Mobile robot system and method of controlling the same

• US 8,688,272 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2010
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hong, Jun Pyo, Yoo, Kyung Hwan, Jung, Jae Young, Joo, Jae Man, Kim, Dong Won, Chung, Woo Ram, Jang, Hwi Chan
• Primary Examiner(s): Jen, Ian
• Application Number:
  US12/662,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20100292839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/258, 700/242, 700/259, 701/23, 701/26, 701/28, 701/25, 701/207, 701/223, 701/210, 701/300, 901/1, 901/46, 901/47, 318/587, 318/567, 318/568.1, 318/568.12, 318/568.16, 119/14.03, 180/167, 180/8.6, 180/168, 414/227
• US Class Current: 700/253
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0085 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/00 Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages B25J1/00 takes precedence; programme-controlled manipulators B25J9/00 ; vehicle aspects B60, B62, e.g. remote-controlled steering for motor vehicles B62D1/24; control of position of vehicles G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1676 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a mobile robot system to restrict a traveling region of a robot and to guide the robot to another region, and a method of controlling the same. Only when a remote controller reception module of a beacon senses a signal transmitted from a mobile robot, the sensed result is reported to the mobile robot in the form of a response signal. In addition, the Field-of-View (FOV) of the remote control reception module is restricted by a directivity receiver. Only when the signal transmitted from the mobile robot is sensed within the restricted FOV, the sensed result is reported to the mobile robot.

Claims

1. A mobile robot system comprising:

a mobile robot to transmit a signal while traveling in a traveling region; and

a beacon to receive the signal transmitted from the mobile robot and to transmit a response signal to the mobile robot,

wherein the beacon is operable to determine if the mobile robot is within a predefined Field-of-View (FOV) based on the signal received from the mobile robot and to activate transmission of the response signal to the mobile robot when the mobile robot is determined to be within the predefined FOV, the beacon is operable to deactivate transmission of the response signal to the mobile robot when the mobile robot is determined to be outside the predefined FOV, and

in response to receiving the response signal from the beacon, the mobile robot is operable to change a travel direction to move away from the predefined FOV of the beacon.

2. The mobile robot system according to claim 1, wherein the signal transmitted from the mobile robot includes at least one of an infrared ray, a visible ray, an ultrasonic wave and a laser beam.

3. The mobile robot system according to claim 1, wherein the response signal transmitted from the beacon includes at least one of an infrared ray, a visible ray, an ultrasonic wave, a Radio Frequency (RF) signal and a laser beam.

4. The mobile robot system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile robot further comprises:

a transmitter to transmit the signal to report a traveling state of the mobile robot, wherein the

signal is transmitted in packet units.

5. The mobile robot system according to claim 4, wherein the mobile robot comprises a main body and the transmitters with 360-degree spread lenses which are mounted on an upper side of a front surface of the main body of the mobile robot to transmit the signal in all directions in which the mobile robot travels.

6. The mobile robot system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile robot further includes:

a receiver to receive the response signal of the beacon; and

a robot control unit to control avoidance navigation of the mobile robot if the response signal of the beacon is received.

7. The mobile robot system according to claim 6, wherein the avoidance navigation of the mobile robot enables the mobile robot to rotate until the response signal of the beacon is not received.

8. The mobile robot system according to claim 7, wherein the robot control unit controls the mobile robot to start rotation when the response signal of the beacon is received and controls the mobile robot to finish rotation and to start cleaning navigation in a direction, in which the rotation is finished, when the response signal of the beacon is not received.

9. The mobile robot system according to claim 6, further comprising a plurality of the receivers, the mobile robot comprising a main body, and the receivers including 180-degree spread lenses which are mounted on a front surface and a side surface of a main body of the mobile robot at a predetermined interval to transmit and receive the signal in all directions in which the mobile robot travels.

10. The mobile robot system according to claim 1, wherein the beacon is mounted so as to be separated from the mobile robot.

11. The mobile robot system according to claim 10, wherein:

the beacon further includes a directivity receiver to receive the signal transmitted from the mobile robot within the predefined FOV, and

the directivity receiver is a slit-shaped remote controller reception module with a width, a length and a height to restrict to the predefined FOV.

12. The mobile robot system according to claim 11, wherein the directivity receiver includes a first directivity receiver to sense whether the mobile robot has approached a confinement border of the traveling region and a plurality of second directivity receivers to sense whether the mobile robot has crossed the confinement border and has approached a guide region to move to another region.

13. The mobile robot system according to claim 12, wherein the first directivity receiver receives a signal to prevent the mobile robot from crossing the confinement border while the mobile robot performs cleaning while traveling in the traveling region.

14. The mobile robot system according to claim 13, wherein the beacon comprises a main body, and the first directivity receiver is a slit for a confinement border recognition mode, which is mounted on an upper side of a front surface of the main body of the beacon.

15. The mobile robot system according to claim 14, wherein the second directivity receivers receive a signal to indicate that the mobile robot has completed cleaning of the traveling region.

16. The mobile robot system according to claim 15, wherein the second directivity receivers are slits for a movement mode, which are mounted on the left and right sides of the first directivity receiver.

17. The mobile robot system according to claim 10, wherein the beacon further includes an omnidirectional receiver to receive the signal transmitted from the mobile robot over 360 degrees and to sense whether the mobile robot has approached.

18. A method of controlling a mobile robot system, the method comprising:

at a mobile robot, transmitting a signal while traveling in a traveling region;

determining whether the signal transmitted from the mobile robot is located within a restricted Field-of-View (FOV) of a beacon;

at the beacon, transmitting a response signal to the mobile robot if the mobile robot is determined to be within the restricted FOV of the beacon;

at the beacon, deactivating transmission of the response signal to the mobile robot when the mobile robot is determined to be outside the restricted FOV of the beacon; and

changing a traveling direction of the mobile robot to move away from a confinement border of the traveling region when the mobile robot receives the response signal of the beacon.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the changing of the traveling direction of the mobile robot includes controlling navigation of the mobile robot such that the mobile robot rotates until the response signal of the beacon is not received.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the mobile robot starts rotation when the response signal of the beacon is received and finishes the rotation and starts cleaning navigation in a direction, in which the rotation is finished, when the response signal of the beacon is not received.