An apparatus for guiding an autonomous vehicle towards a docking station including an autonomous vehicle with a camera-based sensing system, a drive system for driving the autonomous vehicle, and a control system for controlling the drive system. The apparatus includes a docking station including a first fiducial marker and a second fiducial marker, wherein the second fiducial marker is positioned on the docking station to define a predetermined relative spacing with the first fiducial marker, wherein the control system is operable to receive an image provided by the camera-based sensing system, the image including a representation of the first and second fiducial markers, and to control the drive system so as to guide the autonomous vehicle towards the base station based on a difference between the representation of the first and second fiducial markers in the received image and the predetermined relative spacing between the first and second fiducial markers.

The disclosure relates to a method for mapping a processing area, in particular for determining a processing area, as part of a navigation method for autonomous robot vehicles. According to the disclosure, said method is characterized in that boundary lines between adjoining mapped and unmapped subareas of the processing area that is to be mapped are identified by comparing distances traveled by the robot vehicle during an initial mapping trip within the processing area, mapping of an unmapped subarea adjoining a boundary line is initiated from a point on one of those identified boundary lines during another mapping trip of the robot vehicle into the unmapped subarea, and a map of the processing area is created on the basis of the subareas mapped by the robot vehicle.

A guide-type virtual wall system is provided. The system comprises a beacon (11, 44) and a robot (12), wherein a transmission module of the beacon (11, 44) directionally transmits a first signal, and an area covered by the first signal defines a beacon signal area (13). The robot (12) comprises a beacon signal receiving module corresponding to the beacon signal transmission module. When the robot (12) enters the beacon signal area (13) and the beacon signal receiving module detects the first signal, the robot (12) advances towards the direction of the beacon (11, 44) until it detects a second signal, and then the robot (12) crosses over or exits from the beacon signal area (13). The system can restrict the robot (12) from entering a certain area, wherein the area where a virtual wall is located is not missed, and the robot (12) is also enabled to cross over the virtual wall to enter the restricted area when required.

A method for determining an energy-efficient path of an autonomous device wherein said autonomous device moves over a global grid of cells into which a given operating area has been split, the method being characterized in that determination of said energy-efficient path comprises the steps of: processing of the current cell (201); taking a measurement σ of the processing (202); classifying the measurement σ to be of a particular level Σ (203), taking into account a predefined division, of the measurements results range, into a plurality of measurements levels; storing said classified measurement in a memory of the autonomous device (204) and associating it with the current cell; selecting a reference probability grid (205); updating (207) the probabilities by applying the reference grid (100) to the global grid at its current position such that every cell on the reference grid (100) corresponds unambiguously to one cell on the global grid;

and moving the autonomous device to a next cell of the global grid (208) and setting said next cell as the current cell (201) in order to process the next cell.

The invention relates to a vacuum cleaner robot comprising a dust collector arrangement mounted on wheels, a suction hose and a floor nozzle mounted on wheels, where the floor nozzle is fluidically connected to the dust collector arrangement via the suction hose, also comprising a motorized fan unit for suctioning an air stream in through the floor nozzle, where the motorized fan unit is arranged between the floor nozzle and the dust collector arrangement in such a manner that an air stream suctioned in through the floor nozzle flows through the motorized fan unit and into the dust collector arrangement. where the dust collector arrangement comprises a drive device in order to drive at least one of the wheels of the dust collector arrangement, and where the floor nozzle comprises a drive device in order to drive at least one of the wheels of the floor nozzle.

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner robot comprising a floor nozzle supported on wheels and a dust collection unit, wherein the floor nozzle comprises a driving device for driving at least one of the wheels of the floor nozzle, wherein one of the wheels, a plurality of or all of the wheels of the floor nozzle are omnidirectional wheels, wherein the floor nozzle comprises a base plate with a base surface, which, when the vacuum cleaner robot is in operation, faces the surface to be cleaned, the base plate having provided therein an air flow channel, which extends parallel to the base surface and through which air to be cleaned enters the floor nozzle, and wherein the floor nozzle comprises a rotating means for rotating the air flow channel about an axis perpendicular to the base surface.

The disclosure relates to a moving apparatus for cleaning, a collaborative cleaning system, and a method of controlling the same, the moving apparatus for cleaning including: a cleaner configured to perform cleaning; a traveler configured to move the moving apparatus; a communicator configured to communicate with an external apparatus; and a processor configured to identify an individual cleaning region corresponding to the moving apparatus among a plurality of individual cleaning regions assigned to the moving apparatus and at least one different moving apparatus based on current locations throughout a whole cleaning region, based on information received through the communicator, and control the traveler and the cleaner to travel and clean the identified individual cleaning region. Thus, the individual cleaning regions are assigned based on the location information about the plurality of cleaning robots, and a collaborative clean is efficiently carried out with a total shortened cleaning time.

A cleaning area estimation device (30) includes an estimation unit (33) that estimates dirt information (D2) about an inside of a cleaning area on the basis of image information (D1) obtained by imaging a cleaning area by an imaging device (10), and a generation unit (34) that generates map information (D3) indicating a map of the dirt information about the cleaning area on the basis of the estimated time-series dirt information (D2).

An information presentation method that is executed by a computer includes acquiring travelling path information that includes a cleaning path and a relocation path, the cleaning path showing positions cleaned by a self-propelled vacuum cleaner in each of a plurality of regions included in a specific area, and the relocation path showing a route of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner that has travelled from one region to another region different from the one region out of the regions, the route being included in the specific area; generating presentation information that includes the cleaning path and the relocation path and that changes the mode of display of at least one of the cleaning path or the relocation path when a specific condition is satisfied; and presenting the presentation information to the user as the travelling path of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner in the specific area.

Methods and systems are described for robot transportation of objects into or out of a home automation system. One example may include determining, by a mobile robotic device, that an object is available to cross a boundary of the home automation system. The method may include deactivating at least a portion of the home automation system. The method also include retrieving, by the mobile robotic device, the object and transporting, by the mobile robotic device, the object across the boundary. The method further includes leaving, by the mobile robotic device, the object at a drop-off location. The method may also include reactivating at least the portion of the home automation system.