CLEANING SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20130228198A1
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MSI Computer Company Limited (Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: MSI Computer Company Limited (Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: HUNG, Shih-Che, LENG, Yao-Shih
• Application Number:
  US13/724,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20130228198A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/18
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/42 Details
• 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 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed

Abstract

A cleaning system including a guiding object and a cleaning robot is disclosed. The guiding object includes a magnet to form a magnetic field. The cleaning robot includes an operation module, a first sense module and a control module. The operation module performs a cleaning action and a moving action according to a control signal. The first sense module generates a first sensed signal according to the magnetic field. The control module generates the control signal to adjust an efficiency of at least one of the cleaning action and the moving action according to the first sensed signal.

Claims

1. A cleaning system, comprising:

a guiding object comprising a magnet to form a magnetic field; and

a cleaning robot comprising;

an operation module performing a cleaning action and a moving action according to a control signal;

a first sense module generating a first sensed signal according to the magnetic field; and

a control module generating the control signal to adjust an efficiency of at least one of the cleaning action and the moving action according to the first sensed signal.

2. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guiding object is a virtual wall.

3. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guiding object is a docking station.

4. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the operation module comprises a plurality of wheels to execute the moving action, and the cleaning robot further comprises a storage module, and when a power of the storage module is less than a pre-determined value, the control module controls the wheels to move to the docking station.

5. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first sense module comprises at least one of a compass sensor, a Hall sensor, a gyroscope and a g sensor.

6. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cleaning robot further comprises:

a second sense module generating a second sensed signal according to an external environment of the cleaning robot, wherein when a duration in which a variation of the first sensed signal is less than a pre-determined value exceeds to a pre-determined period, the control module adjusts the efficiency of at least one of the cleaning action and the moving action according to the second sensing signal.

7. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second sense module comprises a photo sensor generating the second sensed signal according to a reflected light of the external environment.

8. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second sense module comprises an audio sensor generating the second sensed signal according to a reflected audio wave of the external environment.

9. The cleaning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnet module comprises at least one NdFeB magnet.

10. A control method for a cleaning robot, comprising:

disposing a magnet module in a guiding object to form a magnetic field;

sensing the magnetic field to generate a sensing result and generating a first sensed signal according to the sensing result; and

controlling an efficiency of at least one of a cleaning action and a moving action according to the first sensed signal.

11. The control method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the sensing step is to utilize at least one of a compass sensor, a Hall sensor, a gyroscope and a g sensor to sense the magnetic field.

12. The control method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

sensing an external environment of the cleaning robot to generate a second sensed signal; and

when a duration in which a variation of the first sensed signal is less than a pre-determined value exceeds to a pre-determined period, adjusting the efficiency of at least one of the cleaning action and the moving action according to the second sensing signal.

13. The control method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sensing step is to utilize a photo sensor, and the photo sensor senses a reflected light of the external environment to generate the second sensed signal.

14. The control method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sensing step is to utilize an audio sensor, and the audio sensor senses a reflected audio wave of the external environment to generate the second sensed signal.

15. The control method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the disposing step is to dispose at least one NdFeB magnet in the guiding object.