Robot cleaner and method for controlling the same

• US 10,624,517 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2016
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everybot Inc.
• Original Assignee: Everybot Inc.
• Inventors: Jung, Woo Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greene, Daniel L
• Application Number:
  US15/549,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20180028033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/16 the tools being disc brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/282 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/283 the tools being disc brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4005 Arrangements of batteries or cells; Electric power supply arrangements
• 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 11/4038 Disk shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4066 Propulsion of the whole machine
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4069 Driving or transmission means for the cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• 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: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0238 using obstacle or wall sensors G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0285 using signals transmitted via a public communication network, e.g. GSM network

Abstract

Provided herein is a robot cleaner. The robot cleaner includes a main body, a driving unit provided in the main body and supplying power for traveling of the robot cleaner, first and second rotary members respectively rotating about first and second rotational axes based on power from the driving unit and allowing cleaners for wet cleaning to be fixed thereto, a sensing unit sensing whether a traveling position of the robot cleaner is below an obstacle, and a controller controlling, when it is determined that the traveling position of the robot cleaner is below the obstacle on the basis of a sensing signal from the sensing unit, the driving unit such that the robot cleaner avoids a lower side of the obstacle.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body;

a rechargeable battery for supplying electric power to the robot cleaner;

a driving unit disposed in the main body and driving the robot cleaner;

first and second rotary members respectively rotating about first and second rotational axes by the power supplied from the battery, wherein one or more cleaning tools for wet cleaning are detachably attached to the first and second rotary members;

a sensing unit sensing whether the robot cleaner is located underneath an obstacle; and

a controller controlling the driving unit, wherein when the controller determines that the robot cleaner is located underneath the obstacle based on a sensing signal received from the sensing unit, the controller controls the driving unit to drive the robot cleaner to move to escape from a lower side of the obstacle to prevent the battery from being discharged while being located underneath the obstacle,

wherein each of the first and second rotational axes is tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to a central axis in a vertical direction of the robot cleaner, wherein each of the first and second rotary members is tilted with respect to the central axis such that a region of each of the first and second rotational members away from the central axis is configured to be more strongly adhered to a target cleaning surface than another region of each of the first and second rotational members closer to the central axis.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit includes at least one of an illumination sensor for determining whether the robot cleaner is located underneath the obstacle by sensing ambient brightness and a distance sensor for determining whether the robot cleaner is located underneath the obstacle by sensing a distance to a lower surface of the obstacle.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to check a residual value of the battery and to control the driving unit, if the controller predicts that the battery is to be discharged while the robot cleaner is located underneath the obstacle, and wherein the robot cleaner moves to escape from the lower side of the obstacle.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein

the driving unit includes a first driving unit for rotating the first rotary member about the first rotational axis and a second driving unit for rotating the second rotary member about the second rotational axis, and

when the robot cleaner is located underneath the obstacle, the controller controls at least one of a rotation direction and a rotation speed of at least one of the first and second driving units, and the robot cleaner moves to escape from the lower side of the obstacle.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 4, wherein the controller controls at least one of the rotation direction and the rotation speed of at least one of the first and second driving units, the robot cleaner travels along a boundary region between a region underneath the obstacle and a region not underneath the obstacle.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 5, wherein the controller controls at least one of the rotation direction and the rotation speed of at least one of the first and second driving units, and a front side and a rear side of the robot cleaner are consecutively disposed to be parallel to the boundary region according to a traveling path of the robot cleaner along the boundary region.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 5, wherein the controller controls at least one of the rotation direction and the rotation speed of at least one of the first and second driving units, and a flank of the robot cleaner is disposed to be parallel to the boundary region to move straightly along the boundary region.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 4, wherein the controller controls at least one of the rotation direction and the rotation speed of at least one of the first and second driving units, and the robot cleaner travels in a direction opposite to the lower side of the obstacle.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 5, wherein the controller controls the robot cleaner to travel along the boundary region in a state in which a portion of the robot cleaner is positioned beneath the obstacle and another portion thereof is not positioned beneath the obstacle.

10. A method for controlling a robot cleaner, the method comprising:

rotating at least one of first and second rotary members respectively about first and second rotational axes to control the robot cleaner to travel in a specific traveling direction;

determining whether the robot cleaner is located beneath an obstacle while the robot cleaner is traveling; and

when the robot cleaner is located beneath the obstacle and it is predicted that a rechargeable battery for supplying electric power to the robot cleaner will be discharged while being located underneath the obstacle, controlling a driving unit for driving the robot cleaner such that the robot cleaner moves to escape from a lower side of the obstacle.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising checking a residual value of the battery,

wherein the controlling of the robot cleaner to move to escape from the lower side of the obstacle is performed only when it is predicted that the battery is to be discharged while the robot cleaner is located beneath the obstacle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein

the driving unit includes a first driving unit for rotating the first rotary member about the first rotational axis and a second driving unit for rotating the second rotary member about the second rotational axis, and,

when the robot cleaner is located underneath the obstacle, at least one of a rotation direction and a rotation speed of at least one of the first and second driving units is controlled such that the robot cleaner moves to escape from the lower side of the obstacle.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein

at least one of the rotation direction and the rotation speed of at least one of the first and second driving units is controlled such that the robot cleaner travels along a boundary region between a region underneath the obstacle and a region not underneath the obstacle.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein

the robot cleaner is controlled to travel along the boundary region in a state in which a portion of the robot cleaner is positioned underneath the obstacle and another portion thereof is not positioned underneath the obstacle.