Patents by Inventor Ping-Hong Lu

Ping-Hong Lu 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).

  • Publication number: 20190008352
    Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a body, a controller supported by the body, a drive supporting the body to maneuver the robot across a floor surface in response to commands from the controller, and a pad holder attached to an underside of the body to hold a removable cleaning pad during operation of the robot. The pad includes a mounting plate and a mounting surface. The mounting plate is attached to the mounting surface. The robot includes a pad sensor to sense a feature on the pad and to generate a signal based on the feature, which is defined in part by a cutout on the card backing. The mounting plate enables the pad sensor to detect the feature. The controller is responsive to the signal to perform operations including selecting a cleaning mode based on the signal, and controlling the robot according to a selected cleaning mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Inventors: Ping-Hong Lu, Joseph M. Johnson, Daniel Foran, Marcus Williams, Andrew Graziani
  • Patent number: 10064533
    Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a body, a controller supported by the body, a drive supporting the body to maneuver the robot across a floor surface in response to commands from the controller, and a pad holder attached to an underside of the body to hold a removable cleaning pad during operation of the robot. The pad includes a mounting plate and a mounting surface. The mounting plate is attached to the mounting surface. The robot includes a pad sensor to sense a feature on the pad and to generate a signal based on the feature, which is defined in part by a cutout on the card backing. The mounting plate enables the pad sensor to detect the feature. The controller is responsive to the signal to perform operations including selecting a cleaning mode based on the signal, and controlling the robot according to a selected cleaning mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Ping-Hong Lu, Joseph M. Johnson, Daniel Foran, Marcus Williams, Andrew Graziani
  • Publication number: 20180228333
    Abstract: An example robot includes a body that is movable relative to a surface, a bumper mounted on the body to enable movement of the bumper relative to the body, a sensor to produce a signal in response to the movement of the bumper relative to the body caused by contact between the bumper and the surface, and a controller to control movement of the body to cause the body to track the surface based on a value. The bumper is movable between an uncompressed position relative to the body and a compressed position relative to the body. The signal varies linearly with the movement of the bumper relative to the body. The value is based on the signal and indicates that the bumper in a partially compressed position has a compression range between the uncompressed position and the compressed position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Inventors: Brian Wolfe, Ping-Hong Lu
  • Patent number: 9918605
    Abstract: An example robot includes a body that is movable relative to a surface, a bumper mounted on the body to enable movement of the bumper relative to the body, a sensor to produce a signal in response to the movement of the bumper relative to the body caused by contact between the bumper and the surface, and a controller to control movement of the body to cause the body to track the surface based on a value. The bumper is movable between an uncompressed position relative to the body and a compressed position relative to the body. The signal varies linearly with the movement of the bumper relative to the body. The value is based on the signal and indicates that the bumper in a partially compressed position has a compression range between the uncompressed position and the compressed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Brian Wolfe, Ping-Hong Lu
  • Publication number: 20180064305
    Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a robot body defining a forward drive direction, a controller supported by the robot body, a drive supporting the robot body and configured to maneuver the robot across a surface in response to commands from the controller, a pad holder disposed on an underside of the robot body and configured to retain a removable cleaning pad during operation of the cleaning robot; and a pad sensor arranged to sense a feature of a cleaning pad held by the pad holder and generate a corresponding signal. The controller is responsive to the signal generated by the pad sensor, and configured to control the robot according to a cleaning mode selected from a set of multiple robot cleaning modes as a function of the signal generated by the pad sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Ping-Hong Lu, Dan Foran, Marcus Williams, Joe Johnson, Andrew Graziani
  • Publication number: 20180065253
    Abstract: A robot includes a body that is movable relative to a surface one or more measurement devices within the body to output information based on an orientation of the body at an initial location on the surface, and a controller within the body to determine an orientation of the body based on the information and to restrict movement of the body to an area by preventing movement of the body beyond a barrier that is based on the orientation of the body and the initial location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Marcus Williams, Ping-Hong Lu, Joseph M. Johnson, Fabrizio Santini
