ROBOT CLEANER AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20130118528A1
• Filed: 11/02/2012
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Won Kuk, Kim, Shin, Shin, Dong Min, Lee, Dong Hun
• Application Number:
  US13/667,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20130118528A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/18
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A robot cleaner and a control method thereof includes determining whether a first cleaning mode has been selected, upon determining that the first cleaning mode has been selected, defining a plurality of cleaning regions based on a position of the robot cleaner, and sequentially cleaning the defined cleaning regions.

Claims

1. A control method of a robot cleaner comprising:

defining a plurality of cleaning regions based on a position of the robot cleaner according to a first cleaning mode; and

sequentially cleaning the defined cleaning regions.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the first cleaning mode comprises a repetition mode to sequentially repeat the cleaning within each cleaning region among the plurality of defined cleaning regions.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the sequential cleaning of the defined cleaning regions comprises:

performing contour travel along a contour of a cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located to detect a reference wall;

redefining the cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located and setting a cleaning direction based on the detected reference wall; and

cleaning the redefined cleaning region while traveling along a predetermined travel path.

4. The control method according to claim 3, wherein the detection of the reference wall comprises detecting the obstacle as the reference wall when a rotation angle of the robot cleaner rotated by an obstacle during the contour travel is less than a reference angle and a travel distance of the robot cleaner after rotation by the rotation angle is greater than a reference distance.

5. The control method according to claim 3, wherein the redefinition of the cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located and setting the cleaning direction based on the detected reference wall comprises:

selecting a longest reference wall among a plurality of reference walls detected as a result of the contour travel; and

redefining the cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located and setting the cleaning direction based on the selected reference wall.

6. The control method according to claim 3, wherein the redefined cleaning region comprises a region obtained by rotating the cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located based on the detected reference wall.

7. The control method according to claim 3, wherein the redefined cleaning region comprises a region obtained by rotating the cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located based on the detected reference wall and enlarging the rotated cleaning region to a predetermined level.

8. The control method according to claim 3, wherein the travel path comprises a zigzag travel path.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein the robot cleaner performs curved travel to change a travel direction when changing the travel direction along the zigzag travel path.

10. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the sequential cleaning of the defined cleaning regions comprises sequentially moving to the cleaning regions along a zigzag travel path.

11. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether all of the cleaning regions have been cleaned after the sequential cleaning of the defined cleaning regions; and

upon determining that all of the cleaning regions have been cleaned, changing a cleaning start direction in the defined cleaning regions and performing sequential cleaning of the defined cleaning regions, the change of the cleaning start direction and the sequential cleaning of the defined cleaning regions being repeated.

12. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising;

determining whether a second cleaning mode has been selected; and

cleaning all of the cleaning regions while traveling along a zigzag travel path when a second cleaning mode has been selected.

13. A robot cleaner comprising:

a controller configured to define a plurality of cleaning regions based on a position of the robot cleaner and control the robot cleaner to sequentially clean the defined cleaning regions according to first cleaning mode.

14. The robot cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the first cleaning mode comprises a repetition mode to sequentially repeat the cleaning within each cleaning region among the plurality of defined cleaning regions.

15. The robot cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the controller controls the robot cleaner to perform contour travel along a contour of a cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located to detect a reference wall, redefines the cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located and sets a cleaning direction based on the detected reference wall, and controls the robot cleaner to clean the redefined cleaning region while traveling along a predetermined travel path.

16. The robot cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the controller detects the obstacle as the reference wall when a rotation angle of the robot cleaner rotated by an obstacle during the contour travel is less than a reference angle and a travel distance of the robot cleaner after rotation by the rotation angle is greater than a reference distance.

17. The robot cleaner according to claim 15, wherein, when a plurality of reference walls is detected as a result of the contour travel, the controller selects the longest reference wall among the plurality of reference walls, and redefines the cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located and sets the cleaning direction based on the selected reference wall.

18. The robot cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the redefined cleaning region comprises a region obtained by rotating the cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located based on the detected reference wall.

19. The robot cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the redefined cleaning region comprises a region obtained by rotating the cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located based on the detected reference wall, the rotated cleaning region being enlarged to a predetermined level.

20. The robot cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the travel path comprises a zigzag travel path.

21. The robot cleaner according to claim 20, wherein the controller controls the robot cleaner to perform curved travel to change a travel direction when changing the travel direction along the zigzag travel path.

22. The robot cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the controller controls the robot cleaner to sequentially move to the cleaning regions along a zigzag travel path.

23. The robot cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the controller determines whether all of the cleaning regions have been cleaned after the sequential cleaning of the defined cleaning regions and, upon determining that all of the cleaning regions have been cleaned, changes a cleaning start direction in the defined cleaning regions and controls the robot cleaner to perform sequential cleaning of the defined cleaning regions, the change of the cleaning start direction and the sequential cleaning of the defined cleaning regions being repeated.

24. The robot cleaner according to claim 13 further comprising:

an input device configured to allow a command regarding a cleaning mode to be input,

wherein the controller controls the robot cleaner to clean all of the cleaning regions while traveling along a zigzag travel path when a second cleaning mode has been selected.

25. A robot cleaner comprising:

a controller configured to define a plurality of cleaning regions based on a position of the robot cleaner and control the robot cleaner to sequentially clean the defined cleaning regions according to first cleaning mode,

wherein the controller controls the robot cleaner to perform contour travel along a contour of a cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located to detect a reference wall, and redefines the cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located by rotating the cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located based on the detected reference wall.

26. The robot cleaner according to claim 25, wherein the controller controls the robot cleaner to perform contour travel along a contour of a cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located to detect a plurality of reference walls, selects the longest reference wall among the plurality of reference walls, and redefines the cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located by rotating the cleaning region in which the robot cleaner is located based on the selected reference wall.

27. The robot cleaner according to claim 25, wherein the rotated cleaning region is enlarged to a predetermined level.