OBJECT SEARCHING SYSTEM, OBJECT SEARCHING METHOD, AND CLEANING ROBOT

• US 20120297559A1
• Filed: 08/11/2011
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, HOU-HSIEN, LEE, CHANG-JUNG, LO, CHIH-PING
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/3
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles

Abstract

An object searching method includes: capturing an image in front of a cleaning robot by a camera. Comparing the image with a number of reference images to determine whether the image is the same as one of the reference images. Storing a position of the cleaning robot and the image when the image is the same as one of the reference images, adjusting the path of the cleaning robot to stop the cleaning robot from cleaning the object; and emitting an alarm.

Claims

1. An object searching system used for a cleaning robot, the object searching system comprising:

a camera mounted on the cleaning robot to capture an image in front of the cleaning robot;

a locating device mounted on the cleaning robot to track a location of the cleaning robot;

a processing unit connected to the camera and the locating device;

a storage unit connected to the processing unit and storing a plurality of programs to be executed by the processing unit, wherein the storage unit comprises;

a comparison module to compare the image captured by the camera with a plurality of reference images of different objects to determine whether the image captured by the camera is the same as one of the reference images;

an information storing module, wherein when the image captured by the camera is the same as one of the reference images, the information storing module stores a location obtained by the locating device and the image captured by the camera;

an adjustment module, wherein when the image captured by the camera is the same as one of the plurality of reference images, the adjustment module adjusts a path of the cleaning robot to stop the cleaning robot from cleaning the object; and

an informing module, wherein when the image captured by the camera is the same as one of the plurality of reference images, the informing module emits an alarm.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage unit further comprises an image storing module to store the plurality of reference images of different objects, each object corresponds a plurality of images shot from different angles.

3. An object searching method used for a cleaning robot, the object searching method comprising:

capturing an image in front of the cleaning robot by a camera;

comparing the image captured by the camera with a plurality of reference images to determine whether the image captured by the camera is the same as one of the plurality of reference images;

storing a location of the cleaning robot obtained by a locating device and the image captured by the camera when the image captured by the camera is the same as one of the plurality of reference images;

adjusting a path of the cleaning robot to stop the cleaning robot from cleaning the object when the image captured by the camera is the same as one of the plurality of reference images; and

emitting an alarm when the image captured by the camera is the same as one of the plurality of reference images.

4. The method of claim 3, before the step “

comparing the image captured by the camera with a plurality of reference images”

further comprising;

shooting a plurality of objects from different angles to obtain the plurality of reference images.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

reading the location stored and controlling the cleaning robot to move to the position.

6. A cleaning robot comprising:

a chassis;

a cleaning device;

a moving device to drive the chassis to move;

a control system to control the cleaning device and the moving device;

a camera mounted on the chassis to capture an image in front of the chassis;

a locating device to track a location of the cleaning robot;

a processing unit connected to the camera and the locating device; and

a storage unit connected to the processing unit and storing a plurality of programs to be executed by the processing unit, wherein the storage unit comprises;

a comparison module to compare the image captured by the camera with a plurality of reference images of different objects to determine whether the image captured by the camera is the same as one of the plurality of reference images;

an information storing module, wherein when the image captured by the camera is the same as one of the plurality of reference images, the information storing module stores a location obtained by the locating device and the image captured by the camera;

an adjustment module, wherein when the image captured by the camera is the same as one of the plurality of reference images, the adjustment module controls the control system to adjust a path of the cleaning robot to stop the cleaning robot from cleaning the object; and

an informing module, wherein when the image captured by the camera is the same as one of the plurality of reference images, the informing module emits an alarm.

7. The cleaning robot of claim 6, wherein the storage unit further comprises an image storing module to store the plurality of images of different objects, each object corresponds a plurality of images shot from different angles.