ROBOT CLEANER AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20130096717A1
• Filed: 10/16/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: YOON, Sang Sik, CHUNG, Woo Ram, LEE, Jun Hwa, HONG, Jun Pyo, HAN, Kyu Sun
• Granted Patent: US 9,173,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/20 combined with vacuum cleaning devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/33 having means for storing dirt
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4036 Parts or details of the surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4055 for lifting the tools to a non-working position
• 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: 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 9/0488 Combinations or arrangements of several tools, e.g. edge cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45098 Vacuum cleaning robot
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0203 Cleaning or polishing vehicle

Abstract

Disclosed are a robot cleaner and a method for controlling the same, capable of controlling a travelling or cleaning pattern of a robot cleaner in accordance with extension and retraction operations of an auxiliary cleaning tool to perform an efficient cleaning operation. The robot cleaner includes a plurality of auxiliary cleaning units mounted to a bottom of the robot cleaner such that the auxiliary cleaning units are extendable and retractable, an obstacle sensor to sense an obstacle in a cleaning region of the robot cleaner, and a control unit to extend the auxiliary cleaning units while travelling in a wall tracing manner along the periphery of the cleaning region, and to retract the auxiliary cleaning units while the robot cleaner travels in an inner portion of the cleaning region when traveling of the periphery of the cleaning region is finished.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner for removing foreign matter from a floor while traveling on the floor, comprising:

a plurality of auxiliary cleaning units mounted to a bottom of the robot cleaner such that the auxiliary cleaning units are extendable and retractable;

an obstacle sensor to sense an obstacle in a cleaning region of the robot cleaner; and

a control unit to extend the auxiliary cleaning units while travelling in a wall tracing manner along the periphery of the cleaning region, and to retract the auxiliary cleaning units while the robot cleaner travels in an inner portion of the cleaning region when traveling of the periphery of the cleaning region is finished.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit extends only the auxiliary cleaning unit present on the wall surface among the auxiliary cleaning units, when the robot cleaner travels in a wall tracing manner.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls a speed of the robot cleaner that travels in a wall tracing manner lower than a speed of the robot cleaner that travels in an inner portion of the cleaning region.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the obstacle sensor senses obstacles disposed in the cleaning region and is implemented by one or more of an ultrasonic sensor, a proximity sensor and an optical sensor.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising:

a dust sensing unit that senses dust present on the floor of the cleaning region and is implemented by an optical sensor.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit increases a cleaning speed of the auxiliary cleaning units, when the obstacle sensor senses a wall disposed in front thereof while the robot cleaner travels in a wall tracing manner.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the control unit repeats extension and retraction of the auxiliary cleaning units at predetermined intervals when an amount of dust sensed by the dust sensing unit is a predetermined reference value or more.

24. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit extends the auxiliary cleaning unit in the inner portion of the cleaning region when an obstacle is detected within the inner portion of the cleaning region to clean around the edge of the obstacle.

25. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the cleaning speed of the auxiliary cleaning unit to increase or decrease the cleaning time.

8. A robot cleaner for removing foreign matter from a floor while traveling on the floor, comprising:

a plurality of auxiliary cleaning units mounted to a bottom of the robot cleaner such that the auxiliary cleaning units are extendable and retractable;

an obstacle sensor to sense obstacles or dust in a cleaning region of the robot cleaner; and

a control unit to set a first cleaning mode or a second cleaning mode based on the user command or the sensing results of the sensing unit, and control an operation of the robot cleaner in accordance with the set cleaning mode,

wherein the first cleaning mode is a cleaning mode that cleans even a portion in which the obstacle contacts the floor by extending the auxiliary cleaning units when the sensing unit senses obstacles, and the second cleaning mode is a cleaning mode that rapidly cleans by retracting the auxiliary cleaning units when the sensing unit senses the obstacles.

