Cleaning robot and controlling method thereof

• US 10,542,859 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2016
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Dong Hyun, Kim, In Joo, Shin, Dong Min, Yoo, Jeong Ki, Lee, Dong Hun, Chun, Ji Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Melton, Todd M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roberson, Jason R
• Application Number:
  US15/548,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20180020893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 701 26, 701 28, 700245, 700253, 700255, 700259, 15319, 173 1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/22 with rotary fans
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0411 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/28 Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• 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: A47L 9/30 Arrangement of illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/04 Viewing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/02 Control of position or course in two dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0248 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 : Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 : Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 : Optical

Abstract

Disclosed is a cleaning robot for creating a 3Dimensional (3D) obstacle map including information about a height of an object existing on an area to be cleaned, and cleaning the area to be cleaned based on the 3D obstacle map, and a method of controlling the cleaning robot. In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided. The cleaning robot includes a main body, a moving portion configured to move the main body, an obstacle sensor configured to sense a height of an obstacle, and a controller configured to create an obstacle map including information about the height of the obstacle.

Claims

1. A cleaning robot comprising:

a main body;

a moving portion to move the main body;

an obstacle sensor to sense a height of an obstacle in one or more areas;

a camera mounted on an upper portion of the main body, and configured to acquire an upper view image of the cleaning robot; and

a controller configured to;

store an obstacle map of a first area including information about the height of the obstacle, based on the sensed height of the obstacle,

store a feature point map of the first area by extracting a feature point from the upper view image acquired by the camera,

when the cleaning robot is moved from the first area to a second area by an external force, store the obstacle map of the second area and the feature point map of the second area, and

when the cleaning robot reenters the first area, control the moving portion to move the main body to clean from a point where the cleaning is stopped in the first area, based on the obstacle map of the first area, the obstacle map of the second area, the feature point map of the first area and the feature point map of the second area.

2. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine whether the height of the obstacle existing on the obstacle map is higher than or equal to a predetermined height; and

control the moving portion so that the main body avoids the obstacle, based on the determination by the controller that the height of the obstacle is higher than or equal to the predetermined height.

3. The cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the moving portion to climb over the obstacle, based on the determination by the controller that the height of the obstacle is lower than the predetermined height.

4. The cleaning robot according to claim 1,

wherein the obstacle map comprises at least one of a two-dimensional (2D) obstacle map or the information about the height of the obstacle, and

wherein the obstacle map comprises at least one of shape information or type information of the obstacle.

5. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the obstacle sensor is further configured to irradiate light downward at a predetermined angle with respect to a front direction.

6. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the obstacle sensor is further configured to be tilted downward at a predetermined angle with respect to a front direction.

7. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the obstacle sensor comprises:

an optical module to transmit and receive light; and

a rotary driver to rotate the optical module.

8. The cleaning robot according to claim 7, wherein the optical module comprises:

a light emitting portion to transmit light; and

a light receiving portion to receive light incident from outside of the cleaning robot.

9. The cleaning robot according to claim 8, wherein the light emitting portion includes a laser source, and the light receiving portion includes an image sensor.

10. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to match the feature point map of the first area with the feature point map of the second area, based on the cleaning robot moving from the first area to the second area by the external force.

11. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to match the obstacle map of the first area with the obstacle map of the second area, based on the cleaning robot moving from the first area to the second area by the external force.

12. The cleaning robot according to claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to:

detect a feature point included in the feature point map of the first area from the feature point map of the second area; and

match the feature point map of the first area with the feature point map of the second area using the detected feature point.

13. The cleaning robot according to claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to perform coordinate transformation on the feature point map of the second area such that coordinates of the detected feature point are identical to coordinates of the corresponding feature point in the feature point map of the first area, to thereby match the feature point map of the second area with the feature point map of the first area.

14. The cleaning robot according to claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to perform coordinate transformation on an obstacle map of the second area to match the obstacle map of the second area with an obstacle map of the first area.

15. A method of controlling a cleaning robot, comprising:

sensing, by an obstacle sensor of the cleaning robot, a height of an obstacle in one or more areas;

acquiring, by a camera, an upper view image of the cleaning robot;

storing, by a controller of the cleaning robot, an obstacle map of a first area including information about the height of the obstacle, based on the sensed height of the obstacle;

storing, by the controller, a feature point map of the first area by extracting a feature point from the upper view image acquired by the camera;

when the cleaning robot is moved from the first area to a second area by an external force, storing the obstacle map of the second area and the feature point map of the second area; and

when the cleaning robot reenters the first area, controlling, by the controller, a moving portion to move the main body to clean from a point where the cleaning is stopped in the first area, based on the obstacle map of the first area, the obstacle map of the second area, the feature point map of the first area and the feature point map of the second area.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

determining, by the controller, whether the height of the obstacle existing on the obstacle map is higher than or equal to a predetermined height; and

moving, at the moving portion of the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot such that the cleaning robot avoids the obstacle, based on the determination that the height of the obstacle is higher than or equal to the predetermined height.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

moving, at the moving portion of the cleaning robot, the cleaning robot such that the cleaning robot climbs over the obstacle, based on the height of the obstacle being lower than the predetermined height.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein, based on the cleaning robot moving from the first area to the second area by the external force, the method further comprises:

detecting the feature point included in the feature point map of the first area from the feature point map of the second area;

performing coordinate transformation on the feature point map of the second area such that coordinates of the detected feature point are identical to coordinates of the corresponding feature point in the feature point map of the first area;

matching the feature point map of the second area on which the coordinate transformation has been performed with the feature point map of the first area;

performing the coordinate transformation on an obstacle map of the second area; and

matching the obstacle map of the second area on which the coordinate transformation has been performed, with an obstacle map of the first area.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

cleaning the remaining space of the first area except for space cleaned in the first area using the matched feature point map, based on the cleaning robot entering the first area.