ROBOT CLEANER AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20160022108A1
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Published: 01/28/2016
• 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, HAN, Kyu Sun, HONG, Jun Pyo, LEE, Jun Hwa
• Granted Patent: US 9,867,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

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, 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/or when an obstacle is sensed, 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 main brush unit mounted to a bottom of the robot cleaner;

a plurality of auxiliary cleaning units mounted to the bottom of the robot cleaner, and having a protruded position and a retracted position; and

a control unit to extend the auxiliary cleaning units to the protruded position while one or more of travelling in a wall tracing manner along a periphery of a cleaning region of the robot cleaner and sensing obstacles are present in the cleaning region of the robot.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit extends only an auxiliary cleaning unit present on a wall surface from among the auxiliary cleaning units, when the robot cleaner travels in the 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 the wall tracing manner to be lower than another speed of the robot cleaner that travels in an inner portion of the cleaning region.

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

an obstacle sensor to sense an obstacle in the cleaning region of the robot cleaner.

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, the dust sensing unit 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 an obstacle sensor senses a wall disposed in front thereof while the robot cleaner travels in the 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 greater than or equal to a predetermined reference value.

13. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit extends the auxiliary cleaning unit in an 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.

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

15. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit retracts the auxiliary cleaning units to the retracted position while the robot cleaner travels in an inner portion of the cleaning region when traveling on the periphery of the cleaning region is finished.

8. A method for controlling a robot cleaner comprising a main brush unit, and auxiliary cleaning units having a protruded position and a retracted position, comprising:

determining whether the robot cleaner travels in a wall tracing manner;

outwardly extending the auxiliary cleaning units to the protruded position when one or more of the robot cleaner travels in the wall tracing manner and the robot cleaner senses obstacles are present in a cleaning region of the robot;

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

retracting the auxiliary cleaning units to the retracted position when the travel of the robot cleaner in the wall tracing manner is finished.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the control unit extends only an auxiliary cleaning unit of the auxiliary cleaning units, which is present on a wall surface, when the robot cleaner travels in the wall tracing manner.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls a speed of the robot cleaner that travels in the wall tracing manner to be lower than another speed of the robot cleaner that travels in an inner portion of the cleaning region.

11. The method according to claim 8, 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 the wall tracing manner.

12. The method according to claim 8, 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 greater than or equal to a predetermined reference value.