139 can transmit signals to the controller 111 so that the controller 111 can redirect the robot 100 based on signals from the bump sensors 139.

The robot 100 can also optionally include one or more dirt sensors 144 connected to the body 102 and in communication with the controller 111. The dirt sensors 144 can be a microphone, piezoelectric sensor, optical sensor, or the like located in or near a flowpath of debris, such as near an opening of the cleaning rollers 114 or in one or more ducts within the body 102. This can allow the dirt sensor(s) 144 to detect how much dirt is being ingested by the vacuum assembly 124 (e.g., via the extractor 113) at any time during a cleaning mission. Because the robot 100 can be aware of its location, the robot 100 can keep a log or record of which areas or rooms of the map are dirtier or where more dirt is collected. This information can be used in several ways, as discussed further below.

The image capture device 140 can be configured to generate a signal based on imagery of the environment 40 of the robot 100 as the robot 100 moves about the floor surface 50. The image capture device 140 can transmit such a signal to the controller 111. The controller 111 can use the signal or signals from the image capture device 140 for various tasks, algorithms, or the like, as discussed in further detail below.

In some examples, the obstacle following sensors can detect detectable objects, including obstacles such as furniture, walls, persons, and other objects in the environment of the robot 100. In some implementations, the sensor system can include an obstacle following sensor along the side surface, and the obstacle following sensor can detect the presence or the absence an object adjacent to the side surface. The one or more obstacle following sensors can also serve as obstacle detection sensors, similar to the proximity sensors described herein.

The robot 100 can also include sensors for tracking a distance travelled by the robot 100. For example, the sensor system can include encoders associated with the motors 116 for the drive wheels 118, and the encoders can track a distance that the robot 100 has travelled. In some implementations, the sensor can include an optical sensor facing downward toward a floor surface. The optical sensor can be positioned to direct light through a bottom surface of the robot 100 toward the floor surface 50. The optical sensor can detect reflections of the light and can detect a distance travelled by the robot 100 based on changes in floor features as the robot 100 travels along the floor surface 50.

The controller 111 can use data collected by the sensors of the sensor system to control navigational behaviors of the robot 100 during the mission. For example, the controller 111 can use the sensor data collected by obstacle detection sensors of the robot 100, (the cliff sensors, the proximity sensors, and the bump sensors) to enable the robot 100 to avoid obstacles within the environment of the robot 100 during the mission.

The sensor data can also be used by the controller 111 for simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) techniques in which the controller 111 extracts features of the environment represented by the sensor data and constructs a map of the floor surface 50 of the environment. The sensor data collected by the image capture device 140 can be used for techniques such as vision-based SLAM (VSLAM) in which the controller 111 extracts visual features corresponding to objects in the environment 40 and constructs the map using these visual features. As the controller 111 directs the robot 100 about the floor surface 50 during the mission, the controller 111 can use SLAM techniques to determine a location of the robot 100 within the map by detecting features represented in collected sensor data and comparing the features to previously stored features. The map formed from the sensor data can indicate locations of traversable and nontraversable space within the environment. For example, locations of obstacles can be indicated on the map as nontraversable space, and locations of open floor space can be indicated on the map as traversable space.

The sensor data collected by any of the sensors can be stored in the memory 126. In addition, other data generated for the SLAM techniques, including mapping data forming the map, can be stored in the memory 126. These data produced during the mission can include persistent data that are produced during the mission and that are usable during further missions. In addition to storing the software for causing the robot 100 to perform its behaviors, the memory 126 can store data resulting from processing of the sensor data for access by the controller 111. For example, the map can be a map that is usable and updateable by the controller 111 of the robot 100 from one mission to another mission to navigate the robot 100 about the floor surface 50.

The persistent data, including the persistent map, can help to enable the robot 100 to efficiently clean the floor surface 50. For example, the map can enable the controller 111 to direct the robot 100 toward open floor space and to avoid nontraversable space. In addition, for subsequent missions, the controller 111 can use the map to optimize paths taken during the missions to help plan navigation of the robot 100 through the environment 40.

The controller 111 can also send commands to a motor (internal to the body 102) to drive the arms 106 to move the pad assembly 108 between the stored position (shown in FIGS. 2A and 2D) and the deployed position (shown in FIGS. 2C and 2E). In the deployed position, the pad assembly 108 (the mopping pad 142) can be used to mop a floor surface of any room of the environment 40.

