Obstacle following sensor scheme for a mobile robot

A method for operating a mobile robot, the method comprising the steps of:ndetecting the presence of a wall;driving the robot, based on the detecting, to follow the wall until the wall is no longer detected; androtating the robot to seek the wall while determining:nwhether the wall is again detected,whether the robot is in contact with the wall, andwhether the robot has turned a predetermined angle without detecting or contacting the wall,wherein detecting comprises defining a finite volume of intersection space between a signal emission region and a detection region and driving the robot comprises causing the robot to be directed back towards the wall while the wall does not occupy the intersection space.

A method for operating a mobile robot, the method comprising the steps of:ndetecting the presence of a wall;driving the robot, based on the detecting, to follow the wall until the wall is no longer detected;rotating the robot to seek the wall while determining:nwhether the wall is again detected,whether the robot is in contact with the wall, andwhether the robot has turned a predetermined angle without detecting or contacting the wall; andrealigning the robot for travel along the wall in response to contacting or again detecting the wall.

A method for operating a mobile robot, the method comprising the steps of:ndetecting the presence of a wall;driving the robot, based on the detecting, to follow the wall until the wall is no longer detected;rotating the robot to seek the wall while determining:nwhether the wall is again detected,whether the robot is in contact with the wall, andwhether the robot has turned a predetermined angle without detecting or contacting the wall; andterminating a wall seeking routine in response to determining that the robot has turned a predetermined angle without encountering the wall.

A method for operating a mobile robot, the method comprising the steps of:ndetecting the presence of a wall;driving the robot, based on the detecting, to follow the wall until the wall is no longer detected;rotating the robot to seek the wall while determining:nwhether the wall is again detected,whether the robot is in contact with the wall, andwhether the robot has turned a predetermined angle without detecting or contacting the wall; anddetecting a level of ambient light and detecting a level of robot emitted light relative to the ambient light.

A method for operating a mobile robot, the method comprising the steps of:ndetecting the presence of a wall;driving the robot, based on the detecting, to follow the wall until the wall is no longer detected; androtating the robot to seek the wall while determining:nwhether the wall is again detected,whether the robot is in contact with the wall, andwhether the robot has turned a predetermined angle without detecting or contacting the wall,wherein driving the robot comprises maintaining a range of detected signal strength as a function of the orientation of the robot with respect to the wall.

A method for operating a mobile robot, the method comprising the steps of:ndetecting the presence of a wall;driving the robot, based on the detecting, to follow the wall until the wall is no longer detected;rotating the robot to seek the wall while determining:nwhether the wall is again detected,whether the robot is in contact with the wall, andwhether the robot has turned a predetermined angle without detecting or contacting the wall; andvarying the radius of rotation of the robot in response to the difference between a detected signal strength and a target signal strength.

A method for operating a mobile robot, the method comprising the steps of:ndetecting the presence of a wall;driving the robot, based on the detecting, to follow the wall until the wall is no longer detected;rotating the robot to seek the wall while determining:nwhether the wall is again detected,whether the robot is in contact with the wall, andwhether the robot has turned a predetermined angle without detecting or contacting the wall; andterminating a wall following routine in response to determining that the robot has rotated 360 degrees in following the wall or in seeking the wall since last detecting the wall.