Robot cleaner, docking station, robot cleaner system including robot cleaner and docking station, and method of controlling robot cleaner

• US 9,141,110 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoo, Kyung-Hwan, Joo, Jae Man, Kim, Dong Won, Lee, Jun Hwa, Hong, Jun Pyo, Chung, Woo Ram, Jung, Jae Young, Jang, Hwi Chan, Ko, Jang Youn, Song, Jeong Gon, Jeung, Sam Jong
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): OH, HARRY Y
• Application Number:
  US13/067,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 700247-249, 700/255, 700258-259, 382/153, 332/109, 332/112, 332/115, 332/149, 375/238, 375/239, 375/300, 375/353, 329/312, 329/313, 370/212, 370/213
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• 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 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058

Abstract

A robot cleaner system is described including a docking station to form a docking area within a predetermined angle range of a front side thereof, to form docking guide areas which do not overlap each other on the left and right sides of the docking area, and to transmit a docking guide signal such that the docking guide areas are distinguished as a first docking guide area and a second docking guide area according to an arrival distance of the docking guide signal. The robot cleaner system also includes a robot cleaner to move to the docking area along a boundary between the first docking guide area and the second docking guide area when the docking guide signal is sensed and to move along the docking area so as to perform docking when reaching the docking area.

Claims

1. A docking system comprising:

a docking station comprising;

a first transmission unit to transmit a first docking guide signal to both a first short-distance guide area and to a first long-distance guide area, the first docking guide signal comprising a first signal pulse and a second signal pulse having an amplitude different than an amplitude of the first signal pulse, and wherein the first signal pulse and the second signal pulse are transmitted by the first transmission unit within a single period of a signal;

a second transmission unit to transmit a second docking guide signal to both a second short-distance guide area and to a second long-distance guide area, the second docking guide signal comprising a first signal pulse and a second signal pulse having an amplitude different than an amplitude of the first signal pulse; and

a controller to control a time delay between the first signal pulse and the second signal pulse of the first docking guide signal to be different than a time delay between the first signal pulse and the second signal pulse of the second docking guide signal,

and the docking station is configured to communicate with a robot cleaner comprising;

a reception unit configured to receive the first docking guide signal or the second docking guide signal from the docking station; and

a control unit configured to determine whether the first docking guide signal or second docking guide signal is received in the short-distance docking guide area or in the long-distance guide area based on the received first signal pulse and second signal pulse of the first docking guide signal or second docking guide signal.

2. A docking system according to claim 1, wherein the docking station further comprises a third transmission unit to transmit a third docking guide signal in a direction towards a front side of the docking station which overlaps with the first docking guide signal and the second docking guide signal.

4. The docking system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the first docking guide signal to the first short-distance docking guide area and to the first long-distance docking guide area includes forming the first signal pulse to have a large amplitude, which reaches both the first docking guide area and a second docking guide area, and forming the second signal pulse to have a small amplitude, which reaches only the second docking guide area.

5. The docking system according to claim 1, wherein each of the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit comprise a light emitting unit to generate the first and second docking guide signal, respectively, and a shading plate to block some of the first and second docking guide signal, respectively, so as to reduce a spreading angle of the first and second docking guide signal.

6. The docking system according to claim 5, wherein the docking station further comprises a lens unit provided outside the light emitting unit so as to spread the docking guide signal.

7. The docking system according to claim 1, wherein the docking station further comprises a third transmission unit to transmit a third docking signal from a central portion of a front side of a main body of the docking station within a predetermined angle range such that a docking area which does not overlap the first docking guide area or a second docking guide area is formed.

8. The docking system according to claim 7, wherein the third transmission unit to transmit the third docking signal includes a light emitting unit to generate the third docking signal and a guide portion to guide a traveling direction of the third docking signal such that the docking signal is formed at the central portion of the front side of the main body of the docking station within the predetermined angle range.

3. A docking station comprising:

a first transmission unit to transmit a first docking guide signal in a first direction, wherein the first docking guide signal is configured such that the first docking guide signal sensed by a robot cleaner in a first short-distance docking guide area is distinguishable from the first docking guide signal sensed by the robot cleaner in a first long-distance docking guide area,

wherein the first docking guide signal comprises at least a first signal pulse and a second signal pulse having an amplitude greater than an amplitude of the first signal pulse,

the first signal pulse and the second signal pulse being transmitted within a single period of a signal, and wherein the first short-distance docking guide area and a second short-distance docking guide area do not overlap each other.

9. A method of transmitting a docking guide signal to a robot cleaner, the method comprising:

transmitting, by way of a first transmission unit, a first docking guide signal to both a first short-distance guide area and to a first long-distance guide area, the first docking guide signal comprising a first signal pulse and a second signal pulse having an amplitude different than an amplitude of the first signal pulse, and wherein the first signal pulse and the second signal pulse are transmitted within a single period of a signal;

transmitting, by way of a second transmission unit, a second docking guide signal to both a second short-distance guide area and to a second long-distance guide area, the second docking guide signal comprising a first signal pulse and a second signal pulse having an amplitude different than an amplitude of the first signal pulse;

controlling a time delay between the first signal pulse and the second signal pulse of the first docking guide signal to be different than a time delay between the first signal pulse and the second signal pulse of the second docking guide signal;

receiving, by the robot cleaner, the first docking guide signal from the first transmission unit or the second docking guide signal from the second transmission unit; and

distinguishing, by the robot cleaner, between the first docking guide signal received in the short-distance guide area and the first docking guide signal received in the long-distance guide area or between the second docking guide signal received in the short-distance guide area and the second docking guide signal received in the long-distance guide area.

10. The docking system comprising:

a docking station comprising;

a first transmission unit to transmit a first docking guide signal in a first direction, wherein the first docking guide signal comprises at least a first signal pulse and a second signal pulse having an amplitude different than an amplitude of the first signal pulse, and the first signal pulse and the second signal pulse are transmitted within a single period of a first signal; and

a second transmission unit to transmit a second docking guide signal in a second direction, wherein the second docking guide signal comprises at least a first signal pulse and a second signal pulse having an amplitude different than an amplitude of the first signal pulse, and the first signal pulse and the second signal pulse are transmitted within a single period of a second signal, and

wherein a time delay between the first signal pulse and the second signal pulse of the first docking guide signal is different than a time delay between the first signal pulse and the second signal pulse of the second docking guide signal; and

a robot cleaner comprising;

a reception unit to receive the first docking guide signal from the first transmission unit or the second docking guide signal from the second transmission unit; and

a control unit configured to determine if the received first docking guide signal or second docking guide signal is an unreflected wave received directly from the first transmission unit or the second transmission unit or if the received first docking guide signal or second docking guide signal is a reflected wave produced by reflection of the first docking guide signal or the second docking guide signal by an obstacle.