ROBOT CLEANER AND CONTROLLING METHOD OF THE SAME

• US 20130338831A1
• Filed: 06/18/2013
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dongki Noh
• Inventors: Baek, Seungmin, Yoon, Jeongsuk, NOH, Dongki
• Granted Patent: US 9,511,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1676 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0248 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S

Abstract

A robot cleaner is provided. The robot cleaner may precisely detect a peripheral obstacle using a particular optical pattern. An asymmetric cross-shaped optical pattern may be irradiated, and a pattern image with respect to the optical pattern-irradiated region may be analyzed to determine whether or not an obstacle is in the moving path, and a width or a height of the obstacle. Further, the robot cleaner may perform operations such as a forward motion, a backward motion, a stopping motion and a detour motion, based the obstacle detection result.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner, comprising:

a body;

a cleaning device operably coupled in the body and configured to draw dust from a cleaning region into the body;

an optical pattern sensor provided on a front surface of the body and configured to irradiate an optical pattern and generate a corresponding pattern image; and

a controller configured to recognize an obstacle based on the pattern image generated by the optical pattern sensor, wherein the optical pattern sensor comprises;

an optical source module configured to irradiate one or more cross-shaped optical patterns outward from a front side of the body; and

a camera module configured to capture the pattern image of the region irradiated by the one or more optical patterns.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the optical pattern sensor is configured to irradiate an asymmetric cross-shaped optical pattern having a horizontal pattern and a vertical pattern, a length of the horizontal pattern being greater than a length of the vertical pattern.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein the controller comprises an obstacle recognition module configured to process the pattern image to recognize the obstacle.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein the obstacle recognition module recognizes a height of the obstacle using the vertical pattern of the pattern image.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 1, further comprising an image detector configured to capture a peripheral image and to output corresponding image information.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 5, wherein the controller comprises a position recognition module configured to recognize a position of the robot cleaner within the clearing region using the image information.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 6, wherein the controller further comprises a map module configured to generate a peripheral map using the recognized position of the robot cleaner.

8. A robot cleaner, comprising:

a body;

a cleaning device operably coupled in the body and configured to draw debris from a cleaning region into the body;

a driver including a wheel motor configured to drive one or more wheels installed at a lower portion of the body, wherein the driver is configured to move the body in response to a driving signal;

an optical pattern sensor provided on a front surface of the body and configured to irradiate one or more cross-shaped optical patterns outward from a front side of the body and to generate a corresponding pattern image; and

a controller configured to recognize an obstacle in a moving path of the robot cleaner based on the pattern image, and to generate the driving signal based on recognition of the obstacle.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 8, wherein the optical pattern sensor comprises:

an optical source module configured to irradiate one or more cross-shaped optical patterns outward from a front side of the body; and

a camera module configured to capture the pattern image of the region irradiated by the optical pattern.

10. The robot cleaner of claim 9, wherein the optical pattern sensor further comprises an image processing module configured to detect an obstacle by processing the pattern image.

11. The robot cleaner of claim 8, wherein the optical pattern sensor is configured to irradiate an asymmetric cross-shaped optical pattern including a horizontal pattern having a horizontal length and a vertical pattern having a vertical length, the horizontal length being greater than the vertical length.

12. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein the controller recognizes a height of the obstacle using the vertical pattern of the pattern image.

13. The robot cleaner of claim 12, wherein the controller generates the driving signal corresponding to one of a forward motion, a backward motion, a stopping motion or a detour motion of the body, based on recognition of the obstacle in the moving path of the robot cleaner.

14. A method for controlling a robot cleaner including a body, a cleaning device configured to draw debris into the body, and an optical pattern sensor configured to irradiate an optical pattern and output a corresponding pattern image, the method comprising:

irradiating an optical pattern outward from a front side of the body toward a cleaning region;

capturing a pattern image from the region irradiated by the optical pattern; and

recognizing an obstacle in a moving path of the robot cleaner based on the captured pattern image.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

capturing a peripheral image and acquiring corresponding image information; and

recognizing a position of the robot cleaner in the cleaning region based on the captured peripheral image.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating a peripheral map based on the acquired image information.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein irradiating an optical pattern comprises irradiating an asymmetric cross-shaped optical pattern including a horizontal pattern having a horizontal length and a vertical pattern having a vertical length, the horizontal length being greater than the vertical length.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein recognizing an obstacle comprises recognizing a height of the obstacle using the vertical pattern.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining whether the robot cleaner can pass through the obstacle or not; and

performing one of a forward motion, a detour motion, a stopping motion or a backward motion, based on a result of the determination.