Robot cleaner

• US 9,271,621 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Sunggil, Chung, Jaeheon
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US14/019,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20140257563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0248 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A robot cleaner includes a main body, a light transmitting unit, an image sensor, a base, a rotation drive unit, a tilting unit, and a tilting drive unit. The light transmitting unit emits light. The light emitted from the light transmitting unit and reflected or scattered is formed on the image sensor. The base supports the light transmitting unit and the image sensor and is rotatably disposed in the main body. The rotation drive unit rotates the base. The tilting unit tilts the light transmitting unit and the image sensor.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body;

a suctioning unit that suctions foreign substances on a cleaning area, the suctioning unit disposed in the main body;

a light transmitting unit that emits light;

an image sensor that senses light reflected or scattered by an obstacle from the light emitted from the light transmitting unit;

a base supporting the light transmitting unit and the image sensor, the base disposed in the main body, the base being rotatable with respect to the main body;

a rotation drive unit that rotates the base;

a tilting unit that tilts the light transmitting unit and the image sensor; and

a controller that obtains a location of the obstacle from a rotational angle of the base rotated by the rotation drive unit, a tilted angle of the light transmitting unit and the image sensor tilted by the tilting unit, and a location of a spot formed on the image sensor.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller controls an operation of at least one of the rotation drive unit and the tilting unit.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 2, wherein the tilting unit tilts the light transmitting unit and the image sensor downwardly or upwardly with respect to a horizontal plane based on the control of the controller.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein the light emitted from the light transmitting unit travels downwardly or upwardly corresponding to a tilted angle of the light transmitting unit tilted by the tilting unit.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 4, wherein the controller performs at least one of a first obstacle sensing control by controlling the tilting drive unit to tilt to a first location such that the light emitted from the light transmitting unit to the obstacle occurs at the first location of the tilting unit and a second obstacle sensing control by controlling the tilting unit to tilt to a second location from the first location such that the light emitted from the light transmitting unit to the obstacle occurs at the second location of the tilting unit.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 5, wherein the controller performs the rotation of the base by controlling the rotation drive unit after performing the first obstacle sensing control or the second obstacle sensing control.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 6, wherein the base is turned within a certain angle range, 360 degrees, or more than 360 degrees.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 5, wherein the first obstacle sensing control performed by the controller senses the obstacle at a lower location of an area and the second obstacle sensing control performed by the controller senses the obstacle at a higher location of the area that is higher than the lower location of the first obstacle control.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 6, wherein the controller three-dimensionally maps the obstacle in an area using the rotational angle, the tilted angle, and a distance from the obstacle obtained from the location of the spot formed on the image sensor.

10. The robot cleaner of claim 8, wherein the controller performs the second obstacle sensing control when a plurality of obstacles are sensed within the area sensed by the controller through the first obstacle sensing control.

11. The robot cleaner of claim 10, wherein the controller performs the second obstacle sensing control when two straight line components spaced from each other at a certain interval on the same line are sensed by the controller through the first obstacle sensing control.

12. The robot cleaner of claim 11, wherein the controller controls the traveling drive unit such that the robot cleaner approaches the straight line components or a collinear line by a certain distance, and then performs the second obstacle sensing control.

13. The robot cleaner of claim 10, wherein when two straight line components spaced from each other at a certain interval on the same line are sensed by the controller through the first obstacle sensing control, the controller controls the traveling drive unit so as to travel avoiding between the two straight line components.

14. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the light transmitting unit comprises a laser diode that emits a laser beam.

15. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the main body has an opening formed in the front surface thereof, and the light emitted from the light transmitting unit passes through the opening.

16. The robot cleaner of claim 15, wherein the opening of the main body passes light reflected or scattered by the obstacle from light emitted from the light transmitting unit to the image sensor.

17. The robot cleaner of claim 16, further comprising a transparent member provided in the opening of the main body to pass the light emitted from the light transmitting unit or the light reflected or scattered by the obstacle.

18. A robot cleaner comprising:

a main body;

a suctioning unit that suctions foreign substances on a cleaning area, the suctioning unit disposed in the main body;

a light transmitting unit that emits laser beam;

an image sensor that senses light reflected or scattered by an obstacle from the laser beam emitted from the light transmitting unit;

a base supporting the light transmitting unit and the image sensor, the base being rotatable with respect to the main body;

a rotation drive unit that rotates the base, the rotation drive continuously rotating the base more than 360 degree while the light transmitting unit emits the laser beam; and

a tilting unit that tilts the light transmitting unit and the image sensor about the base.

19. The robot cleaner of claim 18, wherein the main body has an opening formed in the front surface thereof, and the light emitted from the light transmitting unit passes through the opening,

wherein the opening of the main body passes light reflected or scattered by the obstacle from light emitted from the light transmitting unit to the image sensor.

20. The robot cleaner of claim 19, further comprising a transparent member provided in the opening of the main body to pass the light emitted from the light transmitting unit or the light reflected or scattered by the obstacle.