The mopping pad 142 can be a dry pad or a wet pad. Optionally, when the mopping pad 142 is a wet pad, the pump 134 can be operated by the controller 111 to spray or drop fluid (e.g., water or a cleaning solution) onto the floor surface 50 or the mopping pad 142. The wetted mopping pad 142 can then be used by the robot 100 to perform wet mopping operations on the floor surface 50 of the environment 40. As discussed in further detail below, the controller 111 can determine when to move the pad tray 141 and the mopping pad 142 between the stored position and the cleaning position.

Network Examples

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating by way of example and not limitation a communication network 300 that enables networking between the mobile robot 100 and one or more other devices, such as a mobile device 304 (including a controller), a cloud computing system 306 (including a controller), or another autonomous robot 308 separate from the mobile robot 100. Using the communication network 300, the robot 100, the mobile device 100, the robot 308, and the cloud computing system 306 can communicate with one another to transmit and receive data from one another. In some examples, the robot 100, the robot 308, or both the robot 100 and the robot 308 communicate with the mobile device 304 through the cloud computing system 306. Alternatively, or additionally, the robot 100, the robot 308, or both the robot 100 and the robot 308 communicate directly with the mobile device 304. Various types and combinations of wireless networks (e.g., Bluetooth, radio frequency, optical based, etc.) and network architectures (e.g., wi-fi or mesh networks) can be employed by the communication network 300.

In some examples, the mobile device 304 can be a remote device that can be linked to the cloud computing system 306 and can enable a user to provide inputs. The mobile device 304 can include user input elements such as, for example, one or more of a touchscreen display, buttons, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, or other devices that respond to inputs provided by the user. The mobile device 304 can also include immersive media (e.g., virtual reality) with which the user can interact to provide input. The mobile device 304, in these examples, can be a virtual reality headset or a head-mounted display.

The user can provide inputs corresponding to commands for the mobile robot 100. In such cases, the mobile device 304 can transmit a signal to the cloud computing system 306 to cause the cloud computing system 306 to transmit a command signal to the mobile robot 100. In some implementations, the mobile device 304 can present augmented reality images. In some implementations, the mobile device 304 can be a smart phone, a laptop computer, a tablet computing device, or other mobile device.

According to some examples discussed herein, the mobile device 304 can include a user interface configured to display a map of the robot environment. A robot path, such as that identified by a coverage planner, can also be displayed on the map. The interface can receive a user instruction to modify the environment map, such as by adding, removing, or otherwise modifying a keep-out zone in the environment; adding, removing, or otherwise modifying a focused cleaning zone in the environment (such as an area that requires repeated cleaning); restricting a robot traversal direction or traversal pattern in a portion of the environment; or adding or changing a cleaning rank, among others.

In some examples, the communication network 300 can include additional nodes. For example, nodes of the communication network 300 can include additional robots. Also, nodes of the communication network 300 can include network-connected devices that can generate information about the environment 20. Such a network-connected device can include one or more sensors, such as an acoustic sensor, an image capture system, or other sensor generating signals, to detect characteristics of the environment 40 from which features can be extracted. Network-connected devices can also include home cameras, smart sensors, or the like.

In the communication network 300, the wireless links can utilize various communication schemes, protocols, etc., such as, for example, Bluetooth classes, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth-low-energy, also known as BLE, 802.15.4, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), an infrared channel, satellite band, or the like. In some examples, wireless links can include any cellular network standards used to communicate among mobile devices, including, but not limited to, standards that qualify as 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, or the like. The network standards, if utilized, qualify as, for example, one or more generations of mobile telecommunication standards by fulfilling a specification or standards such as the specifications maintained by International Telecommunication Union. For example, the 4G standards can correspond to the International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced (IMT-Advanced) specification. Examples of cellular network standards include AMPS, GSM, GPRS, UMTS, LTE, LTE Advanced, Mobile WiMAX, and WiMAX-Advanced. Cellular network standards can use various channel access methods, e.g., FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, or SDMA.

