Patents by Inventor Brian Highfill

Brian Highfill 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).

  • Patent number: 12632050
    Abstract: Provided is a robot, including: a chassis; a set of wheels coupled to the chassis; a plurality of sensors; a processor; and a non-transitory, machine-readable media storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuates operations including: establishing, with the processor, a wireless connection with at least one of a computing device, a charging station, and a second robot; capturing, with at least one sensor, spatial data of an environment of the robot; generating or updating, with the processor, a map of the environment based on at least a portion of the spatial data; dividing, with the processor, the map into two or more rooms; storing, with the processor, the map in a memory accessible to the processor during a subsequent work session; and transmitting, with the processor, the map to an application of the computing device, wherein the application is configured to display the map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2026
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Shahin Fathi Djalali, Lukas Robinson, Brian Highfill
  • Patent number: 12566442
    Abstract: Provided is a first wheeled device, including a chassis; wheels; a plurality of sensors; at least one camera; a processor; a medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor effectuates operations including capturing first readings indicative of displacement; capturing second readings indicative of movement of the wheels; capturing third readings comprising images of an environment wherein an image of an unanticipated obstacle is transmitted to an application; identifying a location of the first wheel device in respect to the environment; generating a digital representation of a floor plan of the environment; determining areas of the environment covered; identifying rooms in the digital representation; transmitting status information of at least one task to the application, wherein the status indicating completion of the at least one task initiates a second wheeled device to perform a complementary task to the at least one task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2026
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Fath, Chen Zhang, Brian Highfill, Amin Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Shahin Fathi Djalali, Masih Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Azadeh Afshar Bakooshli
  • Patent number: 12533810
    Abstract: Provided is a tangible, non-transitory, machine readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuates operations including: capturing visual readings to objects within an environment; capturing readings of wheel rotation; capturing readings of a driving surface; capturing distances to obstacles; determining displacement of the robotic device in two dimensions based on sensor readings of the driving surface; estimating, with the processor, a corrected position of the robotic device to replace a last known position of the robotic device; determining a most feasible element in an ensemble based on the visual readings; and determining a most feasible position of the robotic device as the corrected position based on the most feasible element in the ensemble and the visual readings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2024
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2026
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Robinson, Chen Zhang, Brian Highfill
  • Patent number: 12468304
    Abstract: Provided is a tangible, non-transitory, machine readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor effectuates operations including: capturing, with at least one exteroceptive sensor, readings of an environment and capturing, with at least one proprioceptive sensor, readings indicative of displacement of a wheeled device; estimating, with the processor using an ensemble of simulated positions of possible new locations of the wheeled device, the readings of the environment, and the readings indicative of displacement, a corrected position of the wheeled device to replace a last known position of the wheeled device; determining, by the processor using the readings of the exteroceptive sensor, a most feasible position of the wheeled device as the corrected position; and, transmitting, by the processor, status information of tasks performed by the wheeled device to an external processor, wherein the status information initiates a second wheeled device to perform a second task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2025
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Fath, Chen Zhang, Brian Highfill, Amin Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Shahin Fathi Djalali, Masih Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Azadeh Afshar Bakooshli
  • Publication number: 20250278088
    Abstract: Some aspects include a method for operating a wheeled device, including: capturing, by a primary sensor coupled to the wheeled device, primary sensor data indicative of a plurality of radial distances to objects; transforming, by a processor of the wheeled device, the plurality of radial distances from a perspective of the primary sensor to a perspective of the wheeled device; generating, by the processor, a partial map of visible areas in real-time at a first position of the wheeled device based on the primary sensor data and some secondary sensor data, wherein: the partial map is a bird's eye view; and the processor iteratively completes a full map of the environment based on new sensor data captured by sensors as the wheeled device performs work within the environment and new areas become visible to the sensors; and executing, by the wheeled device, a movement path to a second position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2025
    Publication date: September 4, 2025
    Applicant: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Robinson, Andrew Fitzgerald, Amin Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Brian Highfill, Masih Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Nema Link
  • Patent number: 12399501
    Abstract: Some aspects include a method for operating a wheeled device, including: capturing, by a primary sensor coupled to the wheeled device, primary sensor data indicative of a plurality of radial distances to objects; transforming, by a processor of the wheeled device, the plurality of radial distances from a perspective of the primary sensor to a perspective of the wheeled device; generating, by the processor, a partial map of visible areas in real-time at a first position of the wheeled device based on the primary sensor data and some secondary sensor data, wherein: the partial map is a bird's eye view; and the processor iteratively completes a full map of the environment based on new sensor data captured by sensors as the wheeled device performs work within the environment and new areas become visible to the sensors; and executing, by the wheeled device, a movement path to a second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2025
