Robotic cleaning device with perimeter recording function

• US 9,811,089 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2013
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aktiebolaget Electrolux
• Original Assignee: Aktiebolaget Electrolux
• Inventors: Lindh, Magnus, Forsberg, Petter, Haegermarck, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Soofi, Yazan
• Application Number:
  US15/101,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20160306359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 701 28
• 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 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0221 involving a learning process
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0231 using optical position detecting means position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0248 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

The invention relates to a robotic cleaning device having a main body, a cleaning portion configured to clean a floor of an area of interest, and a propulsion system configured to move the robotic cleaning device across a surface of the area. The robotic cleaning device may further include an obstacle detecting device and a processing unit, the processing unit being configured to control the propulsion system, wherein the obstacle detecting device is configured to monitor a perimeter of at least part of the area and to follow and continuously record a position of an object, while the object is moving along the perimeter. The processing unit is configured to create positional data of the perimeter out of the continuously recorded positions.

Claims

1. A method of teaching a robotic cleaning device a perimeter of an area of interest, comprising the steps of:

positioning the robotic cleaning device so that an obstacle detecting device of the robotic cleaning device can monitor at least part of the area;

controlling the obstacle detecting device of the robotic cleaning device to follow and continuously record a position of an object, while the object is moving along the perimeter of the area of interest; and

creating positional data of the perimeter from the continuous recordings of the positions of the object.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of finishing the teaching by signalling, via a user interface to the robotic cleaning device, that the recording of the perimeter is finished.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of switching the robotic cleaning device into a cleaning mode via the user interface.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising performing the steps according to claim 1 for another perimeter, combining the recorded perimeters and creating positional data of the combined, recorded perimeters from the continuous recordings of the positions.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the step of claim 4 is repeated a plurality of times to cover an entire area.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of labelling the positional data of the perimeter via the user interface.

7. A robotic cleaning device comprising:

a main body;

a cleaning portion configured to clean a floor of an area of interest;

a propulsion system configured to move the robotic cleaning device across the surface of the area; and

an obstacle detecting device comprising a processing unit, the processing unit being configured to control the propulsion system;

wherein the obstacle detecting device is configured to monitor a perimeter of the area and to follow and continuously record a position of an object, while the object is moving along the perimeter; and

wherein the processing unit is configured to create positional data of the perimeter out of the continuously recorded positions.

8. The robotic cleaning device according to claim 7, wherein the obstacle detecting device comprises a 3D sensor system.

9. The robotic cleaning device according to claim 8, wherein the 3D sensor system comprises:

a camera device arranged to record images of a vicinity of the robotic cleaning device; and

a first vertical line laser and a second vertical line laser arranged to illuminate the vicinity of the robotic cleaning device;

the processing unit further being arranged to derive the positional data from the recorded images.

10. The robotic cleaning device according to claim 9, wherein the processing unit derives a characteristic from the images in order to create positional data of the perimeter.

11. The robotic cleaning device according to claim 7, wherein the processing unit is configured to control the propulsion system in a manner so that the robotic cleaning device turns more or less on the spot, while the obstacle detecting device is observing the object, which moves along the perimeter.

12. The robotic cleaning device according to claim 7, wherein the obstacle detecting device is connected to the main body of the robotic cleaning device in a rotatable manner, so that it can observe the object, which moves along the perimeter, by rotation while the robotic cleaning device is stationary.

13. The robotic cleaning device according claim 7, further comprising a user interface for communication with a user.

14. The robotic cleaning device according claim 7, wherein the moving object is a user.

15. The robotic cleaning device according to claim 7, wherein the moving object is a marker such as a reflector or a sending device, the marker or sending device being configured to be carried by a user, while the user is following the perimeter.

16. A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions for causing a robotic cleaning device to perform the following method steps when the computer-executable instructions are executed on a processing unit included in the device, the method steps comprising:

positioning the robotic cleaning device so that an obstacle detecting device of the robotic cleaning device can monitor at least part of the area;

controlling the obstacle detecting device of the robotic cleaning device to follow and continuously record a position of an object, while the object is moving along the perimeter of the area of interest; and

creating positional data of the perimeter from the continuous recordings of the positions of the object.

17. The computer program of claim 16,

wherein the computer program is stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.