Behavior Control Examples

FIGS. 4-10 show various methods of operating a mobile cleaning robot during a mission in an environment. The processors or controllers discussed below can be one or more of the controller 111 (or another controller of the robot 100), a controller of the mobile device 304, a controller of the cloud computing system 306, or a controller of the robot 308.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic view of a method of operating one or more systems or devices discussed herein. The method 400 can be a method of moving a mopping pad assembly based on one or more movement conditions. Other examples of the method 400 are discussed below. The steps or operations of the method 400 are illustrated in a particular order for convenience and clarity; many of the discussed operations can be performed in a different sequence or in parallel without materially impacting other operations. The method 400 as discussed includes operations performed by multiple different actors, devices, and/or systems. It is understood that subsets of the operations discussed in the method 400 can be attributable to a single actor, device, or system could be considered a separate standalone process or method. The above considerations can apply to additional methods discussed further below.

The method 400 can begin at step 402, where a mobile cleaning robot can navigate (or move) within an environment. For example, the robot 100 can navigate or move within the environment 20, such as during the performance of one or more cleaning missions. At step 404, it can be determined whether a movement condition is satisfied. For example, the controller 111 can determine, such as based on one or more signals from one or more sensors of the robot 100, whether the movement condition is satisfied. Various examples of movement conditions are discussed below. When the movement condition is not satisfied, movement of the mopping pad tray (e.g., the pad tray 141) can be prevented, inhibited, or interrupted. For example, the controller 111 can operate the brake 129 to limit or prevent movement of the pad assembly 108.

Also, when the movement condition is not satisfied, or one or more behaviors of the robot can be adjusted at step 406. For example, the robot 100 can navigate to a different location in the environment. When the movement condition is satisfied, a mopping pad tray of the mobile cleaning robot can be moved at step 408. For example, the pad assembly 108 of the robot 100 can be moved between a stored position and a cleaning position.

The movement condition can optionally include one or more movement conditions or a set of movement conditions. For example, the controller 111 can determine, such as using the sensors 128 or a current sensors of the motors 116 of the drive wheels 118, whether the mobile cleaning robot 100 is moving within the environment. One or more of these determinations can be used to determine whether to move the pad assembly 108. For example, the controller 111 can inhibit or interrupt movement of the pad assembly 108 when the robot 100 is determined to be moving.

Also, the controller 111 can determine whether a space to a rear of the body 102 of the mobile cleaning robot 100 is clear of clutter based on a location of the mobile cleaning robot in the environment 40 and based on a map of the environment 40. The controller 111 can inhibit or interrupt movement of the pad assembly 108 when it is determined that the region or location behind the robot 100 is not free of clutter. It can be determined that the space is free of clutter when a space to the rear of the body 102 is determined to be free of obstacles that can be detected by the robot 100 such as by using the image capture device 140 or other sensors of the robot 100 or by referencing locations of previously detected of obstacles and clutter on the map of the environment. For movement to proceed, the space that is clear behind the robot 100 can be between 10 centimeters and 40 centimeters. In some examples, the space for the robot to proceed (or move the pad assembly 108) can be about half a diameter of the robot 100, or about 15 to 20 centimeters.

Optionally, it can be determined whether the robot 100 has vacuumed the space behind the robot 100. For example, the controller 111 can determine whether a space to a rear of the body 102 of the mobile cleaning robot 100 has been vacuumed based on a location of the mobile cleaning robot in the environment 40, based on a map of the environment 40, or based on stored mission details. The controller 111 can inhibit or interrupt movement of the pad assembly 108 when it is determined that the region or location behind the robot 100 is not space that has been recently or previously vacuumed.

Optionally, it can be determined whether the robot 100 has recently vacuumed the space to be mopped. The controller 111 can inhibit or interrupt movement of the pad assembly 108 when it is determined that the region or location to be mopped is not recently or previously vacuumed space. Ensuring that the mopping pad assembly 108 will engage a previously vacuumed floor surface of the environment can help limit contact between the mopping pad assembly 108 and debris, which can help to prolong a cleaning ability of the mopping pad assembly and can help to limit pushing or carrying debris within the environment.

Another movement condition can be confirming that the pad assembly 108 has not stalled or is not experiencing a stall condition. For example, the controller 111 can determine whether the pad assembly 108 has stalled based on a signal from the encoder connected to the pad assembly 108. The controller 111 can compare the encoder signal to a pad assembly drive signal to determine whether the pad assembly 108 has stalled. Also, a signal from a current sensor of the pad assembly 108 can be used to determine whether the pad assembly 108 has stalled. Various other conditions can be used by the controller 111 to determine whether or not the pad assembly 108 can be moved, as discussed in further detail below.

