MOVING ROBOT AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20180064024A1
• Filed: 08/17/2017
• Published: 03/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: CHOI, Kyuchun, LEE, Jaehoon, CHOI, Jieun
• Granted Patent: US 10,653,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 2101/00 Lawn-mowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• 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 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• 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 1/0265 using buried wires
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A lawn mowing robot includes a body, a driving unit driven such that the body moves within an operation region, and a controller setting first information related to at least one reference line using coordinate information corresponding to vertices included in a polygon forming an operation region and setting second information related to a plurality of regions such that the operation region is divided into the plurality of regions using the first information, wherein the controller controls the driving unit such that the body moves according to a preset movement pattern by the plurality of divided regions using the second information.

Claims

1. A robot comprising:

a body;

a driving unit to drive the body such that the body travels within an operation region; and

a controller to generate map information corresponding to an operation region, the controller setting first information corresponding to at least one reference line using coordinate information corresponding to vertices included in a polygon forming the operation region, and the controller, using the first information, setting second information corresponding to a plurality of regions such that the operation region is divided into the plurality of regions,

wherein the controller, using the second information, controls the driving unit such that the body travels according to a preset movement pattern for each of the plurality of divided regions.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein

the controller detects coordinate information corresponding to a concave vertex of the vertices and, using the detected coordinate information, sets the first information,

whereby an internal angle of the polygon formed around the concave vertex is an obtuse angle.

3. The robot of claim 2, wherein the controller selects at least one of the at least one reference line using third information corresponding to a preset traveling direction for the robot, and sets the second information using the first information related to the selected at least one reference line.

4. The robot of claim 1, wherein when the controller does not detect coordinate information corresponding to a concave vertex of the vertices, the controller sets the second information such that the operation region is divided into the plurality of regions using fourth information corresponding to a predetermined maximum traveling distance value for the robot.

5. The robot of claim 1, wherein when a maximum length of any one of the divided regions along a preset traveling direction is greater than a predetermined maximum traveling distance value, the controller resets the second information such that the divided region is divided into a plurality of sub-regions.

6. The robot of claim 5, wherein the controller sets information related to each of the sub-regions using the maximum length value and the predetermined maximum traveling distance value in the traveling direction.

7. The robot of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the driving unit such that the body travels, according to the preset movement pattern, to a region that is spaced apart from a contour line of the divided region by a predetermined additional traveling distance.

8. The robot of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensing unit to sense coordinate information corresponding to a position of the body,

wherein the controller generates polygonal map information related to the operation region using the sensed coordinate information.

9. The robot of claim 8, wherein the controller:

calculates a difference in area between a rectangle tangent to a polygon corresponding to the generated map information and the polygon,

sets information related to the rectangle such that the calculated difference in area includes a minimum value, and

sets information related to a traveling coordinate axis of the robot using the set information related to the rectangle.

10. The robot of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory to store information corresponding to a movement history of the body,

wherein the controller determines whether an obstacle is located in any of the plurality of divided regions according to the stored movement history information, and

when it is determined that an obstacle is located in any of the plurality of divided regions, the controller controls the driving unit to change a travel direction of the body, and

after the movement direction is changed, the controller verifies, using information related to the traveling of the body, the determination result related to the location of the obstacle.

11. The robot of claim 10, wherein when the controller verifies that the determination result is accurate, the controller controls the driving unit to drive the body to a position corresponding to one of the plurality of divided regions where the obstacle is not located.

12. The robot of claim 10, wherein when the controller verifies that the determination result is wrong because the obstacle is not located within any of the plurality of divided regions, the controller controls the driving unit to change the movement direction to a previous state such that the robot moves according to the preset movement pattern.

13. A method for controlling a robot, the method comprising:

generating, by a controller, map information corresponding to an operation region for the robot;

setting, by the controller, first information corresponding to at least one reference line using coordinate information corresponding to vertices included in a polygon forming the operation region;

setting, by the controller, using the first information, second information corresponding to a plurality of regions such that the operation region is divided into the plurality of regions; and

driving a driving unit unit, using the second information, to move the robot according to a preset movement pattern for each of the plurality of divided regions, the driving unit being controlled by the controller.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting, by the controller, coordinate information corresponding to a concave vertex of the vertices when it is determined that an internal angle of the polygon formed around the concave vertex is an obtuse angle; and

setting the first information using the detected coordinate information.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

selecting, by the controller, at least one of the at least one reference line using third information corresponding to a preset traveling direction for the robot;

and setting the second information using the first information related to the selected at least one reference line.

16. The robot of claim 13, further comprising:

setting, by the controller, the second information such that the operation region is divided into the plurality of regions using fourth information corresponding to a predetermined maximum traveling distance value for the robot when the controller does not detect coordinate information corresponding to a concave vertex of the vertices.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing, using a memory, information corresponding to a movement history of the body,

determining, by the controller, whether an obstacle is located in any of the plurality of divided regions according to the stored movement history information, and

controlling the robot to change a travel direction when it is determined that an obstacle is located in any of the plurality of divided regions,

verifying, by the controller, after the movement direction is changed, the determination result related to the location of the obstacle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein when the determination result is verified as accurate, the robot is driven to a position corresponding to one of the plurality of divided regions where the obstacle is not located.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein when the determination result is not verified because the obstacle is not located within any of the plurality of divided regions, the movement direction of the robot is changed to a previous state such that the robot moves according to the preset movement pattern.

20. A method for controlling a robot lawn mower, comprising:

generating, by a controller, map information corresponding to an operation region for the robot lawn mower to perform a cutting operation;

setting, by the controller, information related to a plurality of regions located within the operation region using the map information such that the operation region is divided into the plurality of regions;

moving, via a drive unit controlled by the controller, the robot lawn mower according to a preset movement pattern for the plurality of divided regions; and

returning the robot lawn mower to a charging device when the cutting operation in the operation region is determined by the controller to be completed.