Apparatus for returning of robot and returning method thereof

• US 9,751,214 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2015
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Ji-min, Kwak, No-san, Kim, Shin, Roh, Kyung-shik, Park, Soon-yong, Yoon, Suk-june
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US14/934,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20160229060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0085 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/005 using batteries, e.g. as a back-up power source
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/00 Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages B25J1/00 takes precedence; programme-controlled manipulators B25J9/00 ; vehicle aspects B60, B62, e.g. remote-controlled steering for motor vehicles B62D1/24; control of position of vehicles G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1674 characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1694 characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

An apparatus for returning of robot and a returning method thereof are provided, in which the apparatus for returning of robot includes a signal transmitter which is disposed on a charging station and transmits a single front signal and a plurality of distance signals including first, second and third distance signals, a signal receiver which is disposed on the robot and includes a plurality of receiving sensors to receive any one among the single front signal and one among the plurality of distance signals, and a controller which calculates an angle of the charging station by using one among the received single front signal and the plurality of received distance signals and controls the driving so that the robot can return to the charging station by using the calculated angle of the charging station.

Claims

1. An apparatus for returning a robot to a charging station, the apparatus comprising:

a signal transmitter disposed on the charging station to transmit a plurality of signals to determine a distance of the robot from the charging station, the plurality of signals including a single narrow signal having a narrow transmission angle and a plurality of distance signals each having a wider transmission angle than the single narrow signal comprising a first distance signal, a second distance signal, and a third distance signal in which a respective transmission distance of the plurality of distance signals from the charging station consecutively increases;

a signal receiver disposed on the robot and comprising a plurality of receiving sensors to receive the plurality of signals;

at least one memory storing instructions; and

a controller including at least one processor that executes the instructions stored in the at least one memory to;

calculate an angle of the charging station with respect to the robot by using any among the single front signal and the plurality of distance signals as received, and

control a driving of the robot so that the robot returns to the charging station using the calculated angle with respect to the charging station,

wherein based on which ones of the plurality of signals are received by at least one among the plurality of receiving sensors, the controller controls the robot to;

drive away from the charging station when the first distance signal is received,

drive toward the charging station when the only distance signal received is the third distance signal,

perform a front-turn driving toward a direction corresponding to a preset angle based on a direction of the charging station with respect to the robot and searches for the single narrow signal when the only distance signal received is the second distance signal, and

drive toward the direction of the charging station and connect to the charging station when only the single narrow signal is received.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of receiving sensors are arranged on a boundary of the robot symmetrically from left to right with respect to a front of the robot.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of receiving sensors have preset reception ranges.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of receiving sensors are arranged on the boundary of the robot at equal intervals with respect to each other.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of receiving sensors comprise a pair of front receiving sensors arranged in parallel on the front of the robot in which the reception ranges overlap with each other.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when a plurality of distance signals are received by some among the plurality of receiving sensors, a signal among the received plurality of distance signals having a smallest transmission angle and a distance is selected by the controller and the controller controls the robot according to the selected signal, and

when more than one of the plurality of distance signals and the single narrow signal are received by some among the plurality of receiving sensors, only the single narrow signal is selected by the controller and the controller controls the robot according to the selected single narrow signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first to the third distance signals have overlapping areas with respect to each other, and

the controller selects the distance signal having the smallest transmission distance when at least two distance signals are received by at least one among the plurality of receiving sensors, selects the single narrow signal only when any one among the plurality of distance signals and the single narrow signal is received, and controls a driver of the robot according to the selected signal.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the single narrow signal and the plurality of distance signals are infrared signals.

7. An apparatus for returning a robot to a charging station, the apparatus comprising:

a signal transmitter disposed on the charging station to transmit a plurality of signals to determine a distance of the robot from the charging station, the plurality of signals including a single narrow signal having a narrow transmission angle and a plurality of distance signals each having a wider transmission angle than the single narrow signal comprising a first distance signal, a second distance signal, and a third distance signal in which a respective transmission distance of the plurality of distance signals from the charging station consecutively increases;

a signal receiver disposed on the robot and comprising a plurality of receiving sensors to receive the plurality of signals;

at least one memory storing instructions; and

a controller including at least one processor that executes the instructions stored in the at least one memory to;

calculate an angle of the charging station with respect to the robot by using any among the single front signal and the plurality of distance signals as received, and

control a driving of the robot so that the robot returns to the charging station using the calculated angle with respect to the charging station,

wherein based on which ones of the plurality of signals are received by at least one among the plurality of receiving sensors, the controller controls the robot to;

drive away from the charging station when the first distance signal is received,

drive toward the charging station when the only distance signal received is the third distance signal,

perform a front-turn driving toward a direction corresponding to a preset angle based on a direction of the charging station with respect to the robot and searches for the single narrow signal when the only distance signal received is the second distance signal, and

drive toward the direction of the charging station and connect to the charging station when only the single narrow signal is received,

wherein the single narrow signal, the first distance signal, the second distance signal, and the third distance signal have different codes from each other,

the single narrow signal is transmitted from the center of the charging station toward the front of the apparatus, and

the first, the second and the third distance signals are each formed symmetrically from left to right of the apparatus with respect to the single narrow signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first distance signal and the second distance signal have different codes between the signals formed on one side and the signals formed on other side of the single narrow signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the third distance signal comprises a transmission angle covering both sides of the charging station.

12. A method for returning a robot to a charging station, the method comprising:

determining whether returning conditions are met according to at least one of a determined charging amount of a battery and a determined amount of dust obtained by the robot;

when the determined returning conditions are met, searching any one among a plurality of signals received by the charging station to determine a distance of the robot from the charging station, the plurality of signals transmitted from the charging station including a single narrow signal and a plurality of distance signals including a first distance signal, a second distance signal and a third distance signal in which a transmission distance of the plurality of distance signals from the charging station consecutively increases;

driving the robot away from the charging station when the first distance signal is received by at least one among a plurality of receiving sensors provided on the robot;

driving the robot toward the charging station when only the third distance signal of the plurality of distance signals is received by the at least one among a plurality of receiving sensors provided on the robot;

front-turn driving the robot toward a direction corresponding to a preset angle (θ

_o) based on a direction of the charging station and searching for the single narrow signal when the second distance signal is received by the at least one among the plurality of receiving sensors; and

driving the robot toward the direction of the charging station and connecting the robot to the charging station when only the single narrow signal is received by the at least one among the plurality of receiving sensors.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first distance signal, the second distance signal, and the third distance signal have overlapping areas with respect to each other,

the distance signal of the plurality of distance signals having a smallest transmission angle and distance is selected when at least two of the plurality of distance signals are received by at least one among the plurality of receiving sensors, or

only the single narrow signal is selected when any one among the plurality of distance signals and the single narrow signal are received, and

driving is performed according to the selected signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the direction of the charging station is determined according to an angle of the charging station calculated by an arrangement angle from a front center line of the robot to the receiving sensor which receives the selected signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the direction of the charging station is repeatedly determined at a preset calculating period from a time when at least one among the plurality of receiving sensors provided on the robot receives the single narrow signal and any one among the plurality of distance signals comprising the first to the third distance signals to a time when the robot connects to the charging station.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of receiving sensors are arranged on the boundary of the robot symmetrically from left to right with respect a front of the robot, and

the angle (θ

_s) of the charging station is calculated according to a following mathematical formula 1

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the preset angle (θ

_o) is established within a range from −

180°

to +180°

, and

when the second distance signal is received by some among the plurality of receiving sensors provided on the robot, the robot performs a front-straight driving if the angle of the charging station is uniform to the preset angle in terms of size, and the direction is different from each other.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the front-turn driving is performed according to a preset angular velocity corresponding to the calculated angle of the charging station.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the front-turn driving is performed according to an angular velocity proportional to a size of the calculated angle of the charging station.