MOVING ROBOT AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20180039275A1
• Filed: 08/02/2017
• Published: 02/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: YUN, Hyungtae, AHN, Seungjin
• Granted Patent: US 10,551,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4008 Arrangements of switches, indicators or the like
• 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 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4072 Arrangement of castors or wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• 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 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• 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: G05D 1/0272 : comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 : Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

A autonomous robot includes a main body, a driving unit to move the main body within an operation region, a battery to supply power to the driving unit, and a controller to control the driving unit in a manner that the main body travels along a wall of the operation region to move to a charging stand when a remaining power level of the battery drops below a reference power level, wherein the controller controls the driving unit in a manner that the main body escape from one region corresponding to a closed curve when a movement path of the main body forms the closed curve while the driving unit performs wall following.

Claims

1. An autonomous robot, comprising:

a main body coupled to at least one wheel;

a motor to move the main body within a region by rotating the at least one wheel;

a battery to supply power to the motor; and

a controller to;

control the motor such that the main body travels along a wall defining the region, and

determine when a movement path of the main body forms a closed loop within a prescribed portion of the region,

wherein the controller, when determining that the movement path of the main body has formed the closed loop within the prescribed portion of the region, further controls the motor such that the main body stops travelling along the wall and the main body moves out of the prescribed portion of the region.

2. The autonomous robot of claim 1, further comprising an encoder provided in the motor to detect a rotation angle of the main body, wherein the controller:

detects using the encoder a rotation angle of the main body with reference to a prescribed direction when the main body rotates after the main body enters the prescribed portion of the region,

calculates an accumulated rotation angle of the main body with respect to the prescribed direction by using the rotation angle with reference to prescribed direction detected when the main body rotates, and

determines that the movement path of the main body has formed the closed loop when the accumulated rotation angle exceeds a preset reference total angle value.

3. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the motor moves the main body along the wall to move the main body to a charging stand when a remaining power level of the battery drops below a reference power level.

4. The autonomous robot of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor to detect information related to an obstacle existing within the region; and

a memory to store at least one of information related to the detected obstacle or information related to a movement history of the main body,

wherein the controller sets an escape path for moving the main body out of the prescribed portion of the region on the basis of the information related to the obstacle detected by the sensor.

5. The autonomous robot of claim 4, wherein the controller, when the obstacle is present within the closed loop formed by the movement path of the main body, further controls the motor such that the main body is spaced apart from the obstacle by a predetermined distance.

6. The autonomous robot of claim 4, wherein the controller, when the obstacle is present outside the closed loop formed by the movement path of the main body, further controls the motor such that the main body escapes from the prescribed portion of the region by moving back along a path by which that the main body has entered the prescribed portion of the region.

7. The autonomous robot of claim 4, wherein the controller, when the obstacle is present outside the closed loop formed by the movement path of the main body, further controls the motor to move the main body toward a location where the main body has entered the prescribed portion of the region.

8. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the controller sets an escape path for moving the main body out of the prescribed portion of the region based on a rotating direction of the main body within the prescribed portion of the region while the closed loop is formed by the movement path of the main body.

9. The autonomous robot of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the motor to move the main body again along the wall after the main body has escaped from the prescribed portion of the region.

10. The autonomous robot of claim 1, further comprising a display to output status information related to the autonomous robot when the movement path of the main body forms the closed loop.

11. An autonomous robot, comprising:

a main body coupled to at least one wheel;

a motor to move the main body within a region by rotating the at least one wheel;

a battery to supply power to the motor; and

a controller to;

control the motor to move the autonomous robot toward a charging stand when a remaining power level of the battery drops below a reference power level, and

determine when a movement path of the main body forms a closed loop within a prescribed portion of the region while the motor moves the autonomous robot toward the charging stand,

wherein the controller, when the movement path of the main body has formed the closed loop within the prescribed portion of the region, further controls the motor to move the main body out of the prescribed portion of the region.

12. The autonomous robot of claim 11, further comprising an encoder provided in the motor to detect a rotation angle of the main body, wherein the controller:

detects using the encoder a rotation angle of the main body with reference to a prescribed direction when the main body rotates after the main body enters the prescribed portion of the region,

calculates an accumulated rotation angle of the main body with respect to the prescribed direction by using the rotation angle with reference to prescribed direction detected when the main body rotates, and

determines that the movement path of the main body has formed the closed loop when the accumulated rotation angle exceeds a preset reference total angle value.

13. The autonomous robot of claim 11, wherein the controller, when controlling the motor to move the autonomous robot toward the charging stand, causes the motor to move the main body along a wall defining the region, and wherein the controller, when controlling the motor to move the main body out of the prescribed portion of the region, causes the motor to move the main body away from the wall.

14. The autonomous robot of claim 13, wherein the controller controls the motor to move the main body along the wall following again when the main body has escaped from the prescribed portion of the region.

15. The autonomous robot of claim 11, further comprising:

a sensor to detect information related to an obstacle existing within the region; and

a memory to store at least one of information related to the detected obstacle or information related to a movement history of the main body,

wherein the controller sets an escape path for autonomous the main body out of the prescribed portion of the region on the basis of the information related to the obstacle detected by the sensor.

16. The autonomous robot of claim 15, wherein the controller, when the obstacle is present within the closed loop formed by the movement path of the main body, further controls the motor such that the main body is spaced apart from the obstacle by a predetermined distance.

17. The autonomous robot of claim 15, wherein the controller, when the obstacle is present outside the closed loop formed by the movement path of the main body, further controls the motor such that the main body escapes from the prescribed portion of the region by moving back along a path by which that the main body has entered the prescribed portion of the region.

18. The autonomous robot of claim 15, wherein the controller, when the obstacle is present outside the closed loop formed by the movement path of the main body, further controls the motor to move the main body toward a location where the main body has entered the prescribed portion of the region.

19. The autonomous robot of claim 11, wherein the controller sets an escape path for moving the main body out of the prescribed portion of the region based on a rotating direction of the main body within the prescribed portion of the region while the closed loop is formed by the movement path of the main body.

20. The autonomous robot of claim 11, wherein the controller generates mapping information related to the movement path of the main body within the prescribed portion of the region, and determines when the movement path forms the closed loop within the prescribed portion of the region based on the mapping information.