Detecting apparatus of robot cleaner and controlling method of robot cleaner

• US 8,798,792 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Dong-Woo, Kim, Sung-Woon, Yi, Dong-Hoon, Yoon, Jeong-Suk, Park, Jong-Il, Yoon, Hyoung-Hwa
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US12/740,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20110098853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,111 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/250, 700/253, 700/255, 700/258, 901/1
• US Class Current: 700/253
• 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 1/0219 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 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165

Abstract

A method for controlling a robot cleaner includes: detecting a cleaning target space, setting a cleaning region within the detected cleaning space and cleaning the set cleaning region; if the set cleaning region is completely cleaned, moving to a not-yet-cleaned region adjacent to a cleaning completion spot of the cleaning region; and setting a new cleaning region in the not-yet-cleaned region and performing cleaning. Without repeating a cleaning region in the cleaning target space, the robot cleaner can extend its cleaning region, so the cleaning efficiency of the robot cleaner can be improved. Also, the robot cleaner can be smoothly enter a new cleaning target space or released therefrom. In particular, even when the entrance of the new cleaning target space is narrow, the robot cleaner can smoothly enter the new cleaning target space and gets out thereof.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner, comprising:

a detecting unit that detects a cleaning region or a not-yet-cleaned region in a target cleaning region; and

a controller that sets the detected cleaning region as a current cleaning region and that sets the detected not-yet-cleaned region as a new cleaning region and issues a cleaning command,

wherein the detecting unit detects at least one of a surface of a wall or a corner when the robot cleaner travels through the target cleaning region, and

wherein the controller recognizes a corresponding travel region of the robot cleaner as the target cleaning region based on at least one of a number of non-detections of the surface of the wall or a number of detections of the corner.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein, when cleaning in the current cleaning region is completed and a not-yet-cleaned region is detected adjacent to a completion spot of the current cleaning region, the controller controls the robot cleaner to move to the detected not-yet-cleaned region.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein, when at least one of a first condition or a second condition is met, the controller recognizes the corresponding travel region of the robot cleaner as the target cleaning region, wherein the first condition is a condition in which a number of non-detections of the surface of the wall is accumulated twice and the second condition is a condition in which a number of detections of the corner is accumulated twice.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein if the non-detections of the surface of the wall and the detections of the corner occur successively, it is considered that the first and second conditions are met.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein the robot cleaner comprises a storage unit for storing the number of non-detections of the surface of the wall and the number of detections of the corner.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller executes a cleaning mode of the robot cleaner with respect to a region recognized as the target cleaning region.

7. A method for controlling a robot cleaner including a detector that detects a position of the robot cleaner in a space to be cleaned, a driver that moves the robot cleaner, and a controller that controls operation of the robot cleaner, the method comprising:

operating the detector and detecting a target cleaning space, setting a cleaning region within the detected target cleaning space, and cleaning the set cleaning region;

operating the driver and moving the robot cleaner to a not-yet-cleaned region adjacent to a cleaning completion spot of the set cleaning region when the set cleaning region is completely cleaned; and

setting, by the controller, the detected not-yet-cleaned region as a new cleaning region and performing a cleaning operation in the newly set cleaning region,

wherein detecting a target cleaning space comprises operating the detector and detecting at least one of a surface of a wall or a corner when the robot cleaner travels through the target cleaning space, wherein the controller recognizes a corresponding travel region as the target cleaning space based on at least one of a number of non-detections of the surface of the wall or a number of detections of the corner.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein moving the robot cleaner to a not-yet-cleaned region comprises:

determining, by the controller, whether or not there is a not-yet-cleaned region adjacent to the cleaning completion spot of the set cleaning region when cleaning of the set cleaning region is completed;

setting, by the controller, the not-yet-cleaned region as the new set cleaning region when it is determined that the not-yet-cleaned region is adjacent to the cleaning completion spot of the previous set cleaning region; and

operating the driver and moving the robot cleaner to the new set cleaning region.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising correcting, by the controller, a location of the robot cleaner when an accumulated movement distance of the robot cleaner within the target cleaning space is greater than or equal to a pre-set reference distance, wherein the location of the robot cleaner is corrected based on a current position of the robot relative to a docking station.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein setting the not-yet-cleaned region as a new cleaning region comprises repeatedly performing a travel pattern in which the robot cleaner travels a certain distance and then changes a travel direction in the target cleaning space.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein setting the not-yet cleaned region as a new cleaning region comprises setting the new cleaning region based on a middle point of a certain travel distance calculated after the robot cleaner travels the certain distance in the target cleaning space.

12. The method of claim 7,

wherein when at least one of a first condition in which the number of non-detections of the surface of the wall is accumulated twice or a second condition in which the number of detections of the corner is accumulated twice is met, the controller recognizes the corresponding travel region as the target cleaning space.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

storing, in a storage device of the robot cleaner, the number of non-detections of the surface of the wall and the number of detections of the corner as recognized by the detector.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether at least one of a first condition or a second condition is met comprises determining whether or not at least one of the first condition or the second condition is met based on the value stored in the storage device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein determining whether at least one of a first condition or a second condition is met comprises determining that the first condition and the second condition are both met when the non-detections of the surface of the wall and the detections of the corner occur successively, respectively.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein recognizing the corresponding region as the target cleaning space further comprises performing a cleaning operation in the region recognized as the target cleaning space.

17. A method for controlling a robot cleaner including a detector, a driver, a controller and a storage device, the method comprising:

operating the detector and detecting a target cleaning space, setting a cleaning region within the detected target cleaning space, and cleaning the set cleaning region, wherein detecting the target cleaning space comprises;

detecting at least one of at least one wall surface forming the target cleaning space or at least one corner in the target cleaning space; and

recognizing a corresponding region as the target cleaning space when at least one of a first condition or a second condition is met, the first condition being a condition in which the robot cleaner does not detect the wall surface while traveling is accumulated twice, and the second condition being a condition in which the robot cleaner detects the corner is accumulated twice;

operating the driver and moving the robot cleaner to a not-yet-cleaned region adjacent to a completion point of the set cleaning region;

setting, by the controller, the not-yet cleaned region as a new cleaning region and performing a cleaning operation in the newly set cleaning region; and

correcting a location of the robot cleaner when an accumulated movement distance of the robot cleaner within the target cleaning space is greater than or equal to a pre-set reference distance.