Debris detecting unit and robot cleaning device having the same

• US 9,402,524 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2012
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoon, Sang Sik, Kim, Kang Nam, Lee, Jun Hwa, Jang, Hwi Chan
• Primary Examiner(s): REDDING, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US13/404,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20120222224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: 153/19, 153/47
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/33 having means for storing dirt
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/02 Docking stations; Docking operations
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/024 Emptying dust or waste liquid containers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/281 the amount or condition of incoming dirt or dust
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2815 using optical detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles

Abstract

A robot cleaning device includes a debris detecting unit. The robot cleaning device includes a body, a driving unit to enable the body to travel, a drum brush unit provided at the body, to sweep up debris, using a brush and a rotating drum, a debris box to store the debris swept up by the drum brush unit, a debris detecting unit to detect whether debris has been introduced into the debris box through the drum brush unit during a cleaning operation, and a controller to determine whether debris is introduced into the debris box and whether debris has been accumulated in the debris box in a predetermined amount, based on introduction or non-introduction of debris detected by the debris detecting unit.

Claims

1. A robot cleaning device comprising:

a body;

a driving unit to enable the body to travel;

a drum brush unit provided at the body, to sweep up debris, using a brush and a rotating drum;

a debris box to store the debris swept up by the drum brush unit;

a debris detecting unit including;

a light emitter to emit light, and

a light receiver to receive the emitted light,

the light emitter and the light receiver arranged to face each other at a position where a path, along which debris moves to be introduced into the debris box via the drum brush unit, crosses an outline of a shape formed by debris accumulated in the debris box to a predetermined amount,

the light emitter and the light receiver arranged at a position higher than a level of a threshold member of the debris box, and

the debris detecting unit outputs a data signal in accordance with the light received by the light receiver; and

a controller to, based on the data signal output by the debris detecting unit, determine;

whether debris is being introduced into the debris box, and

whether debris has been accumulated in the debris box to the predetermined amount.

2. The robot cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether debris is introduced into the debris box and whether debris has been accumulated in the debris box to the predetermined amount, based on a pattern of a variation in an amount of light received by the light receiver depending on a lapse of time as indicated by the data signal output by the debris detecting unit.

3. The robot cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the controller determines that debris is being introduced into the debris box when the amount of light received by the light receiver as indicated by the data signal output by the debris detecting unit is reduced to a first reference value or below for a predetermined time, and is then returned to an original value.

4. The robot cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the controller determines that debris has been accumulated in the debris box to the predetermined amount, when the amount of light received by the light receiver as indicated by the data signal output by the debris detecting unit is reduced to a second reference value or below, and is then maintained at the second reference value or below.

5. The robot cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the controller determines that debris flaps in a state of being trapped by the inlet of the debris box when a phenomenon that the amount of light received by the light receiver as indicated by the data signal output by the debris detecting unit is reduced to a third reference value or below, and is then returned to an original value is repeated for a predetermined time.

6. The robot cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the debris box is made of a material capable of allowing the light emitted by the light emitter to pass through the debris box, to thereby enable the light to be received by the light receiver.

7. The robot cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein debris introduced into the debris box may escape from the debris box or debris accumulated in the debris box may overflow at the position higher than the level of the threshold member of the debris box.

8. The robot cleaning device according to claim 7, wherein the position higher than the level of the threshold member of the debris box is biased toward the debris box.

9. The robot cleaning device according to claim 7, wherein the position or higher than the level of the threshold member of the debris box is arranged between the threshold member of the debris box and a top of the debris box while being closer to the threshold than to the top.

10. The robot cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the controller

discriminates regions to be cleaned between a region from which debris is detected based on the data signal output by the debris detecting unit and a region from which no debris is detected based on the data signal output by the debris detecting unit, and

controls the robot cleaning device to clean the region from which debris is detected in a repeated manner or in accordance with a predetermined pattern.

11. The robot cleaning device according to claim 10, wherein the controller controls the robot cleaning device to escape from the region from which debris is detected when a cleaning operation of the robot cleaning device for the region from which debris is detected is repeated a predetermined number of times or for a predetermined time.

12. The robot cleaning device according to claim 11, further comprising:

a maintenance station, with which the robot cleaning device docks to check malfunction of the debris detecting unit,

wherein, when the robot cleaning device repeatedly cleans one region in spite of non-detection of debris, due to malfunction of the debris detecting unit, the controller controls the robot cleaning device to dock with the maintenance station or informs a user of the malfunction of the debris detecting unit.

13. The robot cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the controller performs a control operation to empty the debris box when it is determined by the controller that debris has been accumulated in the debris box to the predetermined amount or that debris flaps in a state of being trapped by the inlet of the debris box.

14. The robot cleaning device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a maintenance station to generate a flow of air to suck air from the debris box, thereby emptying the debris box,

wherein the controller controls the robot cleaning device to dock with the maintenance station.

15. The robot cleaning device according to claim 14, wherein the controller controls the robot cleaning device to dock with the maintenance station when it is determined that the debris detecting unit malfunctions, debris has been accumulated in the debris box to the predetermined amount, debris is trapped by the inlet of the debris box, or debris overflows.

17. The robot cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the controller determines that debris overflows the inlet of the debris box when a phenomenon that the amount of light received by the light receiver as indicated by the data signal output by the debris detecting unit is reduced to a third reference value or below, and is then returned to an original value is repeated for a predetermined time.

16. A robot cleaning device comprising:

a body;

a driving unit to enable the body to travel;

a drum brush unit provided at the body, to sweep up debris, using a brush and a rotating drum;

a debris box to store the debris swept up by the drum brush unit;

a debris detecting unit comprising;

a light emitter to emit light,

a light receiver to receive the emitted light, and

the debris detecting unit outputting a data signal in accordance with the light received by the light receiver; and

a controller to, based on the data signal output by the debris detecting unit, determine;

whether debris is being introduced into the debris box,

whether debris has been accumulated in the debris box to a predetermined amount, and

whether debris flaps in a state of being trapped by an inlet of the debris box.