Apparatus for cleaning a glass window and method for controlling the movement thereof

• US 9,351,616 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Discovery Co., Ltd., Korea Institute Of Robot & Convergence
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Discovery Co., Ltd., Korea Institute Of Robot & Convergence
• Inventors: Ryu, Man Hyun, Jung, Kwang Mok, Choi, Young Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): PECHE, JORGE O
• Application Number:
  US13/698,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20130060380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• Field of Search: 701/245, 701/254, 701/258, 901/1, 151/02, 151/03
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 1/03 cleaning both sides of a window simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00

Abstract

A window cleaning apparatus includes a first cleaning unit and a second cleaning unit that is attached to both sides of a window, respectively, by a magnetic force and moved on the sides, and a method of controlling a movement of the window cleaning apparatus. The method includes detecting the first initial attachment position of the window cleaning apparatus and moving the window cleaning apparatus close to the detected initial attachment position after cleaning.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a movement of a window cleaning apparatus that is attached and moved on a window, the method comprising:

detecting, by a control device, an initial attachment position of the window cleaning apparatus, the detecting comprising determining whether the initial attachment position is positioned on a first side of the window or a second side opposite to the first side of the window; and

moving, by the control device, the window cleaning apparatus to a detachment position after completion of the cleaning the window, the detachment position being provided at one of an end of the first side and an end of the second side of the window corresponding to the detected initial attachment position,

wherein the detecting the initial attachment position comprises;

moving the window cleaning apparatus vertically from the initial attachment position to a first position, the first position corresponding to a top end of the window;

moving the window cleaning apparatus horizontally at the top end of the window from the first position to a second position by a first distance, the second position corresponding to the end of the first side of the window;

moving the window cleaning apparatus horizontally from the second position to a third position by a second distance, the third position corresponding to the end of the second side at the top end of the window; and

determining the initial attachment position based on a result of comparing the first and second distances.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the attachment position comprises determining that the initial attachment position is at the second side on the window if the first distance is larger than a half of the second distance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the attachment position comprises determining that the initial attachment position is at the first side on the window if the first distance is smaller than a half of the second distance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the initial attachment position further comprises estimating the initial attachment position of the window cleaning apparatus as being positioned at one of the first side and the second side, in accordance with a direction in which the window cleaning apparatus is attached to the window.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the detecting the initial attachment position further comprises:

moving the window cleaning apparatus in a direction corresponding to the estimated initial attachment position;

ascertaining whether the window cleaning apparatus collides with the frame of the window, within a predetermined distance;

determining the initial attachment position of the window cleaning apparatus being the estimated position if the window cleaning apparatus collides with the frame of the window within the predetermined distance; and

determining that the initial attachment position of the window cleaning apparatus being the opposite to the estimated position if the window cleaning apparatus does not collide with the frame of the window, within the predetermined distance.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the initial attachment position comprises determining the initial attachment position with respect to a vertical direction of the window cleaning apparatus by moving the window cleaning apparatus to the top end of the window,

wherein the predetermined distance corresponds to the determined initial attachment position with respect to the vertical direction.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving the window cleaning apparatus comprises moving the window cleaning apparatus, which has moved to the end of the first side or the end of the second side of the window corresponding to the detected initial attachment position, by a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction and in an opposite direction of moving to the end of the first side or the end of the second side, respectively to the detachment position.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the window cleaning apparatus towards the detected initial attachment position if the voltage of a battery in the window cleaning apparatus decreases to a reference level or less.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the window cleaning apparatus towards the detected initial attachment position if a user requires the window cleaning apparatus to return to the initial attachment position with a remote control device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising resetting a direction offset of a direction sensor configured to sense a movement direction of the window cleaning apparatus if the window cleaning apparatus collides with the frame of the window.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

moving, by the control device, the window cleaning apparatus to one of a second end and a first end at a bottom end of the window; and

moving the window cleaning apparatus horizontally from the one of the second end and the first end at the bottom end to the other of the second end and the first end at the bottom end to remove detergent ejected from the window cleaning apparatus.

12. A method of controlling a movement of a window cleaning apparatus that is attached and moved on a window, the method comprising:

detecting, by a control device, an initial attachment position of the window cleaning apparatus, the detecting comprising determining whether the initial attachment position is positioned on a first side of the window or a second side opposite to the side side of the window; and

moving, by the control device, the window cleaning apparatus to a detachment position after completion of the cleaning the window, the detachment position being provided at one of an end of the first side and an end of the second side of the window corresponding to the detected initial attachment position, wherein the detecting the initial attachment position comprises;

moving the window cleaning apparatus horizontally from the initial attachment position to the end of the second side of the window by a third distance;

moving the window cleaning apparatus vertically to a top end of the window after moving the window cleaning apparatus to the end of the second side of the window;

moving the window cleaning apparatus horizontally at the top end toward the end of the first side from the end of the second side of the window by a fourth distance; and

determining that the initial attachment position is at the first side on the window, if the third distance is larger than a half of the fourth distance.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

moving, by the control device, the window cleaning apparatus to one of a second end and a first end of a bottom end of the window; and

moving the window cleaning apparatus horizontally from the one of the second end and the first end at the bottom end to the other of the second end and the first end at the bottom end to remove detergent ejected from the window cleaning apparatus.

14. A window cleaning apparatus that is attached and moved on a window, the window cleaning apparatus comprising:

a first cleaning unit; and

a second cleaning unit, the first and second cleaning unit being respectively attached to an inner side and an outer side of a window by a magnetic force and configured to move on the window,

wherein at least one of the first and second cleaning units comprises a control unit configured to detect an initial attachment position of one of the first and second cleaning units, configured to determine whether the initial attachment position is positioned on a first side of the window or a second side opposite to the first side of the window and configured to move the window cleaning apparatus to a detachment position, the detachment position being provided at one of an end of the first side and an end of the second side of the window in the horizontal direction corresponding to the detected initial attachment position, after completion of cleaning the window,

wherein the control unit is configured to detect the initial attachment position of the one of the first and second cleaning units by controlling the one of the first and second cleaning units to move vertically from the initial attachment position to a first position, the first position corresponding to a top end of the window to move the window cleaning apparatus horizontally at the top end of the window from the first position to a second position by a first distance, the second position corresponding to the end of the first side of the window, to move the window cleaning apparatus horizontally from the second position to a third position by a second distance, the third position corresponding to the end of the second side at the top end of the window and to determine the initial attachment position based on a result of comparison between the first and second distances.

15. The window cleaning apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the control unit is disposed in one of the first and second cleaning units, the one attached to an inner side of the window and is configured to control movement of one of the first and second cleaning units, and

the other of the first and second cleaning units is moved by a magnetic force according to the movement of the one of the first and second cleaning units.

16. The window cleaning apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to control the one of the first and second cleaning units to move to one of a second end and a first end of a bottom end of the window;

and

the controller is configured to control the one of the first and second cleaning units to move horizontally from the one of the second end and the first end at the bottom end to the other of the second end and the first end of the bottom end to remove detergent ejected from one of the first and second cleaning units.