  • Patent number: 9907449
    Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a robot body defining a forward drive direction, a controller supported by the robot body, a drive supporting the robot body and configured to maneuver the robot across a surface in response to commands from the controller, a pad holder disposed on an underside of the robot body and configured to retain a removable cleaning pad during operation of the cleaning robot; and a pad sensor arranged to sense a feature of a cleaning pad held by the pad holder and generate a corresponding signal. The controller is responsive to the signal generated by the pad sensor, and configured to control the robot according to a cleaning mode selected from a set of multiple robot cleaning modes as a function of the signal generated by the pad sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Ping-Hong Lu, Dan Foran, Marcus Williams, Joe Johnson, Andrew Graziani
  • Patent number: 9877630
    Abstract: An example robot includes a body that is movable relative to a surface, a bumper mounted on the body to enable movement of the bumper relative to the body, a sensor to produce a signal in response to the movement of the bumper relative to the body caused by contact between the bumper and the surface, and a controller to control movement of the body to cause the body to track the surface based on a value. The bumper is movable between an uncompressed position relative to the body and a compressed position relative to the body. The signal varies linearly with the movement of the bumper relative to the body. The value is based on the signal and indicates that the bumper in a partially compressed position has a compression range between the uncompressed position and the compressed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Brian Wolfe, Ping-Hong Lu
  • Patent number: 9868211
    Abstract: A robot includes a body that is movable relative to a surface one or more measurement devices within the body to output information based on an orientation of the body at an initial location on the surface, and a controller within the body to determine an orientation of the body based on the information and to restrict movement of the body to an area by preventing movement of the body beyond a barrier that is based on the orientation of the body and the initial location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Marcus Williams, Ping-Hong Lu, Joseph M. Johnson, Fabrizio Santini
  • Publication number: 20170100010
    Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a body, a controller supported by the body, a drive supporting the body to maneuver the robot across a floor surface in response to commands from the controller, and a pad holder attached to an underside of the body to hold a removable cleaning pad during operation of the robot. The pad includes a mounting plate and a mounting surface. The mounting plate is attached to the mounting surface. The robot includes a pad sensor to sense a feature on the pad and to generate a signal based on the feature, which is defined in part by a cutout on the card backing. The mounting plate enables the pad sensor to detect the feature. The controller is responsive to the signal to perform operations including selecting a cleaning mode based on the signal, and controlling the robot according to a selected cleaning mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Publication date: April 13, 2017
    Inventors: Ping-Hong Lu, Joseph M. Johnson, Daniel Foran, Marcus Williams, Andrew Graziani
  • Patent number: 9565984
    Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a body, a controller supported by the body, a drive supporting the body to maneuver the robot across a floor surface in response to commands from the controller, and a pad holder attached to an underside of the body to hold a removable cleaning pad during operation of the robot. The pad includes a mounting plate and a mounting surface. The mounting plate is attached to the mounting surface. The robot includes a pad sensor to sense a feature on the pad and to generate a signal based on the feature, which is defined in part by a cutout on the card backing. The mounting plate enables the pad sensor to detect the feature. The controller is response to the signal to perform operations including selecting a cleaning mode based on the signal, and controlling the robot according to a selected cleaning mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Ping-Hong Lu, Joseph M. Johnson, Daniel Foran, Marcus Williams, Andrew Graziani
  • Publication number: 20160297072
    Abstract: A robot includes a body that is movable relative to a surface one or more measurement devices within the body to output information based on an orientation of the body at an initial location on the surface, and a controller within the body to determine an orientation of the body based on the information and to restrict movement of the body to an area by preventing movement of the body beyond a barrier that is based on the orientation of the body and the initial location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Inventors: Marcus Williams, Ping-Hong Lu, Joseph M. Johnson, Fabrizio Santini
  • Publication number: 20160296092
