Robot cleaner and controlling method of the same

• US 9,364,128 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Yiebin, Baek, Seung min, Choi, Yoojin, Lutsiv, Vadim, Redkov, Victor, Potapov, Alexey, Lee, Seongsoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W
• Application Number:
  US13/809,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20130116826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,806 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/20 combined with vacuum cleaning devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/08 by means of sensing devices, e.g. viewing or touching devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0253 extracting relative motion information from a plurality of images taken successively, e.g. visual odometry, optical flow determining position or orientation from images G06T7/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

Disclosed are a robot cleaner and a method for controlling the same. The robot cleaner is capable of recognizing a position thereof by extracting one or more feature points having 2D coordinates information with respect to each of a plurality of images, by matching the feature points with each other, and then by creating a matching point having 3D coordinates information. Matching points having 3D coordinates information are created to recognize a position of the robot cleaner, and the recognized position is verified based on a moving distance measured by using a sensor. This may allow a position of the robot cleaner to be precisely recognized, and allow the robot cleaner to perform a cleaning operation or a running operation by interworking the precisely recognized position with a map.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner, comprising:

a case;

at least one of brush;

a driving unit configured to move the robot cleaner by driving wheels;

an image detecting unit configured to detect a plurality of images by capturing peripheral circumstances;

a control unit configured to extract one or more feature points having 2D coordinates information with respect to each of the plurality of images,

match the feature points with each other by comparing the 2D coordinates information of the feature points with each other,

and create a matching point having 3D coordinates information based on a matching result through the feature point matching unit, and configured to recognize a position of the robot cleaner based on the created matching point; and

a storage unit configured to store therein the matching point having 3D coordinates information.

2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the 2D coordinates information comprises a position, an orientation and a descriptor of the feature point on the image, and the descriptor indicates extraction information of the feature point.

3. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to calculate a similarity between a plurality of feature points inside two or more images detected through the image detecting unit based on the 2D coordinates information,

wherein the control unit is configured to recognize a position of the robot cleaner based on feature points having a maximum similarity.

4. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured to calculate a predicted position of a feature point of a current image on a next image, based on the matching point stored in the storage unit.

5. The robot cleaner of claim 4, wherein the control unit is configured to verify the position of the robot cleaner recognized based on feature points having a maximum similarity, based on the predicted position calculated by the predicted position calculating module.

6. The robot cleaner of claim 3, further comprising:

a distance measuring unit connected to the wheels and configured to measure a moving distance.

7. The robot cleaner of claim 6, wherein the control unit is configured to create a compensation constant with respect to the similarity based on the moving distance.

8. The robot cleaner of claim 7, wherein the control unit is configured to re-calculate the similarity based on the compensation constant, and to recognize a position of the robot cleaner based on feature points having a maximum re-calculated similarity.

9. The robot cleaner of claim 1, further comprising an obstacle detecting unit configured to detect a peripheral obstacle, wherein the control unit is configured to create a map based on the obstacle, and to establish a cleaning path or a running path based on the map.

10. The robot cleaner of claim 9, wherein the control unit is configured to correct the cleaning path or the running path based on the position, and to perform a cleaning operation based on the corrected cleaning path or to run based on the corrected running path.

11. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the image detecting unit is implemented as an upper camera installed above the robot cleaner, and configured to detect an upper image by capturing an upper side.

12. A method for controlling a robot cleaner, the method comprising:

an image detecting step of detecting a plurality of images by capturing peripheral circumstances;

a feature point extracting step of extracting one or more feature points having 2D coordinates information with respect to each of the plurality of images;

a feature point matching step of matching the feature points with each other by comparing the 2D coordinates information of the feature points with each other;

a matching point creating step of creating a matching point having 3D coordinates information based on a matching result through a feature point matching unit; and

a position recognizing step of recognizing a position of the robot cleaner based on the created matching point.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising a storing step of storing the matching point having 3D coordinates information.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the 2D coordinates information comprises a position, an orientation and a descriptor of the feature point on the image, and the descriptor indicates extraction information of the feature point.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the feature point matching step comprises calculating a similarity between the plurality of feature points inside two or more images based on the 2D coordinates information,

wherein the position recognizing step comprises recognizing a position of the robot cleaner based on feature points having a maximum similarity.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising a predicted position calculating step of calculating a predicted position of a feature point of a current image on a next image, based on the matching point.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the position recognizing step further comprises verifying the recognized position of the robot cleaner based on the predicted position calculated in the predicted position calculating step.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

a moving distance measuring step of measuring a moving distance with using a sensor connected to wheels; and

a compensation constant creating step of creating a compensation constant with respect to the similarity based on the moving distance.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the position recognizing step comprises:

re-calculating the similarity based on the compensation constant; and

recognizing a position of the robot cleaner based on feature points having a maximum re-calculated similarity.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

an obstacle detecting step of detecting a peripheral obstacle;

a map creating step of creating a map based on the obstacle;

a path establishing step of establishing a cleaning path or a running path based on the map;

a path correcting step of correcting the cleaning path or the running path based on the position; and

a cleaning or running executing step of executing a cleaning operation or a running operation based on the corrected cleaning path or running path.