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Fath, Andrew Fitzgerald, Amin Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Brian Highfill, Masih Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Nema Link
  • Publication number: 20250189972
    Abstract: Some aspects include a method for operating a wheeled device, including: capturing, by a primary sensor coupled to the wheeled device, primary sensor data indicative of a plurality of radial distances to objects; transforming, by a processor of the wheeled device, the plurality of radial distances from a perspective of the primary sensor to a perspective of the wheeled device; generating, by the processor, a partial map of visible areas in real-time at a first position of the wheeled device based on the primary sensor data and some secondary sensor data, wherein: the partial map is a bird's eye view; and the processor iteratively completes a full map of the environment based on new sensor data captured by sensors as the wheeled device performs work within the environment and new areas become visible to the sensors; and executing, by the wheeled device, a movement path to a second position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2025
    Publication date: June 12, 2025
    Applicant: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Robinson, Andrew Fitzgerald, Amin Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Brian Highfill, Masih Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Nema Link
  • Publication number: 20250172942
    Abstract: A method for operating a robot, including: capturing images of a workspace; capturing data indicative of movement of the robot; capturing LIDAR data as the robot moves within the workspace; generating a map of the workspace based on the LIDAR data; actuating the robot to drive; discriminating between an object on a floor surface along a path of the robot and the floor surface based on the captured images; actuating the robot to drive until determining all areas of the workspace are discovered and included in the map; and executing a cleaning function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2024
    Publication date: May 29, 2025
    Applicant: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Robinson, Andrew Francis Fitzgerald, Amin Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Brian Highfill
  • Patent number: 12235659
    Abstract: A method for operating a robot, including: capturing images of a workspace; capturing data indicative of movement of the robot; capturing LIDAR data as the robot moves within the workspace; generating a map of the workspace based on the LIDAR data; actuating the robot to drive; discriminating between an object on a floor surface along a path of the robot and the floor surface based on the captured images; actuating the robot to drive until determining all areas of the workspace are discovered and included in the map; and executing a cleaning function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2024
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Robinson, Andrew Francis Fitzgerald, Amin Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Brian Highfill
  • Patent number: 12135563
    Abstract: A robotic device including a medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor effectuates operations including: capturing images and sensor data of an environment as the robotic device drives back and forth in straight lines; generating or updating a map of the environment based on at least one of the one or more images and the sensor data; recognizing one or more rooms in the map based on at least one of the one or more images and the sensor data; determining at least one of a position and an orientation of the robotic device relative to the environment based on at least one of the one or more images and the sensor data; and actuating the robotic device to adjust a heading of the robotic device based on the at least one of the position and the orientation of the robotic device relative to the environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Robinson, Chen Zhang, Brian Highfill
  • Patent number: 12130629
    Abstract: Provided is a robotic device, including: a chassis; a set of wheels; a control system; a battery; one or more sensors; a processor; a tangible, non-transitory, machine readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuates operations including: capturing, with the one or more sensors, data of an environment of the robotic device and data indicative of movement of the robotic device; generating or updating, with the processor, a map of the environment based on at least a portion of the captured data; and generating or updating, with the processor, a movement path of the robotic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Robinson, Chen Zhang, Brian Highfill
  • Publication number: 20240310851
    Abstract: A method for operating a robot, including: capturing images of a workspace; capturing data indicative of movement of the robot; capturing LIDAR data as the robot moves within the workspace; generating a map of the workspace based on the LIDAR data; actuating the robot to drive; discriminating between an object on a floor surface along a path of the robot and the floor surface based on the captured images; actuating the robot to drive until determining all areas of the workspace are discovered and included in the map; and executing a cleaning function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2024
    Publication date: September 19, 2024
    Applicant: Al Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Robinson, Andrew Francis Fitzgerald, Amin Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Brian Highfill
  • Patent number: 12092467
    Abstract: Provided is a medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor of a first wheeled device effectuates operations including: capturing sensor readings of an environment; finding a position of the first wheeled device within a map of the environment based on at least some of the sensor readings; and generating a new map of the environment when the processor is unable to load the previously generated map or cannot find the position of the first wheeled device within the previously generated map; wherein: the map is previously generated with the processor of the first wheeled device or a processor of a second wheeled device; the map is loaded into a memory of the first wheeled device at a beginning of each work session; and the processor of the first wheeled device iteratively tracks the position of the first wheeled device while performing a task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Robinson, Chen Zhang, Brian Highfill, Amin Ebrahimi Afrouzi
  • Patent number: 12083684
