ROBOT CLEANER

• US 20180055325A1
• Filed: 08/07/2017
• Published: 03/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: YOON, Sang Sik, KIM, Kyong Su, KIM, Shin, KIM, Yong-Seok, ROH, Kyung Shik, JUNG, Hyun Soo
• Granted Patent: US 10,213,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• 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: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications

Abstract

A robot cleaner includes a housing a sensor assembly disposed in the housing, wherein the sensor assembly comprises a light source configured to emit light toward an area in front of the housing; a camera unit comprising a lens; a reflector configured to reflect light incident on a front of the housing toward a front region of the lens; and a guide member hollow inside configured to guide light incident on a top of the housing toward a rear region of the lens. The robot cleaner estimates a current position of the robot cleaner more accurately by correcting the current position of the robot cleaner estimated by using odometry information based on images acquired by the camera unit.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a housing;

a light source configured to emit light toward an obstacle in front of the robot cleaner;

a camera including a lens;

a reflector configured to reflect the light emitted by the light source, reflected by the obstacle, and incident on a front of the housing toward a first region of the lens; and

a guide member configured to guide light incident on a top of the housing toward a second region of the lens different from the first region.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a transparent window disposed to cover a top of the guide member.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the guide member comprises a barrier portion arranged to be substantially planar-shaped, substantially perpendicular to a top of and substantially aligned with a center axis of the camera, and a rear portion connected to the barrier portion and substantially bowl-shaped.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 3, wherein a lower end of the barrier portion is spaced apart from the camera.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 3, wherein a lower portion of the barrier portion has a thickness that narrows in a direction toward the camera.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the reflector is disposed above the camera, and a bottom surface of the reflector includes a reflecting surface and is inclined from a rear portion of the housing toward front and side portions of the housing.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein

the camera further comprises an image sensor, and

the lens is disposed above the image sensor.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 7, further comprising a band pass filter configured to limit a transmission of the light incident on the front of the housing to the image sensor to light having a predetermined wavelength.

9. The robot cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined wavelength is light of an infrared range.

10. The robot cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the band pass filter is disposed on an optical path of the light between the front of the housing and the image sensor.

11. The robot cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the band pass filter is disposed to cover at least one of a portion of a top surface of the image sensor and an inner surface of the front of the housing.

12. The robot cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the band pass filter is disposed to cover a portion of a surface of the lens.

13. The robot cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the band pass filter has a disc shape, is disposed in the camera, and comprises a filter portion having a semicircular shape and disposed at a first portion of the band pass filter and a transmission portion having a semicircular shape and disposed at a second portion of the band pass filter different from the first portion.

14. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to estimate a position of the robot cleaner based on information acquired by an inertia measurement unit and odometry, and correct the position of the robot cleaner based on images acquired by the camera.

15. The robot cleaner according to claim 14, wherein the controller sets a plurality of reference points based on a travel pattern of the robot cleaner and acquires the images at the plurality of reference points.

16. The robot cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of reference points include positions where a travel direction of the robot cleaner changes by at least a predetermined angle.

17. The robot cleaner according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of reference points further include positions where the robot cleaner changes directions in an identical manner.

18. The robot cleaner according to claim 15, wherein a distance between the reference points is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

19. The robot cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the controller corrects the position of the robot cleaner by comparing feature points of the images acquired at the plurality of reference points.

20. The robot cleaner according to claim 19, wherein the controller calculates at least one of a relative distance and an angle between the feature points and corrects the position of the robot cleaner based the calculated at least one of the relative distance and the angle between the feature points.