Robot cleaner driving method

• US 20060237037A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jong Sung
• Application Number:
  US11/320,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20060237037A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/18
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a robot cleaner driving method. The robot cleaner driving method comprises one or more setting steps of setting an imaginary space, including a space to be cleaned, and partitioning the imaginary space into one or more cells, one or more cleaning steps, which are assigned to the respective cells, of driving the robot cleaner to clean the assigned cells such that the directions of driving the robot cleaner are perpendicular to each other in some of the assigned cells, and one or more turning steps, which are performed after the respective cleaning steps or the respective setting steps are completed, of driving the robot cleaner to the next cell to be cleaned, at which one of the cleaning steps assigned to the cell is performed, such that the imaginary space is cleaned in the direction of a spiral on a per cell basis. According to the present invention, unnecessary driving operations of the robot cleaner are reduced, completion of the cleaning operation is predicted, and the cleaning efficiency of the robot cleaner is improved.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner driving method, comprising:

one or more setting steps of setting an imaginary space, including a space to be cleaned, and partitioning the imaginary space into one or more cells;

one or more cleaning steps, which are assigned to the respective cells, of driving the robot cleaner to clean the assigned cells; and

one or more turning steps of driving the robot cleaner to the next cell to be cleaned, such that the imaginary space is cleaned on a per cell basis.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the turning steps are performed after the respective cleaning steps or the respective setting steps are completed.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the imaginary space is cleaned in the direction of a spiral on the per cell basis.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the respective setting steps are performed simultaneously when the cleaning steps or the turning steps are performed such that the respective setting steps are realized by restricting the space in which the robot cleaner is driven at the cleansing steps to be a part of the space to be cleaned.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein the imaginary space is cleaned in the direction of a spiral on the per cell basis.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the setting steps are performed again after the cleaning steps are completed, and, the setting steps are performed again such that the imaginary space is set excluding the already cleaned space.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the imaginary space is cleaned in the direction of a spiral on the per cell basis.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the robot cleaner is positioned on the space adjacent to the next cells to be cleaned when at least some of the cleansing steps are completed such that the robot cleaner is not required to be driven at the respective turning steps.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least some of the cleaning steps have similar drive routes.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the cells is formed in the shape of a rectangle or a square.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein at least some of the cleaning steps each comprises one or more driving steps of driving the robot cleaner along a zigzag route including:

a plurality of first routes arranged in parallel with one another at predetermined intervals such that the cleaning spaces are not overlapped with each other while the interior of each of the cells assigned to the corresponding cleaning steps is completely cleaned; and

a plurality of second routes connected between the adjacent first routes at the minimum distance such that the robot cleaner is continuously driven along the first routes while the first routes are not overlapped with one another.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the robot cleaner is driven in zigzags in the interior of each of the cells assigned to at least some of the cleaning steps, respectively.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein at least some of the cleaning steps each comprises one or more driving steps of driving the robot cleaner along a zigzag route including:

a plurality of first routes arranged in parallel with one another at predetermined intervals such that the cleaning spaces are not overlapped with each other while the interior of each of the cells assigned to the corresponding cleaning steps is completely cleaned; and

a plurality of second routes connected between the adjacent first routes at the minimum distance such that the robot cleaner is continuously driven along the first routes while the first routes are not overlapped with one another.

14. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least some of the cleaning steps each comprises one or more driving steps of driving the robot cleaner along a zigzag route including:

a plurality of first routes arranged in parallel with one another at predetermined intervals such that the cleaning spaces are not overlapped with each other while the interior of each of the cells assigned to the corresponding cleaning steps is completely cleaned; and

a plurality of second routes connected between the adjacent first routes at the minimum distance such that the robot cleaner is continuously driven along the first routes while the first routes are not overlapped with one another.

15. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the imaginary space is cleaned in the direction of a spiral on the per cell basis.

16. A robot cleaner driving method, comprising:

one or more setting steps of setting an imaginary space, including a space to be cleaned, and partitioning the imaginary space into one or more cells;

one or more cleaning steps, which are assigned to the respective cells, of driving the robot cleaner to clean the assigned cells;

one or more turning steps of driving the robot cleaner to the next cell to be cleaned, such that the imaginary space is cleaned on a per cell basis;

an obstruction sensing step of sensing an obstruction while the robot cleaner is driven during the execution of the cleaning steps or the turning steps; and

an obstruction detouring step for enabling the robot cleaner to detour the obstruction sensed at the obstruction sensing step while the robot cleaner is driven.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the imaginary space is cleaned in the direction of a spiral on the per cell basis.

18. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the turning steps are performed after the respective cleaning steps or the respective setting steps are completed.

19. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the respective setting steps are performed simultaneously when the cleaning steps or the turning steps are performed such that the respective setting steps are realized by restricting the space in which the robot cleaner is driven at the cleansing steps to be a part of the space to be cleaned.

20. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the setting steps are performed again after the cleaning steps are completed, and, the setting steps are performed again such that the imaginary space is set excluding the already cleaned space.

21. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the robot cleaner is positioned in the space adjacent to the next cells to be cleaned when at least some of the cleansing steps are completed such that the robot cleaner is not required to be driven at the respective turning steps.

22. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein at least some of the cleaning steps have similar drive routes.

23. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein each of the cells is formed in the shape of a rectangle or a square.

24. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the robot cleaner is driven in zigzags in the interior of each of the cells assigned to at least some of the cleaning steps, respectively.

25. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein at least some of the cleaning steps each comprises one or more driving steps of driving the robot cleaner along a zigzag route including:

a plurality of first routes arranged in parallel with one another at predetermined intervals such that the cleaning spaces are not overlapped with each other while the interior of each of the cells assigned to the corresponding cleaning steps is completely cleaned; and

a plurality of second routes connected between the adjacent first routes at the minimum distance such that the robot cleaner is continuously driven along the first routes while the first routes are not overlapped with one another.