    Abstract: Provided is a tangible, non-transitory, machine readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuates operations including: capturing visual readings to objects within an environment; capturing readings of wheel rotation; capturing readings of a driving surface; capturing distances to obstacles; determining displacement of the robotic device in two dimensions based on sensor readings of the driving surface; estimating, with the processor, a corrected position of the robotic device to replace a last known position of the robotic device; determining a most feasible element in an ensemble based on the visual readings; and determining a most feasible position of the robotic device as the corrected position based on the most feasible element in the ensemble and the visual readings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Fath, Chen Zhang, Brian Highfill
  • Patent number: 12070847
    Abstract: A system for collaboration between a first robot and a second robot, including: an application of a communication device configured to receive at least one input designating an instruction for the first robot to execute a first task and an instruction for the second robot to execute a second task after the first robot completes the first task; the first robot, including a medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor of the first robot effectuates operations including: actuating the first robot to execute the first task; and actuating the first robot to dock at a charging station upon completion of the first task; and the second robot including a medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor of the second robot effectuates operations including actuating the second robot to execute the second task upon receiving a signal indicating the first task is complete by the first robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Robinson, Chen Zhang, Brian Highfill
  • Publication number: 20240192690
    Abstract: Some aspects include a method for operating a cleaning robot, including: capturing LIDAR data; generating a first iteration of a map of the environment in real time; capturing sensor data from different positions within the environment; capturing movement data indicative of movement of the cleaning robot; aligning and integrating newly captured LIDAR data with previously captured LIDAR data at overlapping points; generating additional iterations of the map based on the newly captured LIDAR data and at least some of the newly captured sensor data; localizing the cleaning robot; planning a path of the cleaning robot; and actuating the cleaning robot to drive along a trajectory that follows along the planned path by providing pulses to one or more electric motors of wheels of the cleaning robot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2023
    Publication date: June 13, 2024
    Applicant: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Robinson, Andrew Francis Fitzgerald, Amin Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Brian Highfill
  • Patent number: 11927965
    Abstract: Provided is a method for operating a robot, including: capturing images of a workspace; capturing movement data indicative of movement of the robot; capturing LIDAR data as the robot performs work within the workspace; comparing at least one object from the captured images to objects in an object dictionary; identifying a class to which the at least one object belongs; generating a first iteration of a map of the workspace based on the LIDAR data; generating additional iterations of the map based on newly captured LIDAR data and newly captured movement data; actuating the robot to drive along a trajectory that follows along a planned path by providing pulses to one or more electric motors of wheels of the robot; and localizing the robot within an iteration of the map by estimating a position of the robot based on the movement data, slippage, and sensor errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Fath, Andrew Fitzgerald, Amin Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Brian Highfill
  • Patent number: 11829148
    Abstract: Some embodiments include a robot, including: a chassis; a set of wheels coupled to the chassis; at least one encoder coupled to a wheel with a resolution of at least one count for every ninety degree rotation of the wheel; a trailing arm suspension coupled to each drive wheel for overcoming surface transitions and obstacles, wherein a first suspension arm is positioned on a right side of a right drive wheel and a second suspension arm is positioned on a left side of a left drive wheel; a roller brush; a collection bin; a fan with multiple blades for creating a negative pressure resulting in suction of dust and debris; a network card for wireless communication with at least one of: a computing device, a charging station, and another robot; a plurality of sensors; a processor; and a media storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuates robotic operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Shahin Fathi Djalali, Lukas Fath, Brian Highfill
  • Publication number: 20230367324
    Abstract: Provided is a robot, including: a chassis; a set of wheels coupled to the chassis; a plurality of sensors; a processor; and a non-transitory, machine-readable media storing instructions that when executed by the processor effectuates operations including: establishing, with the processor, a wireless connection with at least one of a computing device, a charging station, and a second robot; capturing, with at least one sensor, spatial data of an environment of the robot; generating or updating, with the processor, a map of the environment based on at least a portion of the spatial data; dividing, with the processor, the map into two or more rooms; storing, with the processor, the map in a memory accessible to the processor during a subsequent work session; and transmitting, with the processor, the map to an application of the computing device, wherein the application is configured to display the map.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Applicant: Al Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Shahin Fathi Djalali, Lukas Robinson, Brian Highfill
  • Patent number: 11768504
    Abstract: Some aspects include a method for operating a cleaning robot, including: capturing LIDAR data; generating a first iteration of a map of the environment in real time; capturing sensor data from different positions within the environment; capturing movement data indicative of movement of the cleaning robot; aligning and integrating newly captured LIDAR data with previously captured LIDAR data at overlapping points; generating additional iterations of the map based on the newly captured LIDAR data and at least some of the newly captured sensor data; localizing the cleaning robot; planning a path of the cleaning robot; and actuating the cleaning robot to drive along a trajectory that follows along the planned path by providing pulses to one or more electric motors of wheels of the cleaning robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventors: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Lukas Fath, Andrew Fitzgerald, Amin Ebrahimi Afrouzi, Brian Highfill