Autonomous mobile device and operating method for the same
First Claim
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1. An autonomous mobile device configured to move on a surface provided with a base station thereon, said autonomous mobile device comprising:
- a housing;
a motion control module disposed at said housing for controlling movement of said autonomous mobile device;
a detecting module disposed at said housing for detecting presence of an obstacle near said housing; and
a processor coupled to said motion control module and said detecting module, and configured to operate said autonomous mobile device in one of a work state and a return state;
wherein, in the work state, said processor is configured to plot a movement route on the surface and to control said motion control module to move said autonomous mobile device along the movement route on the surface, and is operable to adjust the movement route upon presence of an obstacle detected by said detecting module;
wherein, in the return state, said processor is configured topartition a portion of the surface, over which said autonomous mobile device moves in the work state, into a plurality of virtual blocks with reference to a first axis and a second axis perpendicular to the first axis,determine a starting one of the virtual blocks where said autonomous mobile device currently locates, a destination one of the virtual blocks where the base station locates, and an exclusion one of the virtual blocks where the obstacle locates,assign a number to each of the virtual blocks of the surface, a value of the number assigned to one of the virtual blocks is monotonically related to a block distance between said one of the virtual blocks and the destination one of the virtual blocks, the values of the numbers assigned respectively to the virtual blocks being proportional to the block distances,using the virtual blocks except the exclusion one, plot a returning route on the surface from the starting one to the destination one of the virtual blocks by identifying all possible ways to move said autonomous mobile device across successive two of the virtual blocks, calculating, for each of the possible ways, a sum of the values of the numbers that are assigned to the successive two of the virtual blocks, and selecting one of the possible ways that has a smallest sum as a part of the returning route,when more than one of the possible ways have the smallest sum, said processor is operable to select one of the possible ways that has the smallest sum and that is along one of the first and second axes toward the base station as the part of the returning route,control said movement control module to move said autonomous mobile device, along the selected one of the possible ways, to a first one of the successive two of the virtual blocks, andcontrol said motion control module to move said autonomous mobile device along the returning route to the base station.
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Abstract
An autonomous mobile device is configured to move on a surface provided with a base station thereon, and is operated in one of a work state and return state. In the work state, the autonomous mobile device is operable to plot a movement route along which the autonomous mobile device moves, and is operable to adjust the movement route upon presence of an obstacle. In the return state, the autonomous mobile device is operable to plot a returning route on the surface from the current position to the base station, and to move along the returning route to the base station.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. An autonomous mobile device configured to move on a surface provided with a base station thereon, said autonomous mobile device comprising:
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a housing; a motion control module disposed at said housing for controlling movement of said autonomous mobile device; a detecting module disposed at said housing for detecting presence of an obstacle near said housing; and a processor coupled to said motion control module and said detecting module, and configured to operate said autonomous mobile device in one of a work state and a return state; wherein, in the work state, said processor is configured to plot a movement route on the surface and to control said motion control module to move said autonomous mobile device along the movement route on the surface, and is operable to adjust the movement route upon presence of an obstacle detected by said detecting module; wherein, in the return state, said processor is configured to partition a portion of the surface, over which said autonomous mobile device moves in the work state, into a plurality of virtual blocks with reference to a first axis and a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, determine a starting one of the virtual blocks where said autonomous mobile device currently locates, a destination one of the virtual blocks where the base station locates, and an exclusion one of the virtual blocks where the obstacle locates, assign a number to each of the virtual blocks of the surface, a value of the number assigned to one of the virtual blocks is monotonically related to a block distance between said one of the virtual blocks and the destination one of the virtual blocks, the values of the numbers assigned respectively to the virtual blocks being proportional to the block distances, using the virtual blocks except the exclusion one, plot a returning route on the surface from the starting one to the destination one of the virtual blocks by identifying all possible ways to move said autonomous mobile device across successive two of the virtual blocks, calculating, for each of the possible ways, a sum of the values of the numbers that are assigned to the successive two of the virtual blocks, and selecting one of the possible ways that has a smallest sum as a part of the returning route, when more than one of the possible ways have the smallest sum, said processor is operable to select one of the possible ways that has the smallest sum and that is along one of the first and second axes toward the base station as the part of the returning route, control said movement control module to move said autonomous mobile device, along the selected one of the possible ways, to a first one of the successive two of the virtual blocks, and control said motion control module to move said autonomous mobile device along the returning route to the base station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An operating method of an autonomous mobile device configured to move on a surface provided with a base station thereon, the autonomous mobile device including a motion control module for controlling movement of the autonomous mobile device, a detecting module for detecting presence of an obstacle, and a processor coupled to the motion control module and the detecting module, said operating method comprising the following steps of:
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(a) operating, by the processor, the autonomous mobile device in a work state with the following sub-steps of plotting a movement route on the surface, controlling the motion control module to move the autonomous mobile device along the movement route on the surface, and adjusting the movement route upon presence of an obstacle detected by the detecting module; and (b) operating, by the processor, the autonomous mobile device in a return state with the following sub-steps of partitioning a portion of the surface, over which the autonomous mobile device moves in the work state, into a plurality of virtual blocks with reference to a first axis and a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, determining a starting one of the virtual blocks where the autonomous mobile device currently locates, a destination one of the virtual blocks where the base station locates, and an exclusion one of the virtual blocks where the obstacle locates, assigning a number to each of the virtual blocks of the surface, a value of the number assigned to one of the virtual blocks is monotonically related to a block distance between the one of the virtual blocks and the destination one of the virtual blocks, the values of the numbers assigned respectively to the virtual blocks being proportional to the block distances, using the virtual blocks except the exclusion one to plot a returning route on the surface from the starting one to the destination one of the virtual blocks by identifying all possible ways to move the autonomous mobile device across successive two of the virtual blocks, calculating, for each of the possible ways, a sum of the values of the numbers that are assigned to the successive two of the virtual blocks, and selecting one of the possible ways that has a smallest sum as a part of the returning route, when more than one of the possible ways have the smallest sum, selecting one of the possible ways that has the smallest sum and that is along one of the first and second axes toward the base station as the part of the returning route, controlling the movement control module to move the autonomous mobile device, along the selected one of the possible ways, to a first one of the successive two of the virtual blocks, and controlling the motion control module to move the autonomous mobile device along the returning route to the base station. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification