Robot cleaner and method for controlling the same

• US 9,867,516 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoon, Sang Sik, Chung, Woo Ram, Han, Kyu Sun, Hong, Jun Pyo, Lee, Jun Hwa
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, ABBY YEE
• Application Number:
  US14/873,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20160022108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/20 combined with vacuum cleaning devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/33 having means for storing dirt
• 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 11/4036 Parts or details of the surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4055 for lifting the tools to a non-working position
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• 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 9/0488 Combinations or arrangements of several tools, e.g. edge cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45098 Vacuum cleaning robot
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0203 Cleaning or polishing vehicle

Abstract

Disclosed are a robot cleaner and a method for controlling the same, capable of controlling a travelling or cleaning pattern of a robot cleaner in accordance with extension and retraction operations of an auxiliary cleaning tool to perform an efficient cleaning operation. The robot cleaner includes a plurality of auxiliary cleaning units mounted to a bottom of the robot cleaner such that the auxiliary cleaning units are extendable and retractable, and a control unit to extend the auxiliary cleaning units while travelling in a wall tracing manner along the periphery of the cleaning region and/or when an obstacle is sensed, and to retract the auxiliary cleaning units while the robot cleaner travels in an inner portion of the cleaning region when traveling of the periphery of the cleaning region is finished.

Claims

1. A robot cleaner for removing foreign matter from a floor while traveling on the floor, comprising:

a body;

a main brush unit mounted to a bottom of the body of the robot cleaner;

a plurality of auxiliary cleaning units mounted to the bottom of the body of the robot cleaner, each being protrudable outward from the body of the robot cleaner to a protruded position and retractable into the body of the robot cleaner to a retracted position; and

a control unit configured to

control the robot cleaner to travel in a wall tracing manner of travel along a periphery of a cleaning region, and

extend at least one of the auxiliary cleaning units from the retracted position thereof to the protruded position thereof in response to determining that the robot cleaner has been set to travel in the wall tracing manner of travel.

2. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit extends only an auxiliary cleaning unit present on a wall surface from among the auxiliary cleaning units from the retracted position thereof to the protruded position thereof, in response to determining that the robot cleaner has been set to travel in the wall tracing manner.

3. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit controls a speed of the robot cleaner when traveling in the wall tracing manner to be lower than another speed of the robot cleaner when travelling in an inner portion of the cleaning region.

4. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising:

an obstacle sensor to sense an obstacle in the cleaning region of the robot cleaner.

5. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising:

a dust sensing unit comprising an optical sensor that senses dust present on the floor of the cleaning region.

6. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit increases a cleaning speed of the auxiliary cleaning units, in response to an obstacle sensor of the robot cleaner detecting a wall disposed in front thereof while the robot cleaner is travelling in the wall tracing manner.

7. The robot cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the control unit repeats extension and retraction of the auxiliary cleaning units at predetermined intervals when an amount of dust sensed by the dust sensing unit is greater than or equal to a predetermined reference value.

8. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit extends the auxiliary cleaning unit into an inner portion of the cleaning region in response to detecting an obstacle within the inner portion of the cleaning region to clean around the edge of the obstacle.

9. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls a cleaning speed of the auxiliary cleaning unit to increase or decrease a cleaning time.

10. The robot cleaner according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit retracts the at least one of the auxiliary cleaning units to the retracted position thereof in response to the robot cleaner switching from traveling in the wall tracing manner along the periphery of the cleaning region to travelling in an inner portion of the cleaning region.

11. A method for controlling a robot cleaner comprising a main brush unit, and auxiliary cleaning units each being protrudable outward from a body of the robot cleaner to a protruded position and retractable into the body of the robot cleaner to a retracted position, the method comprising:

determining whether or not the robot cleaner has been set to travel in a wall tracing manner of travel along a periphery of a cleaning region;

outwardly extending at least one of the auxiliary cleaning units from the retracted position thereof to the protruded position thereof, in response to determining that the robot cleaner has been set to travel in the wall tracing manner of travel;

determining whether the robot cleaner is no longer travelling in the wall tracing manner of travel; and

retracting the at least one auxiliary cleaning units to the retracted position thereof in response to determining that the robot cleaner is no longer travelling in the wall tracing manner of travel.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the outwardly extending comprises:

extending only one auxiliary cleaning unit, among the auxiliary cleaning units, that is present on a wall surface, from the retracted position thereof to the protruded position thereof in response to determining that the robot cleaner has been set to travel in the wall tracing manner.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the robot cleaner comprises a control unit that controls a speed of the robot cleaner when traveling in the wall tracing manner to be lower than another speed of the robot cleaner when traveling in an inner portion of a cleaning region to be cleaned by the robot.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

sensing obstacles disposed in front of the robot cleaner,

increasing a cleaning speed of the auxiliary cleaning units is increased, in response to a wall disposed in front of the robot cleaner being sensed while the robot cleaner is travelling in the wall tracing manner.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

sensing dust disposed in a cleaning region to be cleaned by the robot; and

repeating extension and retraction of the auxiliary cleaning units at predetermined intervals when an amount of dust sensed by the dust sensing unit is greater than or equal to a predetermined reference value.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the robot cleaner comprises a control unit configured to extend the at least one of the auxiliary cleaning units from the retracted position thereof to the protruded position thereof in response to detecting that an obstacle is present in a cleaning region to be cleaned by the robot.