: GrantFiled: August 6, 2007Date of Patent: October 27, 2015Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Joseph L. Jones, Newton E. Mack, David M. Nugent, Paul E. Sandin
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Patent number: 9147173Abstract: An automated system for transporting items between variable endpoints includes a guidance system for identifying the endpoints and at least one autonomous mobile robot interacting with the guidance system for automatically moving items between the endpoints. The at least one robot is configured to (a) collect an item to be transported at a source end point, (b) travel to a destination endpoint utilizing the guidance system to locate the destination endpoint, (c) deliver the item to the destination endpoint, and (d) repeat (a) through (c) for a given set of items. The guidance system is dynamically reconfigurable to identify new endpoints.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2011Date of Patent: September 29, 2015Assignee: Harvest Automation, Inc.Inventors: Joseph L. Jones, Clara Vu, Paul E. Sandin, Charles M. Grinnell
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Patent number: 9144360Abstract: An autonomous mobile robot system for bounded areas including a navigation beacon and an autonomous coverage robot. The navigation beacon has a gateway beacon emitter arranged to transmit a gateway marking emission with the navigation beacon disposed within a gateway between the first bounded area and an adjacent second bounded area. The autonomous coverage robot includes a beacon emission sensor responsive to the beacon emission, and a drive system configured to maneuver the robot about the first bounded area in a cleaning mode in which the robot is redirected in response to detecting the gateway marking emission. The drive system is also configured to maneuver the robot through the gateway into the second bounded area in a migration mode.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2006Date of Patent: September 29, 2015Assignee: iRobot CorporationInventors: Daniel N. Ozick, Andrea M. Okerholm, Jeffrey W. Mammen, Michael J. Halloran, Paul E. Sandin, Chikyung Won
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Publication number: 20150234385Abstract: A robot lawnmower includes a body and a drive system carried by the body and configured to maneuver the robot across a lawn. The robot also includes a grass cutter and a swath edge detector, both carried by the body. The swath edge detector is configured to detect a swath edge between cut and uncut grass while the drive system maneuvers the robot across the lawn while following a detected swath edge. The swath edge detector includes a calibrator that monitors uncut grass for calibration of the swath edge detector. In some examples, the calibrator comprises a second swath edge detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 28, 2015Publication date: August 20, 2015Inventors: Paul E. Sandin, Joseph L. Jones, Daniel N. Ozick, David A. Cohen, David M. Lewis, JR., Clara Vu, Zivthan A. Dubrovsky, Joshua B. Preneta, Jeffrey W. Mammen, Duane L. Gilbert, JR., Tony L. Campbell, John Bergman
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Publication number: 20150151933Abstract: An adaptable handling system featuring a boundary subsystem and one or more robots. Each robot typically includes a chassis, a container lift mechanism moveable with respect to the robot chassis for transporting at least one container, a drive subsystem for maneuvering the chassis, a boundary sensing subsystem, a container detection subsystem, and a controller. The controller is responsive to the boundary sensing subsystem and the container detection subsystem and is configured to control the drive subsystem to follow a boundary once intercepted until a container is detected and turn until another container is detected. The controller then controls the container lift mechanism to place a transported container proximate the second detected container.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 21, 2014Publication date: June 4, 2015Applicant: HARVEST AUTOMATION, INC.Inventors: Charles M. Grinnell, Joseph L. Jones, Paul E. Sandin, Clara Vu