MOBILE ROBOTIC DEVICE HAVING A COLLISION SENSOR

• US 20110140829A1
• Filed: 08/10/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Veenstra, Auke-Jan
• Granted Patent: US 8,508,329 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area

Abstract

A mobile robotic device comprising at least one displaceable sensor member (8,9) for sensing a collision between the mobile device and a stationary object. First detection means (12,13) are present for detection a predetermined first displacement of the sensor member (8,9) and second detection means (14,15) are present for detecting a predetermined larger displacement of the sensor member (8,9).

Claims

1. A mobile robotic device comprising at least one displaceable sensor member (8,9) for sensing a collision between the mobile device and a stationary object, whereby the sensor member (8,9) is disposed in a spring-loaded fashion so as to normally be in an extended position, and whereby means (12,13,14,15) are present for detecting the displacement of the sensor member (8,9) with respect to the mobile device, whereby said means comprise first detection means (12,13) for detection of a predetermined first displacement of the sensor member (8,9) and second detection means (14,15) for detecting a predetermined larger displacement of the sensor member (8,9), characterized in that the sensor member (8,9) is attached to a frame (6), whereby the sensor member (8,9) can be displaced with respect to the frame (6) being said first displacement detected by said first detection means (12,13), and whereby the sensor member (8,9) together with the frame (6) can be displaced with respect to the mobile device for obtaining said larger displacement of the sensor member (8,9) detected by said second detection means (14,15).

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the mobile robotic device has a main direction of travel, and in that two sensor members (8,9) are present at opposite sides of the mobile device, being a front sensor member (8) and a rear sensor member (9), whereby said front sensor member (8) reaches in the main direction of travel.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the frame (6) carries two sensor members (8,9) at opposite sides of the mobile device.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said detection means comprise micro switches (12,13,14,15), which micro switches can be activated by the displacement of the sensor member (8,9).

5. A device as claimed in claim 1, whereby the mobile device is a vacuum cleaner comprising a main module and a mobile cleaning head module connected by a hose to the main module, characterized in that the cleaning head module comprises said displaceable sensor member (8,9).

6. A method of controlling a mobile robotic device comprising at least one displaceable sensor member (8,9) sensing collisions between the mobile device and stationary objects, whereby the sensor member (8,9) is disposed in a spring-loaded fashion so as to normally be in an extended position, and whereby the displacement of the sensor member (8,9) with respect to the mobile device is detected, whereby first detection means (12,13) detect a predetermined first displacement of the sensor member (8,9) and whereby second detection means (14,15) detect a predetermined larger displacement of the sensor member (8,9), characterized in that the sensor member (8,9) is attached to a frame (6), whereby the sensor member (8,9) is displaced with respect to the frame (6) being said first displacement detected by said first detection means (12,13), and whereby the sensor member (8,9) together with the frame (6) is displaced with respect to the mobile device for obtaining said larger displacement of the sensor member (8,9) detected by said second detection means (14,15).