Bumper structure of cleaning robot

• US 20120126837A1
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Jeong Hun, Kim, Yong Jae, Lee, Youn Baek, Roh, Kyung Shik, Kwon, Young Do, Park, Heum yong
• Granted Patent: US 8,801,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/691
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/165 by relative movement of a point of contact or actuation and a resistive track

Abstract

A bumper structure of a cleaning robot which detects whether or not an obstacle contacts a bumper and a position of the obstacle, allows the bumper to be simply process and reduces the number of components of the cleaning robot to lower the production costs of the cleaning robot. The bumper structure includes a main body, a bumper installed on the front surface of the main body, a resistance film provided between the main body and the bumper and fixed to the main body, and a metal film provided between the main body and the bumper and fixed to the bumper such that the shape of the metal film is deformed together with the bumper and the metal film comes into contact with the resistance film when at least one obstacle contacts the bumper, so as to measure resistance values.

Claims

1. A bumper structure of a cleaning robot comprising:

a main body;

a bumper installed on the front surface of the main body;

a resistance film provided between the main body and the bumper and fixed to the main body; and

a metal film provided between the main body and the bumper and fixed to the bumper such that the shape of the metal film is deformed together with the bumper and the metal film comes into contact with the resistance film when at least one obstacle contacts the bumper, so as to measure resistance values.

2. The bumper structure according to claim 1, wherein the bumper is made of a flexible material.

3. The bumper structure according to claim 2, wherein the bumper is attached to the main body through snap-fit connection.

4. The bumper structure according to claim 1, wherein the resistance film is attached to the main body such that a length of the left portion of the resistance film and a length of the right portion of the resistance film with respect to the center of the front surface of the main body are equal.

5. The bumper structure according to claim 1, wherein the metal film is conductive.

6. The bumper structure according to claim 1, wherein the metal film is flexible.

7. The bumper structure according to claim 1, wherein the metal film comes into contact with the resistance film when the at least one obstacle contacts the bumper, so as to detect whether or not the at least one obstacle contacts the bumper and a position of the at least one obstacle.

8. A bumper structure of a cleaning robot comprising:

a main body provided with a connection groove;

a bumper provided with a fixing part and installed on the front surface of the main body;

a resistance film provided between the main body and the bumper and fixed to the main body; and

a metal film provided between the main body and the bumper and fixed to the bumper, wherein;

the bumper is connected to the main body by inserting the fixing part of the bumper into the connection groove of the main body; and

a contact space is formed between the resistance film fixed to the main body and the metal film fixed to the bumper.

9. The bumper structure according to claim 8, wherein the bumper is made of a flexible material.

10. The bumper structure according to claim 9, wherein the bumper is attached to the main body through snap-fit connection.

11. The bumper structure according to claim 8, wherein the resistance film is attached to the main body such that a length of the left portion of the resistance film and a length of the right portion of the resistance film with respect to the center of the front surface of the main body are equal.

12. The bumper structure according to claim 8, wherein the metal film is conductive.

13. The bumper structure according to claim 8, wherein the metal film is flexible.

14. The bumper structure according to claim 8, wherein the metal film comes into contact with the resistance film when at least one obstacle contacts the bumper, so as to detect whether or not the at least one obstacle contacts the bumper and a position of the at least one obstacle.

15. A bumper structure of a cleaning robot comprising:

a main body;

a bumper installed on the front surface of the main body;

a resistance film provided between the main body and the bumper and fixed to the main body; and

a metal film provided between the main body and the bumper and fixed to the bumper, wherein;

a contact space is formed between the resistance film fixed to the main body and the metal film fixed to the bumper;

the metal film comes into contact with the resistance film when at least one obstacle contacts the bumper, so as to measure resistance values based on a generated voltage difference; and

the metal film at the contact portion thereof with the at least one obstacle comes into contact with the resistance film, has been separated from the metal film by the contact space formed between the resistance film and the metal film, when the at least one obstacle contacts the bumper, so as to detect a position of the at least one obstacle using the measured resistance values.

16. The bumper structure according to claim 15, wherein the bumper is made of a flexible material.

17. The bumper structure according to claim 16, wherein the bumper is attached to the main body through snap-fit connection.

18. The bumper structure according to claim 15, wherein the resistance film is attached to the main body such that a length of the left portion of the resistance film and a length of the right portion of the resistance film with respect to the center of the front surface of the main body are equal.

19. The bumper structure according to claim 15, wherein the metal film is conductive.

20. The bumper structure according to claim 15, wherein the metal film is flexible.

21. The bumper structure according to claim 15, wherein, when an obstacle contacts the bumper, the metal film at the contact portion thereof with the obstacle comes into contact with the resistance film, has been separated from the metal film by the contact space formed between the resistance film and the metal film, and a resistance value measured at the left side with respect to the contact portion of the bumper with the obstacle is defined as a first resistance value and a resistance value measured at the right side with respect to the contact portion of the bumper with the obstacle is defined as a second resistance value.

22. The bumper structure according to claim 21, wherein the sum total of the first resistance value and the second resistance value is equal to 1 corresponding to the overall resistance value of the resistance film.

23. The bumper structure according to claim 22, wherein a position of the obstacle contacting the bumper is detected using a ratio of the first resistance value and the second resistance value.

24. The bumper structure according to claim 15, wherein, when two obstacles contact the bumper, the metal film at the respective contact portions thereof with the two obstacles comes into contact with the resistance film, has been separated from the metal film by the contact space formed between the resistance film and the metal film, and a resistance value measured at the left side with respect to the contact portion of the bumper with one obstacle among the two obstacles closer to the left end of the bumper is defined as a first resistance value and a resistance value measured at the right side with respect to the contact portion of the bumper with the other obstacle among the two obstacles closer to the right end of the bumper is defined as a second resistance value.

25. The bumper structure according to claim 24, wherein, when the two obstacles contact the bumper, the sum total of the first resistance value and the second resistance value is less than 1 corresponding to the overall resistance value of the resistance film, and positions of the obstacles contacting the bumper are detected using the first resistance value and the second resistance value.