The method 500 can be a method of determining whether a movement condition is satisfied such that the pad assembly or pad tray can be moved. For example, the method 500 can be a method of determining cliff conditions. The method 500 can be an independent method or can be a portion or step of any method discussed above or below, such as step 404 of the method 400.

The method 500 can begin at step 502, where it can be determined whether a cliff is detected. For example, the controller 111 can receive signals from the sensors 128 to determine whether a cliff is in the proximity of the robot 100. A cliff can be any significant drop in elevation from a floor surface (e.g., the floor surface 50 of the environment 40) on which the robot 100 is resting. For example, a cliff can be a stair or a step downward between rooms. When no cliff is detected, at step 504, the movement condition can be satisfied and the controller 111 can move the mopping pad assembly 108.

When a cliff is detected, it can then be determined whether the cliff is a rear cliff at step 506. When the cliff is a rear cliff, the movement condition is not satisfied, at step 508. For example, when the controller 111 receives signals from the sensors 128 located at a rear portion of the robot 100 indicating that a cliff is present, the controller 111 can determine that a rear cliff is present. When such a detection of a rear cliff is made, it can be determined that the movement condition is not satisfied at step 508. In such a case, movement of the pad assembly 108 can be inhibited, interrupted, or prevented, at least until no rear cliff is detected. Limiting pad movements during detection of a rear cliff can help the robot 100 complete a higher percentage of its missions.

When it is determined, e.g., by the controller 111, that a rear cliff is not detected, it can be determined whether the mopping pad tray is in motion at step 510. For example, the controller 111 can receive a signal, such as from an encoder of the robot 100, which can be used by the controller 111 to determine that the pad assembly 108 is moving or is about to move. When it is determined that the pad assembly 108 is not already in motion, the condition is not satisfied at step 512 and movement of the pad assembly 108 can be inhibited, interrupted, or prevented, at least until no cliff is detected.

When it is determined that the pad assembly 108 is already in motion and that the cliff is not a rear cliff (e.g., the cliff is a front cliff or a side cliff), at step 514, movement of the pad assembly 108 can be limited to only horizontal movement of the pad assembly 108. For example, if it is determined by the controller 111 that the pad assembly 108 is moving toward the cleaning position and the pad assembly 108 has already moved through the vertical portion of the movement, the controller 111 can allow the pad assembly 108 to move horizontally to the cleaning position. Similarly, if it is determined by the controller 111 that the pad assembly 108 is moving toward the stored position and the pad assembly 108 has already moved through the vertical portion of the movement, the controller 111 can allow the pad assembly 108 to move horizontally to the stored position. Allowing some horizontal movement of the pad assembly 108 relative to a body of the robot 100 and limiting vertical movement of the pad assembly 108 relative to a body of the robot when a front or side cliff is detected can help the robot 100 complete a higher percentage of its missions while allowing the robot 100 to operate efficiently.

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic view of a method 600 of operating one or more systems or devices discussed herein. For example, the method 600 can be a method of determining pad brake conditions. The method 600 can be an independent method or can be a portion or step of any method discussed above or below, such as step 404 of the method 400.

The method 600 can begin at step 602 where a pad brake can be applied to the pad assembly. For example, the controller 111 can operate the brake 129 to activate and engage the pad assembly 108. At step 604 the pad tray of the pad assembly 108 can be driven to move towards deployment, such as toward the cleaning position. At step 606 it can be determined whether the pad assembly moves following the instruction to drive the pad assembly. For example, the controller 111 can receive a signal from the encoder to determine whether the pad assembly 108 has moved in response to the drive signal. If it is determined that the pad assembly 108 moves, the movement condition is not satisfied, at step 608. In such a case, operation of the pad assembly 108 can be limited by the controller 111 and the controller 111 can produce an alert.

If the pad assembly 108 does not move, the pad assembly 108 can be driven toward the storage position. Then, at step 612 it can be determined whether the pad assembly moves following the instruction to drive the pad assembly. For example, the controller 111 can receive a signal from the encoder to determine whether the pad assembly 108 has moved in response to the drive signal. If it is determined that the pad assembly 108 moves, the movement condition is not satisfied at step 614. In such a case, operation of the pad assembly 108 can be limited by the controller 111 and the controller 111 can produce an alert. If the pad assembly does not move, the movement condition can be satisfied at step 616 and the brake (e.g., the brake 129) can be released at step 618. Optionally, the brake 129 can be released following the step 606 and the step 610 to allow the pad assembly 108 the freedom to move within its normal range of operation during testing of the pad brake 129.

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic view of a method of operating one or more systems or devices discussed herein. For example, the method 700 can be a method of determining whether a pad motor encoder connected to a pad drive motor is operating in a specified manner. The method 700 can be an independent method or can be a portion or step of any method discussed above or below, such as step 404 of the method 400.

The method 700 can begin at step 702 where the pad motor can be operated (such as to drive the pad tray of the pad assembly 108). At step 704 it can be determined whether an output signal of the encoder is within a predetermined voltage range. For example, the encoder can be configured so that it operates within a range less than a full range of its standard voltage range, such as between 10 percent and 90 percent. Then, when the controller 111 receives the encoder signal, the controller 111 can determine whether the voltage is outside the operational range (e.g., below 10 percent or above 90 percent). When the voltage is outside the operational range, it can be determined that the movement condition is not met, at step 706 and movement of the pad assembly 108 can be inhibited or interrupted. Optionally, when the voltage range is outside of the operating range, the controller 111 can determine whether a short exists and can produce an alert when there is a short of the encoder. Optionally, the signal can be a signal varying in current.

The controller 111 can also compare the encoder signal to stored values of the encoder, which can be received from factory testing or from a fleet of robots, such as from the cloud computing system 306. The controller 111 or the cloud computing system 306 can compare the encoder signals to determine a health or operational status of the encoder of the robot 100, such as to determine whether the encoder is failing or has failed.

If it is determined (e.g., by the controller 111) that the encoder signal is within the normal operating range, it can be determined whether the encoder count is correct at step 708. The encoder count can be a number of counts of movement or counts of rotation of a motor that drives the pad assembly 108. The controller 111 can deduce or determine how far the pad assembly 108 has moved based on the number of counts. An absolute value can optionally be used.

When the motor is driven, the controller 111 can receive a signal from the encoder to determine the encoder count. When the motor is driven for a period of time, the controller 111 can compare an expected count for the given period of time to a calculated, received, or determined count. If the determined count does not match the expected count, it can be determined that the movement condition is not satisfied at step 710 and movement of the pad assembly 108 can be inhibited or interrupted. Optionally, an alert can be produced indicating that there is a problem with the drive system of the pad assembly 108 or the encoder, such as a stall condition. If the count is as expected or within a normal range or tolerance, the condition can be satisfied at step 712.

The counts can be observed over multiple time frames or under different circumstances. For example, the controller 111 can check the expected count against the received count over a short period of time (e.g., 1 second or less) at any time during movement of the pad assembly 108, such as to help detect any slippage, stalls, or other errors. Optionally, the controller 111 can check the expected count against the received count over a longer period of time (e.g., 10 seconds or more) during a full range of motion of the pad assembly 108 or an operational test thereof, such as to help detect any slippage, stalls, or other errors.

The count can be used in other ways to determine if the motor or encoder are operating properly. For example, the lowest count can be set to a position of the pad assembly 108 past the stored position and the highest count can be set to a position of the pad assembly 108 past the deployed or cleaning position. Optionally, the normal range can be set to about 30 degrees and 330 degrees of rotation of the encoder such that a reading below 30 degrees or above 330 degrees can indicate that the pad assembly 108 has moved beyond its normal operating range. This can allow the controller 111 to determine when the pad assembly 108 has improperly moved past the stored position or has moved improperly past the cleaning position. In either situation, the controller 111 can limit or inhibit further movement of the pad assembly 108 or can produce an alert.

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic view of a method of operating one or more systems or devices discussed herein. For example, the method 800 can be a method of navigating a robot to a space where the pad assembly can be moved. The method 800 can be an independent method or can be a portion or step of any method discussed above or below, such as step 404 of the method 400.

The method 800 can begin at step 802 where the robot can be navigated to empty space. The controller 111 can use a map of the environment along with data collected from sensors (e.g., from the bump sensors 139 and the image capture device 140) to determine which grid cells or locations on the map are free of clutter. It can be determined that the space is free of clutter when a space to the rear of the body 102 is determined to be free of obstacles that can be detected by the robot 100, as discussed above. When the controller 111 determines that the space is free of clutter, the pad motor can be operated (e.g., by the controller 111) at step 804.

