Robot cleaner and control method thereof

• US 20100313364A1
• Filed: 06/10/2010
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2009
• 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, Lee, Jun Hwa, Kim, Dong Won, Jang, Hwi Chan
• Granted Patent: US 9,037,294 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/4
• 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 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a robot cleaner having an improved travel pattern and a control method thereof. The robot cleaner performs cleaning using zigzag travel as a basic cleaning traveling manner, and then performs cleaning using random travel as a finishing cleaning traveling manner so as to clean areas skipped during the zigzag travel. The robot cleaner performs the zigzag travel while maintaining a designated interval with a travel route proceeding to a wall regardless of a direction proceeding to the wall, and employs an improved zigzag travel method to maintain a zigzag travel pattern, if the robot cleaner senses an obstacle during the zigzag travel.

Claims

1. A control method of a robot cleaner comprising:

performing zigzag travel including first travel enabling the robot cleaner to proceed from one point in an area, to be cleaned, toward a designated wall, and second travel enabling the robot cleaner to be more distant from the designated wall after the first travel, the first travel and the second travel being repeated,

wherein a route of the first travel and a route of the second travel respectively maintain designated intervals with each other.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein an angle between the route of the first travel and the wall is in the range of an angle of 0 to 180 degrees.

3. The control method according to claim 2, wherein the maintenance of the designated intervals between the route of the first travel and the route of the second travel includes:

the route of the second travel maintains a first designated interval with the route of the first travel; and

the route of the first travel maintains a second designated interval with the route of the second travel.

4. The control method according to claim 3, wherein the second travel is performed until a distance of the route of the second travel reaches a third designated distance.

5. The control method according to claim 4, wherein the zigzag travel further includes third travel enabling the robot cleaner to change a direction after the second travel and then to travel until the robot cleaner is separated from the route of the second travel by the second designated interval.

6. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the zigzag travel is performed by:

traveling alongside of an obstacle, if the robot cleaner encounters the obstacle during the zigzag travel;

obtaining a separation distance of the robot cleaner from a route of the zigzag travel; and

enabling the robot cleaner to travel in a direction parallel with the route of the zigzag travel prior to the traveling alongside of the obstacle, if the separation distance reaches zero.

7. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the zigzag travel is performed by:

traveling alongside of an obstacle, if the robot cleaner encounters the obstacle during the first travel;

obtaining a separation distance of the robot cleaner from the route of the first travel; and

performing the second travel, if the separation distance reaches the first designated interval.

8. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the zigzag travel is performed by:

traveling alongside of an obstacle, if the robot cleaner encounters the obstacle during the second travel;

obtaining a separation distance of the robot cleaner from the route of the second travel; and

performing the first travel, if the separation distance reaches the second designated interval.

9. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the zigzag travel is performed by:

traveling alongside of an obstacle, if the robot cleaner encounters the obstacle during the second travel; and

performing the third travel, if the sum total of a distance of the second travel and a travel distance of the robot cleaner in a direction of the second travel during traveling alongside of the obstacle reaches the third designated distance.

10. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the zigzag travel is performed by:

traveling alongside of an obstacle, if the robot cleaner encounters the obstacle during the third travel; and

performing the first travel, if the sum total of a distance of the third travel and a travel distance of the robot cleaner in a direction of the third travel during traveling alongside of the obstacle reaches the second designated interval.

11. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the zigzag travel is performed by:

traveling alongside of an obstacle, if the robot cleaner encounters the obstacle during the second travel; and

performing the third travel at the current position of the robot cleaner, if a forward direction of the robot cleaner is within a designated angle range based on a direction of the second travel.

12. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the zigzag travel is performed by:

traveling alongside of an obstacle, if the robot cleaner encounters the obstacle during the third travel; and

performing the third travel at the current position of the robot cleaner, if a forward direction of the robot cleaner is within a designated angle range based on a direction of the third travel.

13. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the zigzag travel is performed by:

traveling alongside of an obstacle, if the robot cleaner encounters the obstacle during the first travel; and

performing the first travel at the current position of the robot cleaner, if a forward direction of the robot cleaner is within a designated angle range based on a direction of the first travel.

14. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the zigzag travel is performed by:

traveling alongside of an obstacle, if the robot cleaner encounters the obstacle during the second travel or the third travel; and

changing a direction of the robot cleaner and then traveling alongside of the obstacle in the changed direction, if a forward direction of the robot cleaner is within a designated angle range based on a direction of the second travel and the third travel or if a distance traveled alongside of the obstacle is more than a fourth designated distance.

15. The control method according to claim 14, wherein the second travel is performed, if the robot cleaner is separated from one point, between a point where the robot cleaner starts traveling alongside of the obstacle and a point where the robot cleaner starts traveling alongside of the obstacle in the changed direction, by the first designated interval.

16. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the zigzag travel is performed by:

traveling alongside of an obstacle, if the robot cleaner encounters the obstacle during the second travel or the third travel;

obtaining a separation distance of the robot cleaner from the route of the second travel; and

changing a direction of the robot cleaner and then traveling alongside of the obstacle in the changed direction, if the separation distance reaches zero.

17. The control method according to claim 16, wherein the second travel is performed, if the robot cleaner is separated from one point, between a point where the robot cleaner starts traveling alongside of the obstacle and a point where the robot cleaner starts traveling alongside of the obstacle in the changed direction, by the first designated interval.

18. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the zigzag travel is performed by:

traveling alongside of an obstacle, if the robot cleaner encounters the obstacle during the zigzag travel;

judging whether or not the robot cleaner enters an area opposite to a direction of the zigzag travel, based on the route of the zigzag travel prior to the traveling alongside of the obstacle, during the traveling alongside of the obstacle; and

changing the direction of the zigzag travel to the opposite direction and then performing the zigzag travel in the opposite direction, if the robot cleaner is separated from the route of the zigzag travel prior to traveling alongside of the obstacle by a designated interval, or a forward direction of the robot cleaner reaches a designated direction.

19. The control method according to claim 18, wherein it is judged that the robot cleaner enters the area opposite to the direction of the zigzag travel, based on the route of the zigzag travel prior to traveling alongside of the obstacle, during the traveling alongside of the obstacle, if the separation distance of the robot cleaner from a route of the zigzag travel reaches zero and the forward direction of the robot cleaner is within the range in a designated angle based on the route of the zigzag travel prior to the traveling alongside of the obstacle.

20. The control method according to claim 19, further comprising judging that it is time to finish the zigzag travel, if the number of changes of the direction of the zigzag travel is more than a designated number or if a time of the zigzag travel is more than a designated time.

21. The control method according to claim 20, further comprising performing random travel as a finishing travel to finish cleaning.

22. The control method according to claim 21, further comprising judging that it is time to finish the random travel, if a designated time determined in proportion to the mean rectilinear travel distance of the random travel elapses.

25. At least one computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions that control at least one processor to implement the control method of claim 1.

23. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body which forms an external appearance of the robot cleaner;

driving wheels installed on the main body; and

a control unit to control the driving wheels to enable the main body to move rectilinearly or be rotated, wherein;

the control unit performs zigzag travel by repeating first travel to enable the robot cleaner to proceed from one point in an area, to be cleaned, toward a designated wall, and repeating second travel to enable the robot cleaner to be more distant from the designated wall after the first travel; and

a route of the first travel and a route of the second travel respectively maintain designated intervals with each other.

24. The robot cleaner according to claim 23, wherein the control unit further performs random travel as a finishing travel to finish cleaning.