    Abstract: An example robot includes a body that is movable relative to a surface, a bumper mounted on the body to enable movement of the bumper relative to the body, a sensor to produce a signal in response to the movement of the bumper relative to the body caused by contact between the bumper and the surface, and a controller to control movement of the body to cause the body to track the surface based on a value. The bumper is movable between an uncompressed position relative to the body and a compressed position relative to the body. The signal varies linearly with the movement of the bumper relative to the body. The value is based on the signal and indicates that the bumper in a partially compressed position has a compression range between the uncompressed position and the compressed position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Inventors: Brian Wolfe, Ping-Hong Lu
  • Publication number: 20160299503
    Abstract: An example robot includes a body that is movable relative to a surface, a bumper mounted on the body to enable movement of the bumper relative to the body, a sensor to produce a signal in response to the movement of the bumper relative to the body caused by contact between the bumper and the surface, and a controller to control movement of the body to cause the body to track the surface based on a value. The bumper is movable between an uncompressed position relative to the body and a compressed position relative to the body. The signal varies linearly with the movement of the bumper relative to the body. The value is based on the signal and indicates that the bumper in a partially compressed position has a compression range between the uncompressed position and the compressed position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Inventors: Brian Wolfe, Ping-Hong Lu
  • Publication number: 20160270619
    Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a body, a controller supported by the body, a drive supporting the body to maneuver the robot across a floor surface in response to commands from the controller, and a pad holder attached to an underside of the body to hold a removable cleaning pad during operation of the robot. The pad includes a mounting plate and a mounting surface. The mounting plate is attached to the mounting surface. The robot includes a pad sensor to sense a feature on the pad and to generate a signal based on the feature, which is defined in part by a cutout on the card backing. The mounting plate enables the pad sensor to detect the feature. The controller is response to the signal to perform operations including selecting a cleaning mode based on the signal, and controlling the robot according to a selected cleaning mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Inventors: Ping-Hong Lu, Joseph M. Johnson, Daniel Foran, Marcus Williams, Andrew Graziani
  • Publication number: 20160270618
    Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a robot body defining a forward drive direction, a controller supported by the robot body, a drive supporting the robot body and configured to maneuver the robot across a surface in response to commands from the controller, a pad holder disposed on an underside of the robot body and configured to retain a removable cleaning pad during operation of the cleaning robot; and a pad sensor arranged to sense a feature of a cleaning pad held by the pad holder and generate a corresponding signal. The controller is responsive to the signal generated by the pad sensor, and configured to control the robot according to a cleaning mode selected from a set of multiple robot cleaning modes as a function of the signal generated by the pad sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Inventors: Ping-Hong Lu, Dan Foran, Marcus Williams, Joe Johnson, Andrew Graziani
  • Patent number: 9320409
    Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a body, a controller supported by the body, a drive supporting the body to maneuver the robot across a floor surface in response to commands from the controller, and a pad holder attached to an underside of the body to hold a removable cleaning pad during operation of the robot. The pad includes a mounting plate and a mounting surface. The mounting plate is attached to the mounting surface. The robot includes a pad sensor to sense a feature on the pad and to generate a signal based on the feature, which is defined in part by a cutout on the card backing. The mounting plate enables the pad sensor to detect the feature. The controller is responsive to the signal to perform operations including selecting a cleaning mode based on the signal, and controlling the robot according to a selected cleaning mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Ping-Hong Lu, Joseph M. Johnson, Daniel Foran, Marcus Williams, Andrew Graziani
  • Patent number: 9265396
    Abstract: An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a body, a controller supported by the body, a drive supporting the body to maneuver the robot across a floor surface in response to commands from the controller, and a pad holder attached to an underside of the body to hold a removable cleaning pad during operation of the robot. The pad includes a mounting plate and a mounting surface. The mounting plate is attached to the mounting surface. The robot includes a pad sensor to sense a feature on the pad and to generate a signal based on the feature, which is defined in part by a cutout on the card backing. The mounting plate enables the pad sensor to detect the feature. The controller is responsive to the signal to perform operations including selecting a cleaning mode based on the signal, and controlling the robot according to a selected cleaning mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Ping-Hong Lu, Joseph M. Johnson, Daniel Foran, Marcus Williams, Andrew Graziani