CLEANING ROBOT

• US 20160274580A1
• Filed: 10/23/2014
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: JUNG, Jae Young, KIM, Shin, YOON, Sang Sik, KIM, Byung Chan, LEE, Byoung In
• Granted Patent: US 10,678,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• 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 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• 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: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931

Abstract

Provided is a cleaning robot including a main body; a driving unit configured to move the main body; a communication unit configured to establish wireless communication with a user terminal to which a manipulation command is input; and a controller configured to transmit a position detecting signal to the user terminal, and detect a position of the user terminal based on a time difference between the position detecting signal and a response signal transmitted from the user terminal.

Claims

1. A cleaning robot comprising:

a main body;

a driving unit configured to move the main body;

a communication unit configured to establish wireless communication with a user terminal to which a manipulation command is input; and

a controller configured to transmit a position detecting signal to the user terminal, and detect a position of the user terminal based on a time difference between the position detecting signal and a response signal transmitted from the user terminal.

2. The cleaning robot of claim 1, wherein the communication unit comprises at least two ultra-wide band communication modules configured to transmit an impulse signal.

3. The cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein, in order to transmit the position detecting signal to the user terminal, the controller controls the communication unit to cause each of the at least two ultra-wide band communication modules to transmit the impulse signal to the user terminal.

4. The cleaning robot of claim 3, wherein the controller detects a distance between each of the at least two ultra-wide band communication modules and the user terminal, based on a difference between time when each of the at least two ultra-wide band communication modules transmits the impulse signal and time when each of the at least two ultra-wide band communication modules receives the response signal.

5. The cleaning robot of claim 4, wherein the controller detects coordinates of the user terminal using the distance between each of the at least two ultra-wide band communication modules and the user terminal and using triangulation.

6. The cleaning robot of claim 5, wherein, when a ‘

follow’

command is input via the user terminal, the controller controls the driving unit such that the distances between the at least two ultra-wide band communication modules and the user terminal are less than or equal to a predetermined reference distance.

7. The cleaning robot of claim 5, wherein, when a ‘

follow’

command is input via the user terminal, the controller controls the driving unit such that the coordinates of the user terminal are in a predetermined range of coordinates.

8. The cleaning robot of claim 5, wherein, when a manual cleaning command is input via the user terminal, the controller controls the driving unit to move the main body along a moving trajectory of the user terminal.

9. The cleaning robot of claim 8, wherein, in order to detect the moving trajectory of the user terminal, the controller calculates a moving direction and displacement of the user terminal, based on a change in the coordinates of the user terminal.

10. The cleaning robot of claim 9, wherein the controller controls the driving unit to move the main body by the moving displacement in the moving direction.

11. The cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein the communication unit establishes wireless communication with a beacon located at a reference position, and

the controller transmits the position detecting signal to the beacon, and detects a position of the main body relative to the reference position, based on a time difference between the position detecting signal and a response signal transmitted from the beacon.

12. The cleaning robot of claim 11, wherein the controller detects a position of the beacon relative to the main body based on the time difference, and calculates the position of the main body based on the position of the beacon.

13. The cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein, when a designated-position cleaning command is input, the controller detects a position indicted by the user terminal, based on location information and posture information of the user terminal.

14. The cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein the communication unit outputs a sensing radio wave and receives a radio wave reflected from a user'"'"'s body, and

the controller detects a position of the user'"'"'s body based on a time difference between the sensing radio wave and the reflected radio wave, and controls the driving unit when a follow-user command is input, such that a distance between the user and the main body is less than or equal to a predetermined reference distance.

15. A cleaning robot comprising:

a main body;

a driving unit configured to move the main body;

a front-obstacle sensing unit configured to transmit a front-sensing radio wave toward a front of the main body and detect a front-reflected radio wave reflected from a front obstacle; and

a controller configured to detect location information of the front obstacle based on the front-reflected radio wave,

wherein the front-obstacle sensing unit comprises at least two ultra-wide band radar sensors configured to transmit an impulse radio wave.

16. The cleaning robot of claim 15, wherein the controller detects a position of the front obstacle based on a time difference between the front-sensing radio wave and the front-reflected radio wave.

17. The cleaning robot of claim 16, wherein the controller detects the location information of the front obstacle, based on a distance between at least two ultra-wide band radar sensors and distances between the at least two ultra-wide band radar sensors and the front obstacle.

18. The cleaning robot of claim 15, further comprising a floor-obstacle sensing module configured to emit a floor-sensing radio wave toward a floor of a space to be cleaned, and detect a floor-reflected radio wave reflected from a floor obstacle,

wherein the floor-obstacle sensing module comprises at least one ultra-wide band radar sensor configured to transmit an impulse radio wave.

19. The cleaning robot of claim 18, wherein the controller detects a position of the floor obstacle based on the floor-reflected radio wave.

20. The cleaning robot of claim 19, wherein the controller detects a location of the floor obstacle, based on a time difference between the floor-sensing radio wave and the floor-reflected radio wave.

21. (canceled)