9. The robot cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the sensing unit comprises:

an obstacle sensor that senses obstacles disposed in the cleaning region and is implemented by one or more of an ultrasonic sensor, a proximity sensor and an optical sensor; and

a dust sensing unit that senses dust present on the floor of the cleaning region and is implemented by an optical sensor.

10. The robot cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the second cleaning mode extends the auxiliary cleaning units when the sensing unit does not sense the obstacles.

11. The robot cleaner according to claim 8, further comprising:

an input unit to receive a selection command of the cleaning mode from a user,

wherein the control unit controls an operation of the robot cleaner in accordance with the cleaning mode selected via the input unit.

12. The robot cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the robot cleaner to perform test travel in order to calculate the number of obstacles present in the cleaning region when a cleaning start command is input, and the sensing unit senses obstacles present in the cleaning region during test travel and transmits the sensing results to the control unit.

13. The robot cleaner according to claim 12, wherein the control unit calculates the number of obstacles present in the cleaning region based on the sensing results of the sensing unit and controls operations of the robot cleaner in accordance with the second cleaning mode, when the calculated number of obstacles is a predetermined reference value or more and controls operations of the robot cleaner in accordance with the first cleaning mode, when the calculated number of obstacles is lower than the predetermined reference value.

14. The robot cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the control unit repeats extension and retraction of the auxiliary cleaning units at predetermined intervals when an amount of dust sensed by the dust sensing unit is a predetermined reference value or more.

15. The robot cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the control unit sets a third cleaning mode based on user command or the sensing results of the sensing unit, and the third cleaning mode is a cleaning mode that maintains the auxiliary cleaning units in a retraction state.

16. A method for controlling a robot cleaner comprising extendably and retractably mounted auxiliary cleaning units, comprising:

determining whether the robot cleaner travels in a wall tracing manner when a cleaning start command is input;

outwardly extending the auxiliary cleaning units when the robot cleaner travels in a wall tracing manner;

determining whether the wall tracing travel of the robot cleaner is finished; and

retracting the auxiliary cleaning units when travel of the wall tracing manner is finished.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the control unit extends only the auxiliary cleaning units present on the wall surface among the auxiliary cleaning units, when the robot cleaner travels in a wall tracing manner.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the control unit controls a speed of the robot cleaner that travels in a wall tracing manner lower than a speed of the robot cleaner that travels in an inner portion of the cleaning region.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

sensing obstacles disposed in front of the robot cleaner,

wherein a cleaning speed of the auxiliary cleaning units is increased, when a wall disposed in front of the robot cleaner is sensed while the robot cleaner travels in a wall tracing manner.

20. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

sensing dust disposed in the cleaning region; and

repeating extension and retraction of the auxiliary cleaning units at predetermined intervals when an amount of dust sensed by the dust sensing unit is a predetermined reference value or more.

21. A method for controlling a robot cleaner comprising extendably and retractably mounted auxiliary cleaning units, comprising:

setting a first cleaning mode or a second cleaning mode based on a user command or the sensing results of the obstacle;

extending the auxiliary cleaning units when obstacles are sensed in a cleaning region to be cleaned by the robot cleaner, and retracting the auxiliary cleaning units when obstacles are not sensed in a cleaning region to be cleaned by the robot cleaner in a case in which the first cleaning mode is set; and

retracting the auxiliary cleaning units when obstacles are sensed in a cleaning region to be cleaned by the robot cleaner and extending the auxiliary cleaning units when obstacles are not sensed in a cleaning region to be cleaned by the robot cleaner in a case in which the second cleaning mode is set.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

sensing obstacles present in the cleaning region of the robot cleaner; and

calculating the number of obstacles based on the sensing results,

wherein operations of the robot cleaner are controlled in accordance with the second cleaning mode, when the calculated number of obstacles is a predetermined reference value or more.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein extension and retraction of the robot cleaner are repeated at predetermined intervals, when dust present in the cleaning region of the robot cleaner is sensed and an amount of the sensed dust is a predetermined reference value or more.