Robot cleaner and controlling method thereof

• US 10,019,013 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2016
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwak, No San, Roh, Kyung Shik, Park, Soon Yong, Yoon, Suk June, Lee, So Hee, Choi, Min Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Soofi, Yazan
• Application Number:
  US15/204,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20170102709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 701 28
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2842 Suction motors or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2847 Surface treating elements
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a robot cleaner and a control method of the robot cleaner, more particularly, to a robot cleaner configured to correct position information of the robot cleaner by acquiring a position of a docking station during the robot clear drives and to correct a map by using corrected position information, and a control method of the robot cleaner.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a body;

a driving unit configured to move the body;

a signal detector configured to detect an output signal of a docking station;

a position detector configured to acquire first position information of the body while the body moves;

a storage configured to store the first position information of the body acquired by the position detector; and

a controller, configured to calculate estimated position information for a next point while the body moves and when detecting the output signal of the docking station while the body moves, configured to estimate second position information of the body that is current position information of the robot cleaner using the output signal of the docking station and position information of the docking station, and configured to correct the first position information of the body to minimize an error included in the first position information using the second position information, the first position information and the estimated position information,

wherein the controller generates a map of driving trajectory using the first position information while the body moves and when the first position information is corrected, the controller updates the map of driving trajectory using the corrected first position information.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the controller acquires a position of the docking station by estimating a point in which directions of the output signal, which is detected in a plurality of different positions while the body moves, are intersected.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the controller acquires a position of the docking station by estimating a direction of the output signal by filtering the output signal, which is detected in a plurality of different positions while the body moves, according to the probability based filtering method using Bayse filter.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 3, wherein Bayse filter comprises at least one of Kalman Filter, Extended Kalman filter (EKF), Unscented Kalman filter (UKF), Information filter, Histogram Filter and Particle Filter.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the controller acquires a position of the docking station by measuring a direction of the output signal detected by the signal detector of the body, and by measuring a distance between the body and the docking station based on a type and an intensity of the output signal.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the signal detector comprises a signal receiver disposed at a plurality of positions of the body.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the signal detector detects at least one of a proximity signal, a mid-distance signal, a front signal, and an omnidirectional signal, which are differently output according to each position of a sensor installed in the docking station.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 7, wherein the signal detector differently detects an intensity of the output signal of the docking station according to a distance between the docking station and the body.

9. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the output signal of the docking station is an infrared signal.

10. A control method of a robot cleaner provided with a body and a driving unit to move the body, comprising:

detecting an output signal of a docking station;

acquiring first position information of the body while the body moves;

storing the first position information of the body detected by a position detector;

calculating estimated position information for a next point while the body moves;

generating a map of driving trajectory using the first position information while the body moves;

when detecting the output signal of the docking station while the body moves, estimating second position information of the body that is current position information of the robot cleaner using the output signal of the docking station and position information of the docking station; and

correcting the first position information of the body to minimize an error included in the first position information using the second position information, the first position information and the estimated position information; and

updating the map of driving trajectory using the corrected first position information.

11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein acquiring a position of the docking station is performed by estimating a point, in which directions of the output signal, which is detected in a plurality of different positions while the body moves, are intersected.

12. The control method according to claim 10, wherein acquiring a position of the docking station is performed by estimating a direction of the output signal by filtering the output signal, which is detected in a plurality of different positions while the body moves, according to the probability based filtering method using Bayse filter.

13. The control method according to claim 12, wherein acquiring a position of the docking station is performed by estimating a direction of the output signal by filtering the output signal according to the probability based filtering method including at least one of Kalman Filter, Extended Kalman filter (EKF), Unscented Kalman filter (UKF), Information filter, Histogram Filter and Particle Filter.

14. The control method according to claim 10, wherein acquiring a position of the docking station is performed by measuring a direction of the output signal detected by the signal detector of the body, and by measuring a distance between the body and the docking station based on a type and an intensity of the output signal.