Robot cleaner and control method thereof

• US 20120125363A1
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Dong Won, Lee, Jun Hwa
• Granted Patent: US 9,456,725 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/6
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/02 Docking stations; Docking operations
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/28 Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2831 Motor parameters, e.g. motor load or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2847 Surface treating elements
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A robot cleaner includes a main brush to sweep or scatter dust off a floor, a main brush motor to rotate the main brush, a Revolution Per Minute (RPM) detector to detect an RPM of the main brush motor, and a control unit to determine a type of floor according to the RPM of the main brush motor acquired by the RPM detector and control an operation of the robot cleaner based on the determined type of floor. A carpet mode to clean only a carpet area and a hard floor mode to clean a hard floor area excluding the carpet area are given based on detected information relating to the material of a floor, which enables partial cleaning with respect to a cleaning area selected by a user and adjustment in the number of cleaning operations or the intensity of cleaning according to the material of the floor.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main brush to sweep or scatter dust off a floor;

a main brush motor to rotate the main brush;

a Revolution Per Minute (RPM) detector to detect an RPM of the main brush motor; and

a control unit to determine a material or state of the floor according to the RPM of the main brush motor acquired by the RPM detector and control an operation of the robot cleaner based on the determined material or state of the floor.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising an input unit to select a cleaning mode from among a carpet mode to clean only a carpet area, a hard floor mode to clean only a hard floor area and an auto mode to clean both the carpet area and the hard floor area,

wherein the control unit controls a cleaning operation of the robot cleaner based on the cleaning mode input by the input unit.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit adjusts the number of traveling motions of the robot cleaner or the RPM of the main brush motor based on the determined material of the floor.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the control unit determines that the robot cleaner is traveling in the carpet area if the RPM of the main brush motor is less than a preset RPM and determines that the robot cleaner is traveling in the hard floor area if the RPM of the main brush motor is greater than the preset RPM.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the control unit determines that the robot cleaner passes a boundary between the carpet area and the hard floor area or a stepped area if rapid rising of the RPM of the main brush motor occurs.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the control unit determines that the robot cleaner having passed through the hard floor area enters the carpet area if the RPM of the main brush motor is less than the previous RPM before rapid rising of the RPM of the main brush motor occurs.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the control unit determines that the robot cleaner having passed through the carpet area enters the hard floor area if the RPM of the main brush motor is greater than the previous RPM before rapid rising of the RPM of the main brush motor occurs.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 5, further comprising an upward camera unit to capture an upward image perpendicular to a traveling direction of the robot cleaner,

wherein the control unit produces a map with respect to a cleaning area using the upward image acquired by the upward camera unit during implementation of the cleaning operation and marks the carpet area, the hard floor area, the boundary and the stepped area on the map.

9. The robot cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the robot cleaner using the produced map so as to avoid the carpet area, the boundary or the stepped area when the robot cleaner returns to a docking station after completing the cleaning operation based on the cleaning mode.

10. The robot cleaner according to claim 5, further comprising a display unit to display that the robot cleaner is traveling in any one of the carpet area and the hard floor area.

11. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main brush to sweep or scatter dust off a floor;

a main brush motor to rotate the main brush;

a detector to detect driving information of the main brush motor; and

a control unit to produce a map indicating a material or state of the floor according to the driving information of the main brush motor acquired by the detector.

12. The robot cleaner according to claim 11, wherein the material of the floor is sorted into a carpet and a hard floor, and a cleaning area is sorted into a carpet area and a hard floor area.

13. The robot cleaner according to claim 12, further comprising an input unit to select a cleaning mode according to the material of the floor,

wherein the control unit controls the robot cleaner so as to perform a cleaning operation with respect to an area, the material of the floor of which corresponds to the input cleaning mode.

14. The robot cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the cleaning mode includes a carpet mode to clean only the carpet area, a hard floor mode to clean only the hard floor area and an auto mode to clean both the carpet area and the hard floor area.

