Mobile robot system and method of controlling the same

• US 20100292839A1
• Filed: 05/12/2010
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chung, Woo Ram, Joo, Jae Man, Hong, Jun Pyo, Yoo, Kyung Hwan, Jung, Jae Young, Kim, Dong Won, Jang, Hwi Chan
• Granted Patent: US 8,688,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/253
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0085 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/00 Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages B25J1/00 takes precedence; programme-controlled manipulators B25J9/00 ; vehicle aspects B60, B62, e.g. remote-controlled steering for motor vehicles B62D1/24; control of position of vehicles G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1676 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0203 Cleaning or polishing vehicle

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a mobile robot system to restrict a traveling region of a robot and to guide the robot to another region, and a method of controlling the same. Only when a remote controller reception module of a beacon senses a signal transmitted from a mobile robot, the sensed result is reported to the mobile robot in the form of a response signal. In addition, the Field-of-View (FOV) of the remote control reception module is restricted by a directivity receiver. Only when the signal transmitted from the mobile robot is sensed within the restricted FOV, the sensed result is reported to the mobile robot.

Claims

1. A mobile robot system comprising:

a mobile robot to transmit a signal while traveling in a traveling region; and

a beacon to receive the signal transmitted from the mobile robot and to transmit a response signal to the mobile robot,

wherein the beacon restricts a Field-of-View (FOV) to receive the signal and transmits the response signal to the mobile robot only when the signal transmitted from the mobile robot is sensed to be within the restricted FOV.

2. The mobile robot system according to claim 1, wherein the signal transmitted from the mobile robot includes an infrared ray, a visible ray, an ultrasonic wave or a laser beam.

3. The mobile robot system according to claim 1, wherein the response signal transmitted from the beacon includes an infrared ray, a visible ray, an ultrasonic wave, a Radio Frequency (RF) signal or a laser beam.

4. The mobile robot system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter to transmit the signal to report a traveling state of the mobile robot, wherein the

signal is transmitted in packet units.

5. The mobile robot system according to claim 4, wherein the mobile robot comprises a main body and the transmitters are 360-degree spread lenses which are mounted on an upper side of a front surface of the main body of the mobile robot to transmit the signal in all directions in which the mobile robot travels.

6. The mobile robot system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile robot further includes:

a receiver to receive the response signal of the beacon; and

a robot control unit to control avoidance navigation of the mobile robot if the response signal of the beacon is received.

7. The mobile robot system according to claim 6, wherein the avoidance navigation of the mobile robot enables the mobile robot to rotate until the response signal of the beacon is not received.

8. The mobile robot system according to claim 7, wherein the robot control unit controls the mobile robot to start rotation when the response signal of the beacon is received and controls the mobile robot to finish rotation and to start cleaning navigation in a direction, in which the rotation is finished, when the response signal of the beacon is not received.

9. The mobile robot system according to claim 6, further comprising a plurality of the receivers, the mobile robot comprising a main body, and the receivers including 180-degree spread lenses which are mounted on a front surface and a side surface of a main body of the mobile robot at a predetermined interval to transmit and receive the signal in all directions in which the mobile robot travels.

10. The mobile robot system according to claim 1, wherein the beacon is mounted so as to be separated from the mobile robot.

11. The mobile robot system according to claim 10, wherein:

the beacon further includes a directivity receiver to receive the signal transmitted from the mobile robot within the restricted FOV, and

the directivity receiver is a slit-shaped remote controller reception module with a width, a length and a height to restrict the FOV.

12. The mobile robot system according to claim 11, wherein the directivity receiver includes a first directivity receiver to sense whether the mobile robot has approached a confinement border of the traveling region and a plurality of second directivity receivers to sense whether the mobile robot has crossed the confinement border and has approached a guide region to move to another region.

13. The mobile robot system according to claim 12, wherein the first directivity receiver receives a signal to prevent the mobile robot from crossing the confinement border while the mobile robot performs cleaning while traveling in the traveling region.

14. The mobile robot system according to claim 13, wherein the beacon comprises a main body, and the first directivity receiver is a slit for a confinement border recognition mode, which is mounted on an upper side of a front surface of the main body of the beacon.

15. The mobile robot system according to claim 14, wherein the second directivity receivers receive a signal to indicate that the mobile robot has completed cleaning of the traveling region.

16. The mobile robot system according to claim 15, wherein the second directivity receivers are slits for a movement mode, which are mounted on the left and right sides of the first directivity receiver.

17. The mobile robot system according to claim 10, wherein the beacon further includes an omnidirectional receiver to receive the signal transmitted from the mobile robot over 360 degrees and to sense whether the mobile robot has approached.

18. A method of controlling a mobile robot system, the method comprising:

at a mobile robot, transmitting a signal while traveling in a traveling region;

determining whether the signal transmitted from the mobile robot is sensed within a restricted Field-of-View (FOV) of a beacon;

at the beacon, transmitting a response signal to the mobile robot if the signal transmitted from the mobile robot is sensed within the restricted FOV; and

restricting traveling of the mobile robot such that the mobile robot does not cross a confinement border of the traveling region when the mobile robot receives the response signal of the beacon.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the restricting of the traveling of the mobile robot includes controlling avoidance navigation of the mobile robot such that the mobile robot rotates until the response signal of the beacon is not received.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the mobile robot starts rotation when the response signal of the beacon is received and finishes the rotation and starts cleaning navigation in a direction, in which the rotation is finished, when the response signal of the beacon is not received.

21. A method of controlling a mobile robot system, the method comprising:

at a mobile robot, transmitting a signal while traveling in a traveling region;

at a beacon, receiving the signal transmitted from the mobile robot over 360 degrees and determining whether the mobile robot has approached the beacon;

at the beacon, transmitting a response signal to the mobile robot if the mobile robot has approached the beacon; and

at the mobile robot, performing avoidance navigation to prevent collision with the beacon when the mobile robot receives the response signal of the beacon.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the signal transmitted from the mobile robot includes an infrared ray, a visible ray, an ultrasonic wave or a laser beam.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the response signal transmitted from the beacon includes an infrared ray, a visible ray, an ultrasonic wave, a Radio Frequency (RF) signal or a laser beam.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein the determining of whether the mobile robot has approached the beacon includes determining that the mobile robot has approached the beacon if the beacon senses an approach signal transmitted from the mobile robot.

25. A method of controlling a mobile robot system, the method comprising:

at a mobile robot, transmitting a signal when cleaning of a traveling region is completed;

determining whether the signal transmitted from the mobile robot is sensed within a restricted Field-of-View (FOV) of a beacon;

at the beacon, transmitting a response signal to the mobile robot if the signal transmitted from the mobile robot is sensed within the restricted FOV; and

guiding the mobile robot to cross a confinement border of the traveling region and to move to another region when the mobile robot receives the response signal of the beacon.

26. The method according claim 25, wherein the guiding of the mobile robot includes:

enabling the mobile robot to approach the beacon along a guide region formed by the beacon;

determining whether the mobile robot has approached an approach region of the beacon;

at the beacon, transmitting the response signal to the mobile robot when the mobile robot has approached the approach region of the beacon; and

at the mobile robot, performing wall-following navigation along the approach region of the beacon so as to cross the confinement border, if the mobile robot receives the response signal of the beacon.

27. The method according claim 25, wherein the beacon receives the signal indicating that the cleaning of the traveling region has been completed and senses whether the mobile robot has approached a guide region to cross the confinement border to move to another region.