CONTROL METHOD AND CLEANING ROBOT UTILIZING THE SAME

• US 20110112713A1
• Filed: 03/24/2010
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Teng, You-Wei, Yeh, Yi-Chih, Liu, Hong Lun
• Application Number:
  US12/730,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20110112713A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/25
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A control method for a cleaning robot'"'"'s movement in a closed space is disclosed. The cleaning robot is activated to search a boundary of the closed space. The cleaning robot is activated to move along the boundary. When the cleaning robot moves along the boundary, the movement route of the cleaning robot is referred to as a first movement route. The first movement route is recorded. The cleaning robot is activated to move along a second movement route according to the recording result. The second movement route does not overlap the first movement route.

Claims

1. A control method for a cleaning robot'"'"'s movement in a closed space, comprising:

activating the cleaning robot to search a boundary of the closed space;

activating the cleaning robot to move along the boundary, wherein when the cleaning robot moves along the boundary, the movement route of the cleaning robot is referred to as a first movement route;

recording the first movement route; and

activating the cleaning robot to move along a second movement route according to the recorded result, wherein the second movement route does not overlap with the first movement route.

2. The control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shape of the first movement route is similar to the shape of the second movement route and the length of the first movement route is longer than the length of the second movement route.

3. The control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distance between the first and the second movement routes is fixed.

4. The control method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

serving the first movement route as a first virtual boundary; and

activating the cleaning robot to move along the first virtual boundary, wherein when the cleaning robot moves along the first virtual boundary, the movement route of the cleaning robot is served as the second movement route;

recording the second movement route;

serving the second movement route as a second virtual boundary; and

activating the cleaning robot to move along the second virtual boundary, wherein when the cleaning robot moves along the second virtual boundary, the movement route of the cleaning robot is served as a third movement route.

5. The control method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the length of the third movement route is shorter than the length of the second movement route.

6. The control method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the shape of the second movement route is similar to the shape of the third movement route.

7. The control method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the distance between the first and the second movement routes is fixed and the distance between the second and the third movement routes is the same as the distance between the first and the second movement routes.

8. The control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the boundary is found by the cleaning robot, the movement route of the cleaning robot serves as a searching route, the second movement route does not overlap the searching route and the length of the second movement route is longer than the length of the first movement route.

9. The control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cleaning robot utilizes a movement method to search the boundary;

and

wherein the movement method comprises;

serving as a center point and reference when movement is initiated; and

moving out from the center point in a helical shaped pattern until the boundary is located, wherein the helical shape is a square shape.

10. The control method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

when the cleaning robot is searching for the boundary and the cleaning robot meets an obstruction, the cleaning robot detours around the obstruction to continue searching for the boundary.

11. A cleaning robot to clean a closed space, comprising:

at least one roller;

a detection unit; and

a control unit activating the direction of the roller according to a detection result of the detection unit, wherein;

the control unit activates the roller to roll such that the detection unit detects a boundary of the closed space;

the control unit activates the roller to roll along the boundary;

when the roller rolls along the boundary, the movement route of the roller is referred to as a first movement route;

the control unit records the first movement route and activates the roller to move along a second movement route according to the recorded result; and

the second movement route does not overlap with the first movement route.

12. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 11, wherein the shape of the first movement route is similar to the shape of the second movement route and the length of the first movement route is longer than the length of the second movement route.

13. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 11, wherein the distance between the first and the second movement routes is fixed.

14. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control unit serves the first movement route as a first virtual boundary and activates the roller to roll along the first virtual boundary, and wherein when the roller rolls along the first virtual boundary, the movement route of the roller is served as the second movement route;

wherein the control unit records the second movement route, serves the second movement route as a second virtual boundary, and activates the roller to roll along the second virtual boundary; and

wherein when the roller rolls along the second virtual boundary, the movement route of the roller is served as a third movement route.

15. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 14, wherein the length of the third movement route is shorter than the length of the second movement route and the shape of the second movement route is similar to the shape of the third movement route.

16. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 14, wherein the distance between the first and the second movement routes is fixed and the distance between the second and the third movement routes is the same as the distance between the first and the second movement routes.

17. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 11, wherein when the boundary is found, the movement route of the roll serves as a searching route, and wherein the second movement route does not overlap the searching route, and the length of the second movement route is longer than the length of the first movement route.

18. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 17, wherein the searching route is a straight line.

19. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 17, wherein the shape of the searching route is a helical shape and the helical shape is a square shape.

20. The cleaning robot as claimed in claim 11, wherein when the detection unit detects an obstruction, and the control unit activates the roller to detour around the obstruction and activates the detection unit continuously search the boundary.