15. The robot cleaner according to claim 12, wherein the detector is an RPM detector to detect an RPM of the main brush motor.

16. The robot cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the control unit determines that the robot cleaner is traveling in the carpet area if the RPM of the main brush motor is less than a preset RPM and determines that the robot cleaner is traveling in the hard floor area if the RPM of the main brush motor is greater than the preset RPM.

17. The robot cleaner according to claim 16, wherein the control unit determines that the robot cleaner passes a boundary between the carpet area and the hard floor area or a stepped area if rapid rising of the RPM of the main brush motor occurs.

18. The robot cleaner according to claim 17, wherein the control unit determines that the robot cleaner having passed through the hard floor area enters the carpet area if the RPM of the main brush motor is less than the previous RPM before rapid rising of the RPM of the main brush motor occurs.

19. The robot cleaner according to claim 17, wherein the control unit determines that the robot cleaner having passed through the carpet area enters the hard floor area if the RPM of the main brush motor is greater than the previous RPM before rapid rising of the RPM of the main brush motor occurs.

20. The robot cleaner according to claim 17, further comprising an upward camera unit to capture an upward image perpendicular to a traveling direction of the robot cleaner,

wherein the control unit produces a map with respect to the cleaning area using the upward image acquired by the upward camera unit during implementation of the cleaning operation and marks the carpet area, the hard floor area, the boundary and the stepped area on the map.

21. The robot cleaner according to claim 20, wherein the control unit controls the robot cleaner using the produced map so as to avoid the carpet area, the boundary and the stepped area when the robot cleaner returns to a docking station after completing the cleaning operation based on the cleaning mode.

22. The robot cleaner according to claim 12, wherein the detector is a current detector to detect current passing through the main brush motor.

23. A control method of a robot cleaner comprising:

inputting any one of a plurality of cleaning modes depending on materials of a floor;

determining a material or state of the floor according to driving information of a main brush motor; and

performing a cleaning operation on an area, the material of the floor of which corresponds to the input cleaning mode and simultaneously producing a map indicating the area in which the cleaning operation is performed and the determined material or state of the floor.

24. The control method according to claim 23, wherein the material of the floor is sorted into a carpet and a hard floor, and the cleaning area is sorted into a carpet area and a hard floor area.

25. The control method according to claim 24, wherein the plurality of cleaning modes include a carpet mode to clean only the carpet area, a hard floor mode to clean only the hard floor area and an auto mode to clean both the carpet area and the hard floor area.

26. The control method according to claim 25, wherein:

the driving information of the main brush motor includes an RPM of the main brush motor; and

an area in which the robot cleaner is traveling is marked as the carpet area on the map if the RPM of the main brush motor is less than a preset RPM and is marked as the hard floor area on the map if the RPM of the main brush motor is greater than the preset RPM.

27. The control method according to claim 25, wherein it is determined that the robot cleaner passes a boundary between the carpet area and the hard floor area or a stepped area if rapid rising of the RPM of the main brush motor occurs and an area in which the robot cleaner is passing is marked as the boundary or the stepped area on the map.

28. The control method according to claim 26, wherein the cleaning operation is performed in such a manner that the number of traveling motions of the robot cleaner or the RPM of the main brush motor is adjusted according to the cleaning mode.

29. The control method according to claim 27, further comprising returning the robot cleaner to a docking station after completing the cleaning operation based on the cleaning mode,

wherein the robot cleaner travels to avoid the carpet area and the stepped area using the map while returning to the docking station.

30. The control method according to claim 27, further comprising returning the robot cleaner to a docking station after completing the cleaning operation based on the cleaning mode,

wherein the robot cleaner travels in a direction perpendicular to the boundary and the stepped area using the map while returning to the docking station.

31. The control method according to claim 24, further comprising displaying that the robot cleaner is traveling in any one of the carpet area and the hard floor area.