ROBOT CLEANER

• US 20140257565A1
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: SHIN, Dongmyung, SUN, Changhwa, CHO, Sungjin
• Granted Patent: US 10,150,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1694 characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/48 Active triangulation systems, i.e. using the transmission and reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4811 common to transmitter and receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4813 Housing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0238 using obstacle or wall sensors G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/30 End effector
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

A robot cleaner is disclosed. The robot cleaner includes a cleaner body, a position sensor disposed in the cleaner body, the position sensor including a light transmission unit to emit light and a light reception unit to receive light reflected or scattered from an obstacle after being emitted from the light transmission unit, and a transparent member to transmit the light emitted from the light transmission unit and the light to be received by the light reception unit.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

a position sensor disposed in the cleaner body, the position sensor comprising a light transmission unit to emit light and a light reception unit to receive light reflected or scattered from an obstacle after being emitted from the light transmission unit; and

a transparent member to transmit the light emitted from the light transmission unit and the light to be received by the light reception unit.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member is fixed by the cleaner body.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 2, wherein

the cleaner body is provided with an opening, and

the robot cleaner further comprises a transparent member frame mounted in the opening to fix the transparent member.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the transparent member frame comprises at least one coupling groove extending in a longitudinal direction of the transparent member such that a long side of the transparent member is inserted into the at least one coupling groove.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the at least one coupling groove comprises a pair of coupling grooves opposite to each other.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 5, wherein

the transparent member frame comprises a first frame member and a second frame member, at which the coupling grooves are formed, respectively, and

when the first frame member and the second frame member are coupled to each other in a state in which one long side of the transparent member is inserted into the coupling groove formed at one selected from between the first frame member and the second frame member, the other long side of the transparent member is inserted into the coupling groove formed at the other selected from between the first frame member and the second frame member.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the transparent member is formed of a flexible material deformable according to a shape of the coupling groove.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 7, wherein the coupling groove comprises a curved section.

9. The robot cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the transparent member is configured such that a concave surface of a curved surface portion of the transparent member corresponding to the curved section faces the light transmission unit or the light reception unit.

10. The robot cleaner according to claim 7, wherein the coupling groove comprises a linear section and curved sections formed at opposite sides of the linear section.

11. The robot cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the curved sections formed at the opposite sides of the linear section are symmetric.

12. The robot cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the transparent member frame comprises a receiving groove depressed toward the transparent member so as to surround the position sensor such that the position sensor is adjacent to the transparent member.

13. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member is fixed by the position sensor.

14. The robot cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the position sensor comprises:

a base rotatably disposed at the cleaner body to support the light transmission unit and the light reception unit; and

a base cover to cover the base such that the base cover is rotated along with the base, and

the base cover is provided with an opening, in which the transparent member is fixed.

15. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member is formed by extrusion molding.

16. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member is a plate-shaped film.

17. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a controller to correct a measured distance sensed by the position sensor based on a real distance to an object assumed to be located at the same distance from the light reception unit.

18. The robot cleaner according to claim 17, wherein

the light reception unit comprises an image sensor, on which a spot of the light reflected or scattered from the obstacle is formed, and

the controller corrects a position of the spot per rotation angle of the position sensor in response to an error between the real distance to the object assumed to be located at the same distance from the position sensor and the measured distance sensed by the position sensor and calculates a distance to the obstacle based on the corrected position.