At step 806 it can be determined whether a stall condition of the sensors 128 exists. For example, the controller 111 can use signals from the pad assembly 108 such as the motor encoder or a current sensor of the motor to determine whether the pad assembly 108 is in a stall condition. If the pad assembly 108 is not stalled, the condition can be satisfied at mass storage 808 and movement of the pad assembly 108 can continue. Optionally, steps 804 through 808 can be repeated so long as the pad assembly 108 is moving.

If a stall condition is detected, it can be determined whether the pad has moved at step 810, such as by the controller 111 based on one or more signals (e.g., the encoder signal). If it is determined that the pad has moved, the pad assembly 108 can be retracted at step 812 and an error can be reported at step 814. If it is determined that the pad has not moved, the error can be reported at step 814. Thereafter, the step 802 can be repeated where the robot 100 can be navigated to a different empty space to attempt to move the pad again. Upon a determination of multiple failures, the controller 111 can produce an additional or different alert indicating the failures and the controller 111 can inhibit further movement of the pad assembly 108.

Optionally, the controller 111 can move the pad assembly 108 in certain circumstances. For example, the pad assembly 108 can be moved to the stored position when the robot 100 is first started up. Also, the pad assembly 108 can be moved to the stored position when the robot 100 is performing a docking routine. Further, the pad assembly 108 can be moved to the stored position when the robot 100 is paused and away from the dock. This can help to prevent the pad assembly 108 from being stuck in the cleaning position in case the battery becomes depleted while the robot 100 is away from the dock. Also, the pad assembly 108 can be moved to the storage position before evacuation of the debris bin by the docking station.

The controller 111 can also inhibit or interrupt sending of a signal to move the pad assembly 108 for other reasons, such as when the controller 111 determines that the robot 100 is on a carpeted surface, when the pad assembly 108 is already moving, or when the pad assembly 108 is already in the desired position. Though a standard rule can be to inhibit or interrupt movement of the pad assembly 108 when the robot 100 is moving, an exception can be a movement routine performed by the robot 100 during movement of the pad from the stored position and the cleaning position or from the cleaning position to the stored position, as discussed below with respect to FIGS. 9A-9D.

FIGS. 9A-9D illustrate perspective views of a mobile cleaning robot 900 in a moving relative to a floor surface during movement of a pad assembly 908. FIDS. 9A and 9D also show position P and directions D1 and D2. FIGS. 9A-9D are discussed together below.

The mobile cleaning robot 900 can be similar to the robot 100 discussed above in that the mobile cleaning robot 900 can include a body 902 and a pad assembly 908 including a pad tray 941 movable relative to the body 902 via arms 906. FIGS. 9A-9D show how the mobile cleaning robot 900 can move relative to the floor 50 while the pad tray 941 moves relative to the body 902.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 9A, the tray 941 can be in a cleaning position and a rear portion of the body 902 can be aligned with position P. When a controller (e.g., the controller 111) moves the pad tray 941 toward the stored position, the controller can move the body 902. As shown in FIG. 9B, as the pad tray extends in direction D2, the controller 111 can move the body 902 in direction D1 such that the pad tray remains at the position P. The pad tray 941 can move upward, as shown in FIG. 9C, such that a rear portion of the pad tray 941 is still at the position P.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9D, as the pad tray 941 moves (horizontally) in direction D1 toward the stored position, the controller 111 can move the body 902 in the direction D2 such that when the pad tray 941 is fully stored, the rear portion of the pad tray and the rear portion of the body are at the position P. In this way, the mobile cleaning robot 900 can avoid moving any component rearward of the position P during moving of the pad tray 941 from the cleaning position to the stored position (or from the stored position to the cleaning position). This movement routine can help limit engagement between the pad tray 941 and clutter or obstacles within the environment 40 as the pad tray 941 is moved between the stored position and the cleaning position.

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine 1000 upon which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methodologies) discussed herein may perform. Examples, as described herein, may include, or may operate by, logic or a number of components, or mechanisms in the machine 1000. Circuitry (e.g., processing circuitry) is a collection of circuits implemented in tangible entities of the machine 1000 that include hardware (e.g., simple circuits, gates, logic, etc.). Circuitry membership may be flexible over time. Circuitries include members that may, alone or in combination, perform specified operations when operating. In an example, hardware of the circuitry may be immutably designed to carry out a specific operation (e.g., hardwired). In an example, the hardware of the circuitry may include variably connected physical components (e.g., execution units, transistors, simple circuits, etc.) including a machine readable medium physically modified (e.g., magnetically, electrically, moveable placement of invariant massed particles, etc.) to encode instructions of the specific operation. In connecting the physical components, the underlying electrical properties of a hardware constituent are changed, for example, from an insulator to a conductor or vice versa. The instructions enable embedded hardware (e.g., the execution units or a loading mechanism) to create members of the circuitry in hardware via the variable connections to carry out portions of the specific operation when in operation. Accordingly, in an example, the machine readable medium elements are part of the circuitry or are communicatively coupled to the other components of the circuitry when the device is operating. In an example, any of the physical components may be used in more than one member of more than one circuitry. For example, under operation, execution units may be used in a first circuit of a first circuitry at one point in time and reused by a second circuit in the first circuitry, or by a third circuit in a second circuitry at a different time. Additional examples of these components with respect to the machine 1000 follow.

In alternative embodiments, the machine 1000 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 1000 may operate in the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both in server-client network environments. In an example, the machine 1000 may act as a peer machine in peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The machine 1000 may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), other computer cluster configurations.

The machine (e.g., computer system) 1000 may include a hardware processor 1002 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 1004, a static memory (e.g., memory or storage for firmware, microcode, a basic-input-output (BIOS), unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI), etc.) 1006, and mass storage 1008 (e.g., hard drive, tape drive, flash storage, or other block devices) some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., bus) 1030. The machine 1000 may further include a display unit 1010, an alphanumeric input device 1012 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 1014 (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the display unit 1010, input device 1012 and UI navigation device 1014 may be a touch screen display. The machine 1000 may additionally include a storage device (e.g., drive unit) 1008, a signal generation device 1018 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 1020, and one or more sensors 1016, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, compass, accelerometer, or other sensor. The machine 1000 may include an output controller 1028, such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection to communicate or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, card reader, etc.).

Registers of the processor 1002, the main memory 1004, the static memory 1006, or the mass storage 1008 may be, or include, a machine readable medium 1022 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 1024 (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 1024 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within any of registers of the processor 1002, the main memory 1004, the static memory 1006, or the mass storage 1008 during execution thereof by the machine 1000. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 1002, the main memory 1004, the static memory 1006, or the mass storage 1008 may constitute the machine readable media 1022. While the machine readable medium 1022 is illustrated as a single medium, the term “machine readable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) configured to store the one or more instructions 1024.

The term “machine readable medium” may include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 1000 and that cause the machine 1000 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-limiting machine readable medium examples may include solid-state memories, optical media, magnetic media, and signals (e.g., radio frequency signals, other photon based signals, sound signals, etc.). In an example, a non-transitory machine readable medium comprises a machine readable medium with a plurality of particles having invariant (e.g., rest) mass, and thus are compositions of matter. Accordingly, non-transitory machine-readable media are machine readable media that do not include transitory propagating signals. Specific examples of non-transitory machine readable media may include: non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

The instructions 1024 may be further transmitted or received over a communications network 1026 using a transmission medium via the network interface device 1020 utilizing any one of a number of transfer protocols (e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellular networks), Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards known as Wi-Fi®, IEEE 802.16 family of standards known as WiMax®), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, among others. In an example, the network interface device 1020 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or phone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communications network 1026. In an example, the network interface device 1020 may include a plurality of antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) techniques. The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 1000, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such software. A transmission medium is a machine readable medium.

NOTES AND EXAMPLES

The following, non-limiting examples, detail certain aspects of the present subject matter to solve the challenges and provide the benefits discussed herein, among others.

Example 1 is a method of operating a mobile cleaning robot, the method comprising: navigating the mobile cleaning robot within an environment; determining whether a movement condition is satisfied; and moving a mopping pad tray relative to a body of the mobile cleaning robot between a cleaning position and a stored position in response to receipt of a command to move the mopping pad tray when the movement condition is satisfied.

In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 includes, wherein determining whether the movement condition is satisfied includes detecting a rear cliff.

In Example 3, the subject matter of Example 2 includes, inhibiting or interrupting movement of the mopping pad tray when the rear cliff is detected.

In Example 4, the subject matter of Examples 2-3 includes, wherein moving the mopping pad tray between the cleaning position and the stored position includes moving the mopping pad tray in a horizontal direction relative to the body and a vertical direction relative to the body.

In Example 5, the subject matter of Example 4 includes, wherein determining whether the movement condition is satisfied includes detecting at least one of a front cliff or a side cliff.