Cleaning robot and method for controlling the same

• US 9,285,804 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2014
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Dong Hun, Park, Heum yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Jen, Ian
• Application Number:
  US14/282,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20140371909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 700/248, 700/250, 700/252, 700/259
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0223 involving speed control of the vehicle vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30204 Marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/248 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 Static hand or arm
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 Arm motion controller

Abstract

A cleaning robot includes a main body, a moving assembly to move the main body, a cleaning tool provided at a bottom part of the main body to collect foreign substances on a floor, an imager to collect images around the main body and a controller to recognize motion of a hand by performing image processing of the collected images, identify a control command corresponding to the motion of the hand, plan a moving direction and a moving distance of the main body as movement information based on the control command, and control operations of the moving assembly and the cleaning tool based on the planned movement information. Since the user directly controls movement of the cleaning robot, it is possible to improve interactivity between human and cleaning robot, reduce the user'"'"'s labor and increase convenience.

Claims

1. A cleaning robot comprising:

a main body;

a moving assembly to move the main body;

a cleaning tool provided at a bottom part of the main body to collect foreign substances on a floor;

an imager to collect images around the main body; and

a controller to recognize motion of a hand by performing image processing of the collected images, identify a control command corresponding to the motion of the hand, plan a moving direction and a moving distance of the main body as movement information based on the control command, and control operations of the moving assembly and the cleaning tool based on the planned movement information.

2. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the motion of the hand includes a position of the hand and a shape of the hand, and the control command includes a movement command corresponding to the position of the hand and an operation command corresponding to the shape of the hand.

3. The cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein the controller recognizes the shape of the hand, and controls at least one of a moving operation, a stop operation, a docking operation, a standby operation, a cleaning end operation, an operation for setting up a virtual wall, a position moving operation, and a mode change operation based on the recognized shape of the hand.

4. The cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein the controller identifies a change in position of the hand over time, determines a moving direction and a moving distance of the hand based on the identified change in position, and controls the moving direction and the moving distance of the main body based on the moving direction and the moving distance of the hand.

5. The cleaning robot according to claim 4, wherein the controller determines a moving speed of the hand based on the time and the moving distance, and controls a moving speed of the main body based on the determined moving speed of the hand.

6. The cleaning robot according to claim 2, wherein a cleaning mode includes an automatic mode in which the cleaning robot performs cleaning while autonomously moving, and an interactive mode in which the cleaning robot performs cleaning while moving based on the motion of the hand, and

wherein the controller controls mode change between the automatic mode and the interactive mode upon determining that the shape of the hand is a shape for mode change.

7. The cleaning robot according to claim 6, wherein the controller terminates the interactive mode if a hand image is not recognized in the collected images.

8. The cleaning robot according to claim 7, wherein the controller changes the cleaning mode to the automatic mode if a predetermined time has elapsed after termination of the interactive mode.

9. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein if a traveling pattern setting command has been input, the controller recognizes positions of the hand over time, and sets a traveling pattern by connecting the recognized positions.

10. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the imager is located on an upper side of the main body to perform photographing in